founded in 1982
- 1982 founded by Ronnie G. Barrett in Christiana, Tennessee
- 1982 M82
- February 26, 2016, Tennessee named the Barrett M82 the official rifle of the State of Tennessee
Barrett Headquarters
P.O. Box 1077
Murfreesboro, TN 37133
615-896-2938
barrett.net
About Barrett
Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is the Tennessee company that made the .50 BMG rifle practical for individual shooters. Ronnie G. Barrett, a photographer with no formal engineering background, sketched a semi-automatic rifle chambered for the .50 Browning Machine Gun cartridge and founded the company in Christiana, Tennessee, in 1982 to build it. The result, the M82, became one of the most recognized rifles in the world. After its first large sale to Sweden in 1989, the M82 was purchased by the U.S. armed forces and deployed in the Gulf War, and its descendant, the M107, remains in U.S. military service.
Barrett later expanded into bolt-action .50 BMG rifles such as the M95 and M99, the M98B in .338 Lapua Magnum, and the MRAD multi-caliber sniper system. In 2021 the company won a U.S. Army contract for the Precision Sniper Rifle program. For civilian shooters, the M82 remains a symbol of long-range capability and of the right to own large-bore rifles. On February 26, 2016, Tennessee named the Barrett M82 its official state rifle. In January 2023 the Australian defense firm NIOA Group acquired Barrett, which continues to operate from its headquarters and plant in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Key Facts
- 1982: Founded by Ronnie G. Barrett in Christiana, Tennessee; first M82 rifles completed
- 1986: Improved M82A1 developed
- 1989: First large M82 sale, to Sweden
- February 26, 2016: Tennessee named the M82 its official state rifle
- 2021: Awarded a U.S. Army Precision Sniper Rifle contract
- January 17, 2023: Acquired by Australia-based NIOA Group
Learn More
- Barrett official website
Sources
- Barrett Firearms Manufacturing – Wikipedia
- Barrett Model 82/M107 Named Tennessee Official State Rifle – American Rifleman
- Barrett Firearms Celebrates 40th Anniversary – American Rifleman
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