On January 1, 1982, when Barrett was photographing a river patrol gunboat on the Stones River near Nashville, Tennessee, a picture he shot of the twin Browning machine guns mounted prominently on the boat made him think of the .50 BMG cartridge and its potential for commercial users.

[5] Later, he found a partner in tool and die maker Bob Mitchell and an employee at a sheet metal fabricator in Smyrna, Tennessee.

[5] Large-scale commercial success came when the CIA acquired an unknown number of rifles for arming the Afghan mujahideen as part of the Soviet–Afghan War effort.

In 1990, the United States Armed Forces followed, and subsequently deployed the rifles during Operation Desert storm.

Barrett has headed fundraising campaigns for the National Rifle Association,[8] sits on its board of directors,[2] and makes occasional appearances on the Cam & Company podcast where he speaks on gun laws.