- [Voiceover] So, here it is.
The legendary Barrett 50 caliber anti-materiel rifle.
If you ever wanted to buy a gun for the sole purpose
of inconveniencing you by having to lug it back and forth
in a giant case weighing over 30 pounds,
and chambered in five dollar bills,
this rifle has your name written all over it.
First and foremost, the Barrett 50 caliber rifles
are not and were not designed to be sniper rifles despite
what video games and movies have led many to believe.
In fact, I checked Barrett's current sales literature
and could not find the word sniper anywhere.
These guns were designed with destruction in mind.
That is, destroying or disabling light vehicles,
satellite arrays, and if you need to destroy a canteen
or zipper that just so happens to be attached
to an enemy combatant, that's fair game.
The Barrett 50's were designed by Ronnie Barrett in 1980
to allow shooters to lob .50BMG with more accuracy
and precision than an M2HB generally allows for
and at a quarter of the weight.
The rifles were an almost immediate success
and even the CIA acquired some to deliver to
the Mujahideen in their fight against the USSR.
Battle proven, Barretts were catching the eyes
of militaries and police units around the world.
Inside the transit case the consumer's provided with
the barrel assembly, upon which is a long Picatinny rail
for mounting an optic of the user's choice,
a large and prominent muzzle brake, backup iron sights,
and the barrel return spring assembly.
The lower group features a bipod, the recoil assembly,
monopod, and trigger group.
The bolt group is quite hefty as well
and features a large triangular bolt head
that is very reminiscent of the Australian Leader rifles
whose designer, Charles St. George, worked at Barrett.
Barrett magazines hold 10 rounds of ammunition
and are quite large.
Overlaying an M16 magazine conveys the sheer size
as does an M14 magazine.
.50BMG is not exactly a cartridge for a front-line
infantryman's rifle and is quite serious
when you compare it to a smaller cartridge.
Loading the magazines is also quite easy.
They are staggered, double-column, double-feed,
and load like larger versions of
FAL, M14, or G3 magazines.
The rifle is assembled by first pulling the barrel
out of the receiver all the way and pushing
the black polymer bushing all the way to the rear.
At this point, the user hooks the barrel
return spring assembly onto the barrel.
There is a hook on the upper that allows it mate to a
crosspin on the lower assembly
and the user should lock the upper into the lower.
At this point, draw the bolt to the rear
and lower the upper onto the lower.
A non-captive pin will secure the two assemblies
at the rear,
and an additional pin secures them at the center.
The final step is rocking in the magazine
and you are good to go.
Now in front of us is a fully assembled Barrett M107 rifle
which is the latest military version of the older M82 rifle.
The Barrett is easy to operate and features a
large charging handle on the right side of the gun.
The safety is very reminiscent of that of an M16 rifle
and positively clicks into fire.
The M107's large Picatinny rail allows users to mount
an optic of their choice, this one's sporting a Leupold,
and the M107's giant muzzle brake allows for
the mounting of a sound suppressor.
The bipod is easily deployable and when combined with
the rear monopod, creates a very stable shooting platform.
Now, there are two basic models of the Barrett
that are available, the M82 and the M107 rifles.
Differences are relatively minor, but let's take a look.
First, the M107 has a rear-mounted cheek piece
made of polymer.
I have actually been burned after the sun has heated up
the metal on the rear of a regular M82.
The most obvious difference are the rifle's muzzle brakes.
The M82's is belled out while the M107's is cylindrical.
The coloring on the two models is slightly
different as well, as the M107 features a coated barrel,
rail, and furniture.
That said, both rifles function by the same
short recoiling action and otherwise,
both provide a very similar shooting experience.
There's an interesting dichotomy here.
I would place these rifles on a list of 10 guns
to shoot before you die, but also on a list of
10 firearms that aren't as fun as you think.
Shooting a Barrett can be quite thrilling,
but finding a range where you can really stretch
its legs is incredibly difficult,
ammunition is expensive, and the concussive blast begins
to rattle the hell out of your brain the more you shoot it.
That said, the recoil is actually not as bad
as you would think, and I would liken it to a shot gun
firing 3 1/2 inch magnum shells
which is actually worse in my opinion.
So, I hope this overview provided you with some
good information about the two predominant
Barrett rifles on the market.
Which one you prefer is up to you,
but from a shooter's perspective, I can tell you
that I've never noticed any noteworthy differences.
They're big, heavy, expensive,
and incredibly bad ass.
This is Alex C with TFB TV.
Thank you to Ventura Munitions for
providing ammunition for our shooting videos
and thank you very much for watching.