Ronnie Barrett
Encyclopedia
Ronnie Barrett is an American
firearms manufacturer, the founder of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, and the designer of the first .50 caliber
rifle for civilian use.
in 1954, and graduated from Murfreesboro Central High School. He started his career in 1972 as a professional photographer. In 1982, while he owned a photography studio, he got his initial inspiration to create what would become the Barrett signature product. On January 1, 1982, when Barrett was photographing a river patrol gunboat
on the Stones River near Nashville, Tennessee
, he created an award-winning picture that made him start thinking about the .50 caliber cartridge because of two Browning machineguns mounted prominently on that boat.
Since no commercially available .50 caliber rifle existed at that time, he decided to make a semi-automatic weapon. With no background in manufacturing or engineering, Barrett sketched a cross-sectioned, full-size rifle, adding different components to it. Once he decided on the concept, he approached some machine shops with his drawings. They told him that if his idea was any good, someone smarter would have already designed it.
A few days later, Bob Mitchell, a tool and die maker and machinist in Smyrna, Tennessee, agreed to help. After their regular job responsibilities, the men would start working on Barrett’s ideas, sometimes laboring together all night in a one-bay garage using a small mill and lathe. Barrett also found support from a sheet metal fabricator who allowed him to visit the owner’s shop and work directly with one employee, Harry Watson. The resulting gun was the shoulder-fired Barrett rifle, which was created in less than four months.
While fine-tuning the first prototype rifle, Barrett began designing a second prototype that featured an improved and sleek exterior and other improvements learned from the first prototype. He made a video of the first prototype being fired, then prepared the second prototype so it would set on a table. He displayed the latter at a Houston, Texas
, gun show where three people gave him deposits to make a rifle for them. With a limited amount of money, Barrett set up a small shop at his residence in a gravel-floored garage. He began by building a batch of 30 rifles, mainly because the two wooden gun racks he made in his father’s cabinet shop held 15 rifles each.
Using his hand-drawing of the new rifle, he placed an advertisement in Shotgun News and soon sold-out the first batch. Barrett was contacted by the CIA who purchased a number of rifles for the Afghan Mujahideen for use in their war against the Soviet Union.
Both of Barrett’s children, Christopher and Angela, began working in the company following graduation from school. Chris brought modernization and technology into the manufacturing operation by introducing the first computers to the design process. Angela joined the team to set up a bona fide marketing and advertising department, which at that point was almost non-existent.
Ronnie and Chris Barrett worked jointly on the Model 98 semi-automatic design. Also at that time, the younger Barrett became the dominant designer with most of the publicly-known work at Barrett Firearms, leading the way with product development.
In the last 100 years, only four individuals have invented firearms adopted by the United States Military: John Browning
, John C. Garand, Eugene Stoner
, and Ronnie Barrett. The first three referenced had their designs perfected and mass-produced by either the U.S. government or another manufacturing company. With the exception of 2 of Stoner's designs that were bought for limited use from ArmaLite, Barrett is the only one of the four to create, manufacture, market and mass-produce his firearm for the United States government.
In 2004, Barrett was honored with the Colonel George Chinn Award which recognizes Small Arms Weaponry Systems based on excellence in research and development, engineering, manufacturing and management.
In 2005, the United States Army recognized the Barrett M107 as one of the Top Ten Greatest Inventions.
On June 28, 2006, Barrett was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for "turning his idea into one of America's most successful companies".
On May 18, 2009, Barrett was sworn in as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association
. His term is for three-years.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
firearms manufacturer, the founder of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, and the designer of the first .50 caliber
.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...
rifle for civilian use.
Life & career
Barrett was born in Murfreesboro, TennesseeMurfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
in 1954, and graduated from Murfreesboro Central High School. He started his career in 1972 as a professional photographer. In 1982, while he owned a photography studio, he got his initial inspiration to create what would become the Barrett signature product. On January 1, 1982, when Barrett was photographing a river patrol gunboat
Patrol Boat, River
Patrol Boat, River , or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid-hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until the end of 1971...
on the Stones River near Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, he created an award-winning picture that made him start thinking about the .50 caliber cartridge because of two Browning machineguns mounted prominently on that boat.
Since no commercially available .50 caliber rifle existed at that time, he decided to make a semi-automatic weapon. With no background in manufacturing or engineering, Barrett sketched a cross-sectioned, full-size rifle, adding different components to it. Once he decided on the concept, he approached some machine shops with his drawings. They told him that if his idea was any good, someone smarter would have already designed it.
A few days later, Bob Mitchell, a tool and die maker and machinist in Smyrna, Tennessee, agreed to help. After their regular job responsibilities, the men would start working on Barrett’s ideas, sometimes laboring together all night in a one-bay garage using a small mill and lathe. Barrett also found support from a sheet metal fabricator who allowed him to visit the owner’s shop and work directly with one employee, Harry Watson. The resulting gun was the shoulder-fired Barrett rifle, which was created in less than four months.
While fine-tuning the first prototype rifle, Barrett began designing a second prototype that featured an improved and sleek exterior and other improvements learned from the first prototype. He made a video of the first prototype being fired, then prepared the second prototype so it would set on a table. He displayed the latter at a Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, gun show where three people gave him deposits to make a rifle for them. With a limited amount of money, Barrett set up a small shop at his residence in a gravel-floored garage. He began by building a batch of 30 rifles, mainly because the two wooden gun racks he made in his father’s cabinet shop held 15 rifles each.
Using his hand-drawing of the new rifle, he placed an advertisement in Shotgun News and soon sold-out the first batch. Barrett was contacted by the CIA who purchased a number of rifles for the Afghan Mujahideen for use in their war against the Soviet Union.
Both of Barrett’s children, Christopher and Angela, began working in the company following graduation from school. Chris brought modernization and technology into the manufacturing operation by introducing the first computers to the design process. Angela joined the team to set up a bona fide marketing and advertising department, which at that point was almost non-existent.
Ronnie and Chris Barrett worked jointly on the Model 98 semi-automatic design. Also at that time, the younger Barrett became the dominant designer with most of the publicly-known work at Barrett Firearms, leading the way with product development.
In the last 100 years, only four individuals have invented firearms adopted by the United States Military: John Browning
John Browning
John Moses Browning , born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world...
, John C. Garand, Eugene Stoner
Eugene Stoner
Eugene Morrison Stoner is the man most associated with the design of the AR-15, which was adopted by the US military as the M16...
, and Ronnie Barrett. The first three referenced had their designs perfected and mass-produced by either the U.S. government or another manufacturing company. With the exception of 2 of Stoner's designs that were bought for limited use from ArmaLite, Barrett is the only one of the four to create, manufacture, market and mass-produce his firearm for the United States government.
Awards
In 2005, the United States Army recognized the Barrett M107 as one of the Top Ten Greatest Inventions.
On June 28, 2006, Barrett was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for "turning his idea into one of America's most successful companies".
On May 18, 2009, Barrett was sworn in as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
. His term is for three-years.