A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD

Authors Paul Helinski Rifles
A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD
A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD
The updated M107A1 is a foreboding enemy in battle. In the hands of a US Military sniper it is the biggest baddest infantry weapon on the battlefield, with effective range out to more than a mile.

 

A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD
There are so few 1000 yard ranges in the US that many people never experience dealing with a target that far away. In the FLorida 95+ degree heat and a 20mph wind coming from about 5 o-clock behind us, the mirage was brutal.

 

A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD
Click the small photo to view the bigger version where you can read all of the new features.

 

A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD
Even with the Swarovski spotting scope we couldn’t see the .50 cal bullet holes at 1000 yards.

 

A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD
The Barrett MRAD is not a scaled down .50 cal. Click the small photo to see the details in what is a truly elegant sniper rifle for the 21st century.

 

A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD
The recoil of the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge is still quite stiff even with the 15 lb. MRAD.

 

A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD
The MRAD with Hornady 285 gr. ammo and the 565 yard target. These were just sighter rounds to see if we were on the paper, but they turned out to be a 2 round group less than an inch wide at 565 yards. Note that the MRAD has a side folding stock. This is unique in a battle ready sniper rifle for the warfighter and a great decision from Barrett to integrate one.

 

A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD
Click the photo for a bigger version, or download the product sales sheet from the direct link on the Barrett website.

 

A Day at the Range with The Barrett M107A1 and MRAD
This group with the 300gr. Lapua ammo was also just a sighter target, and we never got a chance to get another hot window at Manatee to duplicate the results.

 

Barrett Inc.
https://www.barrett.net/
Add Barrett on Facebook:
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When you already make the biggest and baddest sniper rifles in the world it would be easy to just rest on what you have already accomplished. My thinking, and probably most people’s thinking, would ask, “why mess with the good thing?” But that is exactly what Barrett has done by completely redesigning the M107A1, and introducing an entirely new rifle, the MRAD, to the shooting public.

We got a chance to actually go shoot these guns for a day with Ben Becker, our resident US Army Sniper. Ben has shot the original Model 82A1/M107 in combat on many occasions, but the updated, lighter version was a treat in civilian life, and the MRAD is just one of those rifles that you want to shoot as soon as you see it, and shoot them both we did.

The New Barrett M107A1

Direct Link: https://www.barrett.net/firearms/m107a1

Lesson #1 learned from this newly updated battle rifle: Lighter doesn’t always mean more recoil. And lighter isn’t the only difference in the new M107. Every component, from the titanium strengthened monopod to the entire carrier group was redesigned to be lighter and stronger. So it not only supports the ergonomics and recoil of a four pounds lighter rifle, it is also optimized for the Barrett suppressor that is modular and integral to titanium muzzle break you see in our pictures. Even the ten round magazine was updated in the new M107A1. It now has witness holes.

If you have never shot one of these guns, your first round produces two levels of shock. One is obviously the sheer power you can feel yourself sending downrange, but the other is even more of a surprise. The recoil is negligible, far less than a .308 bolt gun, and even lighter than an FAL or HK91. Even though the standard .50 BMG round produces a muzzle energy of over 10,000 foot pounds, roughly 3 to 4 times a .308/7.62NATO, and more than 10 times a .44 magnum, the heavy rifle, the heavy recoil absorbing carrier group, and the ergonomics of the M107A1 itself reduces the recoil significantly. It is a rifle that, if you can afford it at an MSRP of over $12,000, and $5 or so a round for the ammo, you can shoot it all day with zero pain.

Barrett was kind enough to provide us with 50 rounds of their M33 standard ball ammo. The 661 grain bullet leaves the muzzle at 2750 feet per second, producing 11,099 foot pounds of energy from the standard 29″ barrel on the M107A1. These were not “match” rounds, but we were still able to get a 3 inch group out of the gun at 300 yards. At 1000 yards it was a challenge to get back and forth to the targets at a very wet Manatee Gun Club on the west coast of Florida, but were able to keep on the paper, with standard NRA “F Class” target centers, and we hope to get the gun back when we can secure or make some match quality rounds and dry conditions at the long range.

Our test rifle came with the Barrett branded Leupold scope you can order with your rifle. It’s a couple thousand more with all of the gadgets and gizmos, and is probably a good idea to add for the complete system as designed by the maker of the gun. The unit attached will give you all of the calculations for the conditions you are shooting in, and what I really liked about it was that the scope itself isn’t dependent upon the electronics. If you have an external ballistic calculator you can dial it your adjustment manually. The clicks on the scope are true and accurate from what we could tell, and we were able to dial in a perfect zero adjustment from 1000 yards down to 565 yards with a first round hit, using Shooter, a ballistics calculator for Android.

