# .416 Barrett
The .416 Barrett is a proprietary bottlenecked centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 2005 by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for extreme long-range shooting. It fires a .416-inch (10.6 mm) diameter bullet from a case built around the .50 BMG's case head, so it shares the same bolt face as the .50 BMG while producing a flatter trajectory and less recoil.[1](https://barrett.net/support/faq/) • [2](https://static.hornady.media/site/hornady/files/obsolete-data/416-barrett.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Designed in 2005 by Chris Barrett, son of founder Ronnie Barrett, with Pete Forras; first chambered in the single-shot Barrett Model 99[2](https://static.hornady.media/site/hornady/files/obsolete-data/416-barrett.pdf) • [3](https://leeprecision.com/416-barrett-2) |
| Case | Same case head and bolt face as .50 BMG; case is 5/8 inch shorter than the parent; Barrett states the case is of proprietary dimension and "not simply a necked-down .50 BMG"[1](https://barrett.net/support/faq/) • [4](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_st_goingthedistance_20001/100044) |
| Factory ballistics | Model 99 with 32-inch barrel: 400-grain machine-turned solid brass projectile at approximately 3,250 fps[1](https://barrett.net/support/faq/) |
| Design goal | Keep the bullet supersonic beyond 2,500 yards[5](https://patents.google.com/patent/US7802394B1/en) |
| Standardization | C.I.P.-homologated 2016-05-18 (revised 2025-05-13), country of origin United States, maximum pressure 4,400 bar[6](https://bobp.cip-bobp.org/de/tdcc_public) |
| Current rifles | Barrett Model 99 and the MRAD ELR bolt-action repeater (30-inch or 36-inch barrel, 1:12 twist)[7](https://barrett.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BARRETT-2026-Product-Catalog-Digital-LR.pdf) |
## Design and origin
**Motivation.** Chris Barrett, who had worked as a gun designer at the Tennessee company since 1996, described two pressures behind the cartridge. California legislation banning .50-caliber rifles "prompted us to get the cartridge done," he said, but the company had also seen demand from military groups and civilian shooters who wanted to hit man-sized targets at 2,000 meters and beyond.[4](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_st_goingthedistance_20001/100044) The design brief was an efficient cartridge and bullet rather than simply more propellant: the bullet had to stay supersonic as long as possible, because a projectile entering the transonic range becomes unstable as airflow over it becomes uneven.[4](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_st_goingthedistance_20001/100044)
**The bullet.** Barrett settled on .416 caliber and computer-modeled the projectile, choosing a very low drag (VLD) shape. Machinists CNC-machined the first projectiles from 360 brass alloy; the final Mk. I VLD bullet weighed 395 grains and, launched at 3,300 fps, had a ballistic coefficient of .730 and stayed supersonic to 2,150 yards, with 9,517 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle and 3,710 ft-lbs at 1,000 yards.[4](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_st_goingthedistance_20001/100044) The solid turned-brass construction was chosen for ease of manufacture and consistency: CNC-machined projectiles share the same center of gravity and are highly concentric. The bullet carries a cannelure, an uncommon feature on VLD bullets, to keep it from moving in the case neck under heavy recoil in magazine-fed rifles.[4](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_st_goingthedistance_20001/100044)
**The case.** The .50 BMG was the starting point because keeping the case head dimensions unchanged meant existing rifles needed only a new barrel. The design team found that a relatively small 204-grain charge of WC 869 powder reached the desired velocity, leaving unnