BARRETT M82 AMERICAN SNIPER RIFLE CALIBER 12.7 MM, TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS TTX, REVIEW, WEIGHT AND RECOIL FORCE OF THE GUN

In recent years, the popularity of large-caliber sniper rifles (SWR) is rapidly growing. Rumor attributes to this weapon absolutely fantastic qualities: and you can get into the enemy’s head from 2000 meters exactly, and you can easily cope with foe’s armored vehicles. Let's try to deal with this category of small arms, taking to describe a large-caliber sniper complex of one manufacturer.

This manufacturer will be the famous American company Barrett Firearms and its famous M82 rifle. This weapon can be called the most famous and popular in its class. Sniper complex was born in 1982. The rifle is in service in several dozen countries. Currently Barrett M82 or M107 is considered the most powerful sniper rifle in the world.

This sniper complex has a caliber of 12.7 mm and is designed not only to combat the enemy's manpower, but also to destroy its light armored vehicles, radar stations, airplanes and helicopters in the parking lots, as well as to fight enemy snipers. This rifle is also called anti-material. It is really created for the destruction of enemy equipment and material means of the enemy.

The history of the rifle

The creator of this rifle was not a weapon designer and had no technical education at all. Ronnie Barrett was a retired US law enforcement officer, hereditary military. His grandfather fought in Europe in World War One, and his father fought the Nazis during World War II. Barrett worked in his own garage with his design research.

The rifle was ready in 1982, after receiving a patent for his creation, Barrett wanted to sell it to one of the major weapon companies. However, neither Winchester nor Fabrique National are interested in new weapons. Barrett was not discouraged, he opened his own company and began selling his weapons to athletes and just to shooting lovers. The company did not do very well, sometimes the company teetered on the verge of bankruptcy. Luck only smiled on the inventor in 1989: the Swedish army decided to order 100 units of his rifle from Barrett right away.

This deal forced us to pay attention to the new weapons and the American army. It was at this point that the first Iraqi company began, and the US armed forces did not have anything like that in service. The military needed a sniper complex, which could hit the enemy over long distances, reach for light shelters and incapacitate armored vehicles. Barrett M82 coped well with these tasks. Initially, 125 M82A1 units were purchased (this is an upgraded version of the rifle) for the US Marine Corps. And after that, a real line-up of potential customers lined up for Barrett. Much later, the designer told me that during this period he had to work literally day and night, that he had to fulfill all the orders.

When the hype slept a little, Barrett set about improving his rifle.

Much later, Barrett told that the legendary American Browning machine gun (M2 Browning) was the source of inspiration that inspired him to create his weapon, he was developed as early as the 1930s, but is still in service with the US Army. The developer was amazed at the power of the 50-caliber cartridge and wanted to make this power more mobile (M2 Browning weighs more than 40 kg, plus a 20-pound tripod goes to it).

Later several modifications of this rifle were released, which, however, differ only in minor details.

This rifle was actively used by Americans in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. There are various reviews regarding the accuracy of this complex.

Rifle description

The M82 is a self-loading rifle whose automation works on the principle of a short barrel stroke. Under the action of powder gases, the barrel with the bolt moves back, rotates and unlocks the barrel bore. He removes the cartridge case, moving forward under the action of return springs, the bolt sends the cartridge into the chamber and closes the barrel bore.

This principle of operation of the automation significantly reduces the recoil of the weapon, which uses a very powerful cartridge of the 50th caliber. However, this was not enough, Barrett turned his attention to the muzzle brake-compensator and began to try his various designs. He wanted to find a middle ground between reducing the recoil momentum and the impact on the ballistics of bullets. As a result of his search, a compensator of a characteristic arrow-shaped form was born. The rifle is equipped with a standard Ultra MZA optical sight from LeupoLd & Stevens with a tenfold magnification, and the M82A1M has open sighting devices. Rifle magazine has a capacity of 10 rounds.

For shooting, cartridges of the 50th caliber (12.7 × 99 mm) are used. You can use conventional ammunition from a machine gun, but then the shooting accuracy will be lower. When using special ammunition rifle accuracy is 1.5-2 MOA. If you speak the usual language, then the deviation from the aiming point will be approximately 20-30 cm at a distance of 500 meters. Let it not the most ideal option for sniper weapons, but do not forget that the M82 was conceived to fight with enemy equipment.

It should be noted that these rifles are leaders in firing accuracy over long distances. Known facts of the defeat of the enemy at a distance of more than two kilometers (2300 meters). The use of the M82 changed the tactics of the US ground forces. Now they can take the commanding heights and destroy the enemy from a long distance without entering a close combat. A special bullet can pierce an armor 30 mm thick or a 30 centimeter wall.