This revolutionary sniper rifle changed modern warfare forever

When you picture a sniper rifle, chances are the weapon in your mind looks something like the Barrett M82. From movies to video games, the Barrett M82 has become an iconic weapon and the standard by which other sniper rifles are measured. But what made it so famous and what’s its story?

#1 The Barrett M82

The Barrett M82.

The Barrett M82, in the form of the M107 as standardized by the United States Armed Forces, is a semi-automatic, recoil-operated anti-matter rifle that is also popular as an anti-personnel weapon.

#2 The Light Fifty

The Barrett M82.

It is also known as the Light Fifty by the U.S. military, as it uses .50 BMG 12.7x99mm NATO bullets. It is available in several variations, including the M82A1 and M82A3, the M82A2 bullpup model (no longer produced), and the M107A1 which has a muzzle brake capable of attaching a suppressor and is made of titanium.

#3 Development

The Barrett M82.

The Barrett M82 was developed in 1980 by Ronnie Barrett and is still sold today. It was first sold to the Swedish Army before being adopted by the United States.

#4 Acceptance all over the world

The Barrett M82.

Since then, the rifle has gained widespread acceptance and fame, being used by military and police forces around the world, including Chile, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Jamaica, Indonesia and more.

#5 Specifications

The Barrett M82.

The Barrett M82 typically weighs between 29.7 lbs and 32.7 lbs and is approximately 48 inches to 57 inches long. It can use a five or ten round detachable magazine.

#6 Range and distance

The Barrett M82.

The Barrett M82 has an effective range of 2,000 yards, but can reliably hit targets farther away, with a maximum range of approximately 4,400 yards. However, when equipped with a .50 caliber round and fired as an artillery gun, it can shoot much further.

#7 Official Rifle

The Barrett M82.

The Barrett M82 is the official state rifle of Tennessee. It’s a bit odd for a government to designate a weapon as the state weapon, but here we are.

#8 Other applications

The Barrett M82.

The Barrett M82 was famously used by the Provisional IRA, who obtained a handful of them from US suppliers and killed five soldiers between 1992 and 1997. The Barrett M82 is also used by Mexican drug cartels, and the Mexican government has even indicted Barrett, among other companies, for supplying the weapons. It has tipped the balance between cartels and law enforcement significantly in favor of the cartels.

#9 Use in war

The Barrett M82.

In addition to the conflicts mentioned above, the Barrett M82 has also been used in the Soviet-Afghan War, the Kosovo War, the Second Libyan Civil War, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and all recent confrontations in which the US has been involved since its founding.

#10 Army Version

The Barrett M82.

The version of the rifle used by the U.S. Army, the M107, was voted one of the top ten military inventions by the U.S. Army in 2005. It is equipped with a Leupold 4.5–14×50 Mark 4 scope when in service.

#11 Successor

The Barrett M82.

The M82 was succeeded in 2006 by the XM500. The Barrett XM500 was designed to be lighter, more compact, and offer improved accuracy with a stationary barrel.

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