.20 cal to wound a man: .30 cal to kill him.
A good rule of thumb for rifles, and one that’s held true for a century.
But every rule has exceptions – and sometimes you need an exceptional rifle.
Barrett are an American firearms manufacturer best known for their .50 calibre rifles.
So what’s the need for such a powerful round?
Where did the idea for a shoulder-fired .50 calibre rifle come from?
And how on earth do you manage the recoil?
World War One was a wake-up call for militaries of the early 20th century. New technology brought
radical changes to the battlefield: aircraft, radio, artillery – and tanks.
Early tanks were heavy and slow,
but their armour was not insurmountable – half an inch of hardened steel at most.
By 1917, the Germans added a steel core to rifle
rounds – called the K-bullet – to better pierce this armour.
In response, tank armour became thicker, rendering conventional rifle calibres ineffective.
So, the Germans devised a larger calibre: the 13.2x92mm Tank und Flieger round. It was intended
for a machine gun, but the bolt-action Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr was made to serve as a proof of concept.
This was the first anti-tank rifle – much larger and heavier than conventional rifles,
and with punishing recoil – but it was able to reliably penetrate 26mm of steel armour,
and was a major threat to tanks.
The Americans had taken notice. Their .30 cal machine guns were proving less
effective against armoured planes, so they tasked John Browning to develop a new round.
Inspiration was taken from the French 11x59mm Gras round, which had proven
effective against observation balloons: And captured examples of the German 13.2mm rounds.
The .50 Browning Machine Gun cartridge was the result, with a half-inch,
40-plus gramme bullet at muzzle velocities exceeding 2,700 feet per second. Prototypes
were finished and ready for testing in November 1918 – just as World War 1 came to an end.
The first weapon to fire this new round was the M1921 – a water-cooled
machine gun, an upscaled M1917 with improvements to the recoil buffers.
Its immense weight - 55kg with water – made it difficult to wield, and issues
with early cartridges meant the rate of fire and muzzle velocity were suboptimal. So, while the
M1921 was adopted in limited numbers by 1929, development continued on the .50 cal platform.
The result was the M2. Air cooled with a variety of barrel options,
the improved design entered production in 1933.
During World War 2, the M2 saw extensive use – mounted to aircraft,
ships, boats, armoured vehicles, or on a tripod for infantry use.
It was a workhorse, earning the affectionate nickname of ‘Ma Deuce’.
By this time, tank armour had advanced to the point where even anti-tank rifles
were ineffective: a man-portable weapon with sufficient kinetic energy simply wasn’t possible.
Instead, High Explosive Anti Tank weapons – rocket launchers such as the panzerfaust
and bazooka – became the infantryman’s counter to armoured vehicles instead.
The era of the anti-tank rifle had come to an end.
The M2 Browning had established its own niche,
however – that of the heavy machine gun. In fact, it remains in service to this day.
Its powerful round, stable platform, and heavy barrel also conferred favourable
characteristics for long ranged, accurate fire.
The weapon was equipped with a telescopic sight as early as the Korean War,
but the most famous demonstration of the M2’s long-range ability came in 1967, in Vietnam.
A US Marine Corps sniper – Carlos Hathcock – achieved the longest confirmed sniper
kill with a scoped M2. 2,250 metres - a record that stood for 35 years.
In 1982, Ronnie G Barrett was a professional photographer in Tennessee.
He was taking some shots of a river patrol boat, with mounted M2s, when inspiration struck.
He pondered the commercial viability of a shoulder-fired semi automatic .50
calibre and sketched his plans for a new rifle.
Most people he approached about his idea were sceptical: Why would anyone need a .50 cal rifle?
Perhaps the naysayers were right, but he eventually found manufacturing partners and some
four months later, he had his first prototype: The Barrett M82, named for its year of design.
To mitigate the heavy recoil from the .50 BMG round, the barrel is crowned with a colossal
muzzle brake which redirects propellant gases backwards, significantly reducing the felt force.
The recoil that remains is distributed through buffers,
springs, and the weight of the weapon itself – resulting in a surprisingly manageable weapon.
A second prototype was shown at a gun show in Houston,
where Barrett was able to secure starting capital for a business:
Barrett Firearm Manufacturing was born, and an initial production of 30 rifles began.
Sales were slow to begin with – turns out the civilian market
for a .50 calibre rifle priced at three thousand dollars (in the 1980s) is small.
There wasn’t much in the way of competition,
however – and the combination of a powerful cartridge, recoil
mitigation and man-portable package opened up interest to a rather specialised market.
The CIA procured an undisclosed number of Barrett’s rifles for use by the Mujahideen
in the Soviet-Afghan War – quite what they did with them isn’t well documented,
but it’s likely they caused some trouble for the Soviets.
A small number of Barrett Light Fifties also found their way into the Provisional IRA’s hands
in the mid-80s, notable for use in the South Armagh Sniper campaign during the Troubles.
In 1989, the Barrett Light Fifty was adopted by the Swedish Army in an anti-materiel role:
In 1990, the United States Armed Forces did the same,
designating it the ‘Special Applications Scoped Rifle’ and deploying it during the Gulf War.
When paired with the Raufoss Mk 211 round - which feature a tungsten penetrator core,
explosive charge, and incendiary tip – there are few targets this rifle can’t tackle.
The naysayers were wrong. Ronnie Barrett’s initial sketch had found
its purpose – and Ronnie became one of only seven individuals to
design a firearm adopted by the United States military in the last century.
The first variant, known as the Light Fifty or M82, was modified slightly in 1986 with
the M82A1 – which came with flip-up iron sights and a larger muzzle brake.
