Barrett introduced the
M82 in 1982 but did not have significant sales until 1989. These first large sales were to Sweden. Soon afterward, the M82 was purchased by the
United States Armed Forces, and it was deployed in the
Gulf War. The company has since gained contracts with dozens of countries to supply sniper rifles. The success of the M82A1 led the company to develop several other models of
.50 BMG rifles, including the
M95,
M99, and M99-1. These are lighter and lower cost bolt-action and single-shot rifles. An early customer of the M82 (or "Barrett Light Fifty") was the
IRA, which conducted
a sniper campaign against the British Armed Forces in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. An unidentified IRA volunteer, quoted by author
Toby Harnden, said that: What's special about the Barrett is the huge kinetic energy... The bullet can just walk through a flak jacket.
South Armagh was the prime place to use such weapon because of the availability of Brits. They came to dread it and that was part of its effectiveness. The US military uses the M82A3 and a newer version, the M107, as an
anti-materiel rifle. It is used by
explosive ordnance disposal teams with special military
HEIAP ammunition. Barrett also manufactured the
REC7 upper
receiver for the
AR-15 style rifle, chambered in
6.8 mm Remington SPC, which was one of the weapons the US Army reviewed in 2008 while drafting requirements for a potential
M4 carbine replacement. In response to
California's
ban of civilian ownership of .50 BMG rifles, Barrett suspended sales and service to all
law enforcement agencies in California. In October 2008, Barrett introduced the new
M98B. The M98B was a bolt-action rifle chambered in
.338 Lapua Magnum, which went on sale in 2009. On February 26, 2016, Tennessee named the Barrett M82 the official rifle of the State of Tennessee. In 2021, Barrett secured a $50 million contract for the United States Army Precision Sniper Rifle initiative. In January 2023, Barrett was acquired by Australian defense contractor
NIOA. Long-serving Barrett Chief Operating Officer Bryan James became president.{{cite news|url=https://asiapacificdefencereporter.com/nioa-acquires-us-manufacturer-barrett-firearms/|title=NIOA acquires US manufacturer Barrett Firearms == Products ==