The Barrett M90 is a

bolt-action Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed). Most bolt-action ...

bullpup A bullpup firearm is one with its firing grip located in front of the Chamber (firearms), breech of the weapon, instead of behind it. This creates a weapon with a shorter overall length for a given barrel length, and one that is often lighter, ...

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

chambered in .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO). It was designed and manufactured by

Barrett Firearms Company Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is an American manufacturer of firearms and ammunition located in Christiana, Tennessee. It was founded in 1982 by Ronnie G. Barrett for the purpose of building semi-automatic rifles chambered for the .50 BMG (1 ...

. In 1995, Barrett stopped production of the M90, and replaced it with the

M95 Messier 95, also known as M95 or NGC 3351, is a barred spiral galaxy about 33 million light-years away in the zodiac constellation Leo. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781, and catalogued by compatriot Charles Messier four days late ...

Summary

The M90 was designed and produced from 1990 to 1995 as a bolt-action alternative to the semi-automatic

Barrett M82 The Barrett M82 (standardized by the U.S. military as the M107) is a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle developed by the American company Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. Also called the Light Fifty (due to its chambering ...

. It was a bolt-action rifle in a bullpup design. The weapon featured a fluted barrel with integrated

muzzle brake A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...

, 2 part receiver (upper and lower), folding bipod, and a 5-round detachable

box magazine A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device for a repeating firearm, either integral within the gun (internal/fixed magazine) or externally attached (detachable magazine). The magazine functions by holding several cartridges with ...

. The M90 had no iron sights, but instead had a

Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was o ...

for the mounting of a scope.

Overview

The Barrett M90 is a BMG .50 caliber bolt-action rifle. The rifle was produced by

in 1990 until 1995. The Barrett M90 is the alternative bolt-action version to the

Barrett M82A1 The Barrett M82 (standardized by the U.S. military as the M107) is a Recoil operation, recoil-operated, semi-automatic rifle, semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle developed by the American company Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. Also called the ...

, which is the semi-automatic counterpart. The Barrett M90 has a bullpup design, making the rifle a more compact version of a BMG .50 caliber. The

design made the gun more civilian-friendly in its usage. Barrett Firearms initially created the Barrett M90 to attract consumers who were seeking to find a bolt-action .50 caliber. Unlike the larger semi-automatic Barrett M82A1, the Barrett M90 is compact, has a fluted muzzle to reduce recoil, and has a special

picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was o ...

in order to mount a different variety of scopes. The Barrett M90, like other Barrett rifles, incorporates the picatinny rail instead of

iron sights Iron sights are a system of physical alignment markers (usually made of metallic material) used as a sighting device to assist the accurate aiming of ranged weapons (such as a firearm, airgun, crossbow or even compound bow), or less commonly ...

due its larger caliber. The gun was originally used for civilian long-range division shooters incorporating them into competition style shooting. The Barrett M90 is very light in comparison to the Barrett M82A1. This was due to its smaller, more compact design.Books, H. (2011). Articles on Barrett Firearms Company, Including: Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Barrett Xm109, Barrett M82, Barrett M98, Ronnie Barrett, Barrett M95, Barrett Rec7, Barrett M99, .416 Barrett, Barrett M90, Barrett Xm500, Barrett M98b. Charleston, South Carolina: BiblioBazaar.

Design and history

With its smaller design came more technological advancements in order to add to effectiveness and adaptation to the smaller design. The Barrett M90’s barrel has the same length as the Barrett M82A1. Due to it being a bolt-action rifle other than its semi-automatic counterpart, it uses three large lugs that are locked into the barrel to improve its overall sturdiness to handle a BMG .50 caliber round. The Barrett M90 uses a

to redirect propellant gases to reduce recoil and rising of the gun during rapid firing. The gun has a two-chamber muzzle brake, same as the gun’s counterpart M82A1 and its future replacement, the

Barrett M95 The Barrett M95 is a bolt-action rifle chambered in .50 BMG (12.7×99mm), and manufactured by Barrett Firearms Company. It has been adopted by a number of militaries around the world. Overview The M95 is an improved version of the earlier Barre ...

