Barrett M98
Encyclopedia
The Barrett M98 is a gas-operated
, semi-automatic
sniper rifle
, chambered in .416 Barrett
, and manufactured by Barrett Firearms Company
. It was originally introduced at the 1998 SHOT Show
in Las Vegas, Nevada
, but was never placed into production due to the introduction of the M99
.
(12.7 × 99 mm) calibers. The M98 is very similar to a traditional manually operated bolt-action rifle. The receiver is relatively heavy compared with the rest of the rifle, but is still lighter than that of a similarly sized rifle. The barrel and receiver are both mounted on a light weight aluminum base for maximum rigidity, and the stock is made of fiberglass reinforced polyamide
plastic to reduce weight.
The gas system is mounted separately to the barrel in order to isolate the barrel's vibrating mass, and is instead located in the butt-stock. The gas is delivered to the operating mechanism via a lightweight tube that runs from the gas port in the barrel to a tappet in the butt-stock behind the firing mechanism. Rigidly mounting the receiver and isolating the barrel from the operating system enhances accuracy. Recoil is attenuated not only by the gas system itself, but by a high-efficiency proprietary muzzle brake
. The rifle is also equipped with a military standard Picatinny rail
mounted on the steel receiver.
Barrett made the .416 caliber round to suit the Barrett Model 98, because of the theory "The bigger the bullet, the faster/farther it goes", but the .416 is smaller, travels faster, and is more accurate at a longer range than a .50 BMG bullet.
Gas-operated reloading
Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high pressure gas from the cartridge being fired is used to power a mechanism to extract the spent case and chamber a new cartridge. Energy from the gas is harnessed...
, semi-automatic
Semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot...
sniper rifle
Sniper rifle
In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...
, chambered in .416 Barrett
.416 Barrett
The .416 Barrett or 10.6x83mm centerfire rifle cartridge is a proprietary bottlenecked centrefire rifle cartridge designed in 2005. It is an alternative to the .50 BMG in long-range high-caliber rifles. It was designed in response to a request for a medium/heavy rifle/cartridge combination that was...
, and manufactured by Barrett Firearms Company
Barrett Firearms Company
Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is an American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition. It was founded in 1982 by Ronnie Barrett for the single purpose of building semi-automatic rifles chambered for the powerful 12.7×99mm NATO ammunition, originally developed for and used in M2 Browning machine...
. It was originally introduced at the 1998 SHOT Show
SHOT Show
The ' is an annual tradeshow for the shooting, hunting, and firearms industry. It is the biggest event of this type in the world together with IWA & OutdoorClassics , also taking place annually. "SHOT", besides being a general reference to shooting, is an acronym for "Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor...
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, but was never placed into production due to the introduction of the M99
Barrett M99
The Barrett Model 99 "Big Shot" is a single-shot sniper rifle first introduced in 1999 by the Barrett Firearms Company . The company is better known worldwide for its earlier .50 caliber rifles, the semi-automatic M82A1 and bolt-action M95. Like the M95, the rifle uses a bullpup configuration...
.
Overview
The M98 is a lightweight, gas operated, semi-automatic sniper rifle designed for use by both the military, and police sniper teams. Chambered in .416 Barrett, it fills the gap between rifles chambered in the traditional 7.62 × 51 mm and .50 BMG.50 BMG
The .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7×99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge...
(12.7 × 99 mm) calibers. The M98 is very similar to a traditional manually operated bolt-action rifle. The receiver is relatively heavy compared with the rest of the rifle, but is still lighter than that of a similarly sized rifle. The barrel and receiver are both mounted on a light weight aluminum base for maximum rigidity, and the stock is made of fiberglass reinforced polyamide
Polyamide
A polyamide is a polymer containing monomers of amides joined by peptide bonds. They can occur both naturally and artificially, examples being proteins, such as wool and silk, and can be made artificially through step-growth polymerization or solid-phase synthesis, examples being nylons, aramids,...
plastic to reduce weight.
The gas system is mounted separately to the barrel in order to isolate the barrel's vibrating mass, and is instead located in the butt-stock. The gas is delivered to the operating mechanism via a lightweight tube that runs from the gas port in the barrel to a tappet in the butt-stock behind the firing mechanism. Rigidly mounting the receiver and isolating the barrel from the operating system enhances accuracy. Recoil is attenuated not only by the gas system itself, but by a high-efficiency proprietary muzzle brake
Muzzle brake
Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire...
. The rifle is also equipped with a military standard Picatinny rail
Picatinny rail
The Picatinny rail or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail or a "Tactical Rail" is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform. A similar system is the Weaver rail mount.-Description:...
mounted on the steel receiver.
Barrett made the .416 caliber round to suit the Barrett Model 98, because of the theory "The bigger the bullet, the faster/farther it goes", but the .416 is smaller, travels faster, and is more accurate at a longer range than a .50 BMG bullet.