In 1987, there was the M82A2 – a bullpup reconfiguration of the rifle, designed
for firing from an upright position such as when engaging a helicopter.
The M82A1M was the version designed for the US Military, with a Picatinny rail,
rear grip, and monopod socket – this variant was later designated the M107
by the US Armed Forces, and the M82A3 by the US Marine Corps.
There were some bolt-action variants,
too – the first being the M90 in 1990, followed by the improved M95 in 1995.
The move to a bolt-action variant was spurred by the US Army’s initial desire to select a
bolt-action weapon for the M107 role: in fact, the Barrett M95 was initially selected as the XM107,
before a decision was made to drop the bolt-action requirement, and the M82 was adopted instead.
More recently, there’s the XM500, introduced in 2006. It’s a lighter
and more compact derivative of the M82 in a bullpup configuration.
While .50 BMG has always been Barrett’s signature calibre, there have been other offerings due
to differing needs and the potential legal restriction of the cartridge in some regions.
For instance, there’s the Model 98B, introduced in 1997,
chambered for .338 Lapua Magnum - and the MRAD, or Multi-Role Adaptive Design,
which supports a wide range of cartridges via a field-changeable barrel.
Today, Barrett’s rifles are used by over 50 nations worldwide,
with the original .50 cal design the most prominent.
Such is its status, that in 2016,
the Barrett M82 was named as the official state rifle of Tennessee.
The rifle’s imposing presence has also helped secure its place on screen,
and the Barrett starts turning up in movies from the late 1980s.
Perhaps the most notable early appearance is in 1987’s Robocop, where the Barrett is styled into
a futuristic-looking experimental weapon named the ‘Cobra Assault Cannon’. Impressively large, the
weapon sports a hi-tech scope and fires explosive rounds, with predictably Hollywood effect.
Since then, the Barrett has turned up in films seeking a impressive-looking sniper
rifle – it was a relatively rare sight in the 90s, but it became more popular post-2000,
with appearances in Shooter, The Hurt Locker, and the 2008 Rambo.
This later surge in popularity correlates with a greater interest in military matters – spurred
by the contemporary Iraq War, which dominated news. Another key factor in the relevance and
recognition of the Barrett in media was an increased depiction in video games.
The earliest games that feature the Barrett in any prominent sense are
the tactical military shooters of the early 2000s, such as Ghost Recon and Delta Force.
These games tend to offer a range of military hardware so that you can tackle
missions in different ways, and the Barrett fits logically at the top of the sniper rifle tree.
The weapon is always equipped with a scope, as befits its intended long-range role,
and the large size of the Barrett is conveyed with a viewmodel that
occupies a significant part of screen real-estate.
The distinctive muzzle brake caps off the barrel’s length, and almost without
exception – the virtual .50 calibre round will take out enemies with just a single shot.
The early tactical shooters had a hardcore fanbase,
but over the coming years more casual FPS genres exploded in popularity,
bringing a modern arsenal – Barrett included – to a much wider audience.
Battlefield 2 staked this claim in 2005, but it was Call of Duty 4 a couple of years later
that really heralded the start of a new FPS era – the modern military shooter.
This was the Barrett’s time to shine,
and COD4 put it directly in the spotlight during its memorable Pripyat mission.
In ‘One Shot, One Kill’, you take up a hidden position with an emplaced Barrett M82, and are
tasked with making a critical long-range shot on a target during a narrow window of opportunity.
The bullet travel time, wind direction and strength all play a key role in delivering
the .50 calibre round on target – but firing reveals your position, hence the mission title.
Once compromised, the Barrett proves its worth one last time before your
hasty getaway – buying crucial time as you down an incoming helicopter.
It’s a memorable sequence and a favourite mission of many – so of course,
the Barrett was usable in multiplayer, too – where its immense power and satisfying
report secured favour with snipers who sought the utmost in stopping power.
Call of Duty would be immensely popular in the years that followed, with numerous sequels and
no shortage of imitators. Along with them, the Barrett would see frequent return.
The Barrett is normally presented as the most powerful conventional weapon in games that feature
it: of the already mighty sniper rifle category, the .50 cal reigns as an undisputed king.
Often its anti-materiel role is reflected by an elevated damage profile: hurting
armoured opponents or vehicles where most non-explosive options simply wouldn’t work.
Its depiction is at its best when it serves this rank and role,
and with a sound design that resonates with the impact a .50 calibre weapon ought to exhibit.
At its best, it exudes power.
It’s not all good news, though – in the name of balance, the potency is tempered with heft.
It’s a large, heavy weapon to wield – and so
this often means your movements are slowed and actions made deliberate.
The chunky magazine is seated home with a satisfying pivot,
and the first round chambered with a purposeful pull on the bolt handle.
This is a weapon of precision, the game reminds you,
and if you want to effectively apply it a degree of patience is essential.
It’s all worth it, though, for the bass gut-punch of the shot and the powerful
satisfaction of one shot, one kill. As the dust settles, all that remains is the echo.
The Barrett is an impressive weapon on all fronts: From its alarming size;
The reach and potential of its round; And the technical feat of taming its recoil.
It fills a role that many didn’t realise existed, but Ronnie Barrett’s initial
inspiration propelled him to an upper echelon of American arms designers.
Today, there are other .50 calibre rifles: But the Barrett will always be the original light fifty.
Perhaps its overkill: Perhaps a conventional rifle would do just fine;
But perhaps you want to be ready for an exception.
The Barrett .50 Cal.
Uncompromised.
Unyielding.
Unstoppable.
Thank you very much for watching – and until next time, farewell.