Lesson #2 from the M107A1 was that even with the best spotting scope in the world, the Swarovski you see in the pictures, you can’t see .50 call bullet holes at 1000 yards. The dirt cloud behind the target is evidence of hits, but shooting a gong is much more satisfying at such a long range.

Lesson #3 was that every red blooded American gun nut wants one of these guns. In 95 degree heat with near 100% humidity on a sunny Sunday in Florida, over 40 shooters were there with us banging away for the day, and everyone wanted to see, hold, take pictures with, and would love to shoot the biggest baddest sniper rifle known to man, the Barrett M107A1.

The Barrett MRAD

Direct Link: https://www.barrett.net/firearms/mrad

We saw the MRAD first at media day before SHOT Show of 2011, back in January. The concept of the rifle is simple. It is meant to provide the warfighter, or in our cases, zombie snipers, with a match grade modular sniper system that is worthy of and tough enough for battle, in the plus-size rifle caliber of .338 Lapua Magnum. And while the MRAD is slated to become interchangeable with other common military calibers, like the .308 Win./7.62 Nato, right now it is strictly .338 Lapua. Introduced in 1989, the .338 Lapua is based on the .416 Rigby case, necked down to a .338, and produces of over 4500 foot pounds of muzzle energy with a 285 grain bullet. It is the preferred caliber for the modern military and police sniper.

Shooting a .338 Lapua isn’t for the faint of heart, especially in a fixed breech bolt rifle. The MRAD comes in at 14.8 pounds empty with the standard 24.5″ barrel, roughly twice the weight of your average deer rifle, and it still kicks at least as hard as a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs. The more force you put downrange the more force you have to absorb on the back end, and with no gas or blowback system to buffer the recoil, a bolt rifle in .338 Lapua is always going to be stiff.

In most battle situations, and certainly in just about any urban setting, the MRAD is going to be as much gun as you need. At 1000 yards the bullet still has enough on it to nearly double a .44 magnum point blank at 1600 foot pounds of energy.

We shot the MRAD the same day as the M107A1 and unfortunately ran out of time to do in depth accuracy testing. At some point we hope to also get the MRAD back so Ben can put it through its paces, but what we were able to measure was truly impressive for what is technically a stock military rifle. Lapua sent us some of their 300 grain ammo and we were able to shoot one 3 round group, just sighting the rifle in before they kicked us out for the day. In the one sighting target we shot with the Lapua ammo, the MRAD easily shot into under three inches at 565 yards.

We are of course a Hornady shop and they sent us their excellent 285 grain BTHP Match ammo that clocked on the chronograph at 2700 feet per second. Because the ammo is so expensive, $110 or so for a box of 20, Ben took a couple shots at 565 to see if he was on the paper, before we drove down to the targets (no you can’t see .338 holes at 565 yards even with the Swarovski), and as you can see from the target, two rounds went into less than an inch. Fluke? Killer shooting with a killer gun shooting killer ammo? We’ll see if they send us the gun back. That was the last hot range time for the day at Manatee and for now the MRAD had to move on to the next reviewer.

The scope on the MRAD is also a Leupold, made specifically for the gun, and it ads just over $2000 to the $6000 base MSRP of the MRAD if you want it with the weather and ranging gizmos. It also seemed to be right on with the clicks, and it was a very clear scope with effective controls.

You will notice in the picture that the MRAD has a folding stock, not a common feature for a bolt gun, or for any sniper rifle in the history of warfare. Barrett went out on something of a limb putting a folding stock on this gun, but I think it was a great decision. Clicked into place the stock is every bit as sturdy and consistent as a fixed stock rifle, and folded it is completely secure. For the warfighter, this means you can sling the relatively light 15 lb. rifle while clearing and whatnot with your M4. The MRAD will be ready at your side, quick, accurate, and plus-sized in .338 Lapua to shoot through just about anything when you need to.

Considering we still have M14s from the Vietnam era out in the modern battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the M24 and M40 sniper rifles are not significantly different than infantry rifles dating back to World War I, it is time for a next generation sniper rifle to come along. Nobody makes guns like Barrett, which probably means nobody is making guns that are not for the hobbyist/shooter market, not for the target market, not for the competition market, not for the home defense/zombie market, but specifically and only for the warfighter. We know the model 82A1/M107 already of course, and this update to the M107A1 brings with it new capabilities (the suppressor) and a lighter weight with added strength. The MRAD story has yet to be written, but it should bring new expectations to what the battlefield sniper rifle should be. There still is no rifle like a Barrett, and there may never be one.

Barrett Inc.
https://www.barrett.net/

 

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  • mgserwas January 23, 2013, 10:59 am

    Great reporting.

    I am hoping you will go one step further-
    Take the five top snipper rifles, pit them against one another.
    Even better, make the competition employing the same cartridge.

    I will pay a good buck for the results.

    Mat

  • mark November 1, 2012, 5:35 pm

    have a .308 10BA savage,can you put
    a lift handle on it.

  • Marty B October 8, 2012, 9:24 pm

    I’ve been to Manatee Gun Club range, great guys there. I only shot to 200 yds. Even in the winter there on a sunny day you get mirage problems. I can’t wait to take my 300 win mag down there for a fun day of shooting. Now a M107A1 or 338 Lapua mag day on the range ( if the ammo and weapon were supplied ) what a day that would be.

  • Joe Link October 2, 2012, 12:08 pm

    I have shot a short barreled .50 out there and the recoil was definitely manageable it is just the over-pressure that rocks you and everything with 5 ft of the muzzle. Just let me know the next time you’re going out to that range for any tests. I live 10 Min from that range and I love plinking the steel at the 565 which has plenty of .50 holes in it. Just don’t have the income yet for the big boys like these.

  • dave talbot October 1, 2012, 9:10 am

    Even though I own an outdated M-95 (almost brand new) I still have fun scaring the hell out of people at the rifle range!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Craig October 1, 2012, 8:12 am

    As a firearms instructor, I had the opportunity to shoot several rounds from the MRAD in .338 Lapua Magnum which is owned by a student who wanted shooting lessons. We only shot from a distance of 100 yards on our first trip, and all 40 rounds were through 1 hole. With the muzzle break, and the recoil pad it was a true pleasure to shoot. The recoil is felt, but nothing that can’t be handled by any shooter. I checked the cost, and that hurt more than the recoil.

  • MB October 1, 2012, 5:14 am

    For those who doubt the recoil on the .50 BARRETT,I can tell
    you the recoil is as much or even less then a shoulder fired 12G
    This depends on the load.Such as a slug or 00 Buck.Still fireing
    this system is great fun ! ! The only issue as was in the artical
    A place to let the weapon do what it was designed for.
    I see some of the changes from the M8A2 to the 107,As far as I am
    concerend ,the changes are not worth the 5-6k more .
    Bottom line, if you can get the M8A1-2 for a good price, Get it
    The 107 the first series had spiked bi-pod and push pins . These
    were the only changes The M8A1-2 has flat feet and pressure pins
    So if you do not like the BARRETT ? DON’T BUY ONE !!

  • Iswara September 17, 2012, 8:37 am

    Great Barrett experience. What do you suggest for the best .50 and .338 Match rounds available?

  • jtf June 25, 2012, 4:06 pm

    The tried and tested Barrett. I tried them, tested them,used them and love them. Ronny Barrett came through with an awsome product and conitnues to improve on it.
    As far as the Hensoldt, a beast of a tool to use on top. I use Nightforce only because I was told to. Nightforce is pretty beastly in itself.

  • McLeanVABiatch January 31, 2012, 11:11 am

    I only read the M107A1 article overall a very good thorough review. That being said…dont believe the recoil is that light…and this mans claims about the optics are nothing less than laughable aswell =P. My father and I are avid shooters and he has owned a Swarovski spotter in the past, wonderful optic and definitly head and shoulders above most competition but not “the best in the world”. IMO that title goes to my dad’s newly aquired (yay he got a job!) Hensoldt Spotter 60 (20-60X72) which makes just about anything else look like a toy allowing you to look into shadows even in dwindling daylight conditions. as far as the scope is concerned I would not be choosing the Leupold either and the argument of “going with the package” should be followed by the quote “a fool and his money are soon parted” the BORS system is pretty cool ill give it that but i can definitly live without it for the price. for a rifle of that capability i would have normally chosen a Hensoldt 6-24×72 Illuminated but rescently both my father and I have been drooling over the upcoming Hensoldt 3.5-26X56 with a 36MM TUBE!!! =D I lol at the person who will argue that the Leupold is superior to this BEAST in the making.

  • ORTOOSSI December 14, 2011, 7:51 pm

    This is the Alternate Universe Carnival where you are throwing darts at balloons for the giant stuffed bear and the barker hands you an M107A1 to make good a 1000yd. shot on said bear and you do. $12,000 for one of those bears? Yes. Priceless!

  • mike anderson November 25, 2011, 11:25 am

    GOOD BIT ON THE GUN. AND HEY JUST A BIT OF INFO IF YOU WANT TO SAVE SOME STEPS OR DRIVE TIME, I CAN SEE .30 CAL. HOLES AT 1000 YDS IF I USE HIGH CONTRAST PAPER, SUCH AS ALL WHITE W/ A SMALL AIMING POINT CENTERED.

  • Double Tap October 6, 2011, 12:12 pm

    very sweet,i’ll try to get one before i’m gone.Nice …..

  • Nan Momma October 2, 2011, 4:40 pm

    Jack, that was also my husbands dreams. He passed away on Christmas day, but Osama was killed on his birthday, what a gift, it makes me wonder if he had something to do with it!

  • Jack September 14, 2011, 9:43 pm

    I have been a fan of the Barrett 50 for several years now. The cost , and my failing health, are the only things that prevent me form having one. My fervent wish, before I’m gone, would be to have one, be able to put the cross hairs of a good scope on a certain, former member of the Kenyan upper class, and about 30 seconds to squeeze off a round or two practice. I could die that happiest man in America, then. I can dream. LOL

    • Jimbob September 26, 2011, 8:38 pm

      I like the way you think Jack. If you ever need a windage/spotter, give me a call.

    • mrtoad July 23, 2012, 4:56 am

      Sorry Jack…I’m afraid that there’s already a long line waiting for that privilege! But I think I can squeeze you in front of me if you’re too far back there…just to make sure you can dream again…and maybe save the US at the same time?…could be fun!

    • fmh October 1, 2012, 4:15 pm

      Seems somewhat cowardly. If you feel that strongly about it, shouldn’t you walk right up with a handgun and do your one or two practice rounds?

      • kf October 2, 2012, 4:07 am

        cowardly it is–or treason. but punks like these guys are all talk, anyway.

        • blksnk November 1, 2012, 5:43 pm

          this is the kind of talk that makes it hard for
          someone first time buyer of a gun so hard.i agree
          that there is bad people out there that need a .50 cal
          up the ass but we should keep that part to ourself.

  • vnvet September 12, 2011, 10:25 pm

    I need to DL some 1k yd shots from my HS50 using hand loads &12-42 NXS . Total investment 50% of the Barrett and better accuracy.

  • Ron September 12, 2011, 7:56 pm

    Would like to see a side by side shooting comparison between the cheap, compared to Barrett, savage .338 and the Barrett .338

    • Administrator September 12, 2011, 9:22 pm

      We will see because Savage is supposed to send us a .338.

  • Mr. Orange September 12, 2011, 1:23 pm

    I shot my buddy’s M107 a couple weeks back and couldn’t believe how easy it was to shoot. I was expecting a cannon like recoil to rip my arm off but it felt like I was shooting a .308 or something. Very manageable and if only I had $10k to spend on a gun, I would buy one in a heartbeat. ammo is about 3-5 bucks a pop, no?

  • Randy Vance September 12, 2011, 7:59 am

    Great story! Made me feel like I was there and pulling the trigger with you! Hey! Call me next time you do that–I only live 90-minutes away! 🙂

    • Charley Hanson September 12, 2011, 1:10 pm

      M107A1 recoil Sounds like BS. How much did Barrett pay you to say those things about the recoil?

      • Administrator September 12, 2011, 2:32 pm

        Because you can afford to rush out and buy one right lol.

      • Jake October 1, 2012, 5:28 am

        You’ll never believe it til you pull the trigger yourself! When they say you can shoot this thing all day, it’s no joke. The women i work with shoot it and cant reload fast enough. I get more jolt shooting trap with my 12 gauge. Just make sure you have a 20×20 tarp because it does have a pretty wicked muzzle blast.

      • swatdoc October 1, 2012, 7:05 am

        The recoil story is ABSOLUTELY correct and is the biggest surprise about this weapon. The way the weapon is put together your first surprise is the air blowback from the compensator. Fun to shoot!!

      • jtf October 1, 2012, 1:45 pm

        The recoil is tolerable. I have shot countless rounds from the Barrett. Day and night, night and day. The recoil isn’t bad.

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