Caliber: .50 BMG
Magazine: 10-shot detachable box magazine
Barrel: 29"
Weight: 32.5 lbs
Length: 57" overall
Stock: Composite with Sorbothane recoil pad.
Sights: Scope with ironsights.
Max Effective Range 1830 meters
Features:
· Semi-automatic
· Recoil operated
· Recoiling barrel to reduce felt recoil
· Highly effective Muzzle Brake
· Three-lug locking bolt
· Self leveling bi-pod
· 1 MOA with match ammunition
The bolt is of triangular, three-lug design and rotates on a cam pin connected to the bolt carrier. Once fired, projectile-created energy activates the barrel-and-bolt-carrier group in a rearward motion. The barrel will cease to move after coming in contact with the barrel stop while the carrier continues towards the rear of the rifle and ejects the spent case. Barrel-return springs send the barrel back to the forward position while the bolt carrier strips another round from the magazine and inserts it into the chamber.
To reduce the operator’s felt recoil, the rifle is equipped with a muzzle brake on the end of the barrel. The first-generation rifle weighed 35lbs empty.
When the celebrated Model 82A1 went into production in 1986, the Model 82 was no longer produced. Subsequently the Model 90 was introduced for those customers who required bolt-action accuracy in a lightweight .50-calibre rifle. In 1995 an improved Model 90, the Model 95, began its production run and in 1999 a variation of the Model 95 won the US Army’s heavy-calibre sniper-rifle competition.
xm107 sniper rifle Designated XM107 by the US Army, the Model 95-based rifle has a modified receiver to meet the army’s size requirement when disassembled. It is equipped with an 11.2in. scope rail and new iron sights. At present 35 countries have adopted the Model 82A1 and 15 have adopted the Model 95 for military use, making Barrett rifles the most widely used .50-calibre rifles in the world. The 82A1 went into production with a list of improvements.
The receiver was shortened by 3in and a fluted barrel with a larger outside diameter was added. To accompany the shorter, lighter, bolt carrier, an accelerator system was put into place. To aid barrel cooling, ventilating holes were added to the receiver. The 82A1 also saw extensive use by marines and other US forces in Desert Storm. In the early 1990s the US Marine Corps selected the 82A1 as their new special-application scoped rifle (SASR).
Barrett has conceived several new variants with the military in mind, including the Model 82A1M. A military version of the 82A1, the M is equipped with spiked bipod legs for better ground contact, a rear sight scale designed for military ammunition and a comfortable rear handgrip. Steady shooting is assisted by a rear-mounted monopod that has adjustable elevation. The civilian 82A1 and 95 are now outfitted with similar scope rails to those of the military rifles. The XM107, 95M, 82A1M and their proprietary parts are offered only as government models.
Scopes
Barrett offers several scopes to accompany the rifles. The Swarovski/Barrett ranging reticle scope was designed so a shooter could acquire different targets at multiple ranges without adjusting the elevation on the scope. The reticle has a shape similar to a Christmas tree, the trunk being the centre of the target, and branches of different width and height serving as range and windage markers. The ranges on the scope are from 500 to 2000m.
Other scopes offered are the Swarovski/ Barrett mil-dot scope and the new Barrett Model 32 scope that has an illuminated mil-dot reticle with 11 brightness settings. A ballistic drop compensator (BDC) also is integrated into the scope. The scope body is 32mm in diameter and is designed for use with the company’s 32mm adjustable scope rings.
Shooting the 82M1
Believe it or not, the M82A1 is not that bad to shoot. The spotter actually suffers more than the shooter (Due to the muzzle brake sending the concussion out and back, usually right into the spotters face). While the potential for extreme long range shooting is there, the current military ammo is not up to the task. There is no military match ammo, and that really kills the accuracy potential of this rifle. Even with match ammo, the rifle will have a hard time holding it’s claimed 1 MOA, there is just too many moving parts. But, for its designed purpose as a long range hard target interdiction rifle, the M82A1 is hard to beat! Its semi-auto, 10 round capability against a light skinned APC is outstanding.
