AEDC Commander tours Barrett Firearms

Left to right, AEDC Executive Director Douglas Blake, AEDC Chief of Staff Ken Jacobsen, Tennessee Representative Judd Matheny, Judd’s son Aulden, Barrett’s Firearms Manufacturing Inc. CEO Ronnie Barrett, AEDC Commander Col. Raymond Toth, AEDC Historian Chris Rumley, Matheny’s visitor Steve Chester and AEDC Test Support Division Director Col. James Krajewski take a break during AEDC’s recent visit to the Barrett Firearms factory near Murfreesboro. (Photo by Claude Morse)

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AEDC Commander tours Barrett Firearms

AEDC Commander Col. Raymond Toth fires the Barrett M107A1 .50 caliber military rifle at the Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. factory. (Photo by Claude Morse)

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AEDC Commander tours Barrett Firearms

Published Sept. 24, 2013
By Claude Morse, VP Tennessee Shooting Sports Association
AEDC/PA

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. -- Col. Raymond Toth, Arnold Engineering Development Complex's (AEDC) Commander, and several AEDC staff members got a look at the Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. factory near Murfreesboro recently where the military Barrett .50 caliber rifles used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan are manufactured.

In addition to touring the factory, they got to meet the rifle's inventor and company CEO Ronnie Barrett. A highlight of the tour was firing the .50 caliber Barrett military configured M107A1 rifle with and without a sound suppressor.

The Barrett rifle started out as a civilian .50 caliber semi-automatic rifle that was adopted for military use in the first Gulf War and is now used by all U.S. Armed Forces and many allied militaries. Barrett built his first innovative prototype .50 caliber rifles in his garage in Murfreesboro 30 years ago.

Barrett has received many honors for his unique rifle designs and is only one of seven designers of new U.S. military rifles in the last century. He currently serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association.