Barrett M95 Anti-material and sniper rifle

[Zarvan]

The Barrett M95 is among the best sniper rifles in the world



Country of origin United States
Entered service ?
Caliber 12.7x99 mm (.50 BMG)
Weight (unloaded, without scope) 10.7 kg
Length 1 143 mm
Barrel length 736 mm
Muzzle velocity 854 m/s
Magazine capacity 5 rounds
Range of effective fire 1 000 m
Maximum effective range 1 800 m
Accuracy 1.5 - 2 MOA
The Barrett M95 is a manual bolt-action anti-material and sniper rifle, designed by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing company. It is an improved production version of the Barrett M90. The major difference is that the pistol grip with the trigger have been moved slightly forward for better magazine clearance. Thus the new weapon is more comfortable to use. In 1995 the Barrett M95 replaced in production the original Barrett M90. The M95 is a company designation, rather than a US military designation. The number in the designation denotes the year 1995, when a working version of the rifle was ready. This weapon is proposed as a lighter, more compact and manually-operated alternative to the semi-automatic Barrett M82. It is intended for elite military and law enforcement units. In 1999 this weapon was selected for a US Army trials to become the new XM107. A small number of these rifles were purchased for trials and evaluation, however eventually the US Army decided that a bolt-action weapon was not required, and a semi-automatic Barrett M82 was selected instead. Still though the Barrett M95 was adopted by a number of countries from all over the world. The Barrett company announces that this sniper rifle is used by 15 countries. This weapon is used by Argentina, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Georgia, Italy, Jordan, Malaysia, Philippines, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, and some other countries. However the Barrett M95 could never match the popularity of the original Barrett M82, that is in service with nearly 60 countries. As of 2017 the Barrett M95 is still being offered.

Essentially the Barrett M95 can be seen as a manually-operated version of the Barrett M82 with a bullpup layout. The bullpup layout, as well as more simple bolt-action operation, allowed to reduce overall length and size of the weapon. However it maintains barrel length and performance of the M82.

The M95 is chambered for a powerful 12.7x99 mm (.50 BMG) cartridge. This ammunition was originally developed for and used in Browning M2 heavy machine gun. This weapon comes with a 736 mm (29") barrel.

This weapon has a manual thumb-lever safety. The Barrett M95 can be easily field stripped for cleaning and maintenance. The weapon can be disassembled or assembled for cleaning within 60 seconds, without using any tools.

This rifle is used to destroy sensitive enemy equipment, like parked aircraft, radar units, trucks and various other important assets at long range. It is also used for remote destruction of explosive ordnance. Even though the Barrett M95 was originally designed as an anti-material rifle, it is often used as a long-range anti-personnel sniper weapon. It can neutralize enemy snipers at standoff ranges. Furthermore this rifle can be also used to hit enemy soldiers, that are hiding behind cover and walls, as its powerful ammunition can penetrate through bricks and concrete.

This weapon has a unique recoil reduction mechanism. Its highly-effective muzzle brake is said to absorb 70% of the recoil. The muzzle brake reduces the forces acting on internal mechanisms and the shooter. There is also a highly absorbent recoil pad.

The Barrett M95 is fed from detachable 5-round capacity magazine.

This sniper rifle has a scope rail on top of the receiver. Current production version has a Picatinny-type scope rail. This weapon is being offered with a Leupold 10x magnification scope. Though it can also mount various other scopes and night vision sights. There are no backup iron sights for emergency use in case of scope damage. This weapon is typically used out to a range of around 900-1 000 meters, though skilled snipers can hit targets at ranges beyond 2 000 meters.

This rifle has a detachable bipod. It accepts a rear adjustable monopod. This weapon can be fitted with a carry sling.

As of 2017 the unit cost of the ranges from $6 600 to $9 500, depending on configuration. It is around 30% less expensive than the popular Barrett M82.

http://www.military-today.com/firearms/barrett_m95.htm