Developed in the 1980's, the first functional rifles appeared in 1982, giving the series a designation. Their creator, Ronnie Barrett founded the Barrett Firearms Company with one purpose: to create a semi-automatic rifle for the .50 Browning Machine-Gun round developed during WWII. Improvements to the rifle were made throughout the 80's, including the addition of a muzzle brake to reduce felt recoil, a heavier barrel to increase accuracy and a ten round detachable box magazine.

The rifle found favor with soldiers during operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield, as it was effective both as a long range EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) tool and an anti-materiel rifle for disabling vehicles. Due to its scale, the M82 can pierce most hard armors and level 8 ballistic glass (the strongest available), and is extremely effective against individuals, such as enemy snipers or targets behind cover, though that is not its primary use.

Current operations in Iraq have proven the Barrett rifle effective not merely in range and accuracy but psychologically as well. As one sniper reported: "My spotter positively identified a target at 1400 meters carrying an RPG on a water tower. I engaged the target. The top half of the torso fell forward out of the tower and the lower portion remained in the tower." An officer continued: "There were other anecdotes of one round destroying two targets and another of the target "disintegrating"".

Ironically, The banning of .50 caliber rifles to non-governmental owners in California and discussion of similar legislation in other states has led Barrett to offer rifles in a proprietary caliber of similar performance, (the .416 Barrett) that is smaller in diameter, faster, and has an improved ballistic coefficient, which should actually penetrate better than the .50 cal.

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