. The Barrett M90 isn’t affected very much from rising due to it being a bolt action. Muzzle brakes are very effective in combat and competition use because it adds to the accuracy of the weapon.Michaelis, D. (2000). The complete .50-caliber sniper course hard-target interdiction. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin Press. The Barrett M90 uses a muzzle brake due to its high caliber as with any other high caliber gun as well, alongside artillery guns.Long, D. (1988). Modern sniper rifles. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin Press. The Barrett M90 is composed of stamped sheet steel to add to its durability and reduced weight. This reduces the number of parts going into the gun, making assembly and disassembly simpler. The gun is composed of two parts, upper and lower. The upper part is the top assembly of the weapon such as barrel and rail, and the lower is the handle and trigger mechanism. The upper and lower parts of the Barrett M90 are held together by very strong push pins. Due to the advancement in the bullpup design, the magazine is located in the stock of the weapon, adding to its more compact design. The Barrett M90 has a much shallower magazine than the Barrett M82A1 and can only hold five rounds. This is due to the smaller design of the weapon. The handle and trigger mechanism is located just in front of the gun’s magazine. The butt of the gun is positioned directly to the receiver as well, increasing stability when firing. The gun uses a foldable bipod to add to accuracy and stability while firing. This also decreases the initial force of recoil from the weapon. The scope of the Barrett M90 varies. For a stock scope the Barrett M90 uses a 10x

Leupold Leupold & Stevens, Inc. is an American manufacturer of telescopic sights, red dot sights, binoculars, rangefinders, spotting scopes, and eyewear located in Beaverton, Oregon, United States. The company, started in 1907, is on its fifth genera ...

M series sight. The Barrett M90 was produced between 1990 and 1995. In 1995 its replacement the Barrett M95, which is currently being used by multiple armies, was made after technological advancements in Barrett Firearm’s weapon systems. The Barrett M95 is the improved variant of the Barrett M90. The Barrett M95 has better magazine clearance because the pistol grip and trigger have been moved forward on the gun. Also, there were minor changes to the firing pin, bolt handle, and the barrel chamber is plated in chrome. The Barrett M90 still remains very popular because of its bullpup design and light weight. The Barrett M90 was bought at a slow pace and sometimes in bulk. By now, the Barrett M90 is found for sale through firearm collectors and is sold online.

Weapon operation

The Barrett M90 is not meant to be a shoulder-fired weapon. Upon setup when preparing to fire the M90, it is first set up by folding down the attached bipod on the weapon and set on whatever space is being used to fire the weapon. The gun is first inspected to see if there is any debris that might cause the weapon to malfunction. Being a bolt-action rifle, there is typically little cause for error, whereas a semi-automatic rifle could jam or the round might have problems ejecting after firing. After the gun is set up in the desired firing space, the five-round magazine is loaded and the gun is ready to be fired after proper safety precautions are followed. The gun is rested on the bipod with the user holding the rifle’s handle firmly to prevent the gun from sliding back. The design that has gone into the M90 allows it to be fired in this manner without being pressed against the shoulder. The gun is able to reduce recoil through the muzzle brakes, and bipod usage. If the Barrett M90 did not have any muzzle brake then the recoil of the gun would be considerably larger and would need a different design incorporating the shoulder being pressed to the gun.

Users

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...

: Used by the Provisional Irish Republican Army.Harnden, Toby (2000) ''Bandit Country:The IRA and South Armagh''. Coronet Books, pp. 406-407.

References

* Long, D. (1988). ''Modern sniper rifles.'' Boulder, Colo.: Paladin Press. * Michaelis, D. (2000). ''The complete .50-caliber sniper course hard-target interdiction.'' Boulder, Colo.: Paladin Press.

External links

Barrett M90 Owners Manual
{{Bullpup firearms .50 BMG sniper rifles Barrett firearms Bolt-action rifles of the United States Bullpup rifles Sniper rifles of the United States Military equipment introduced in the 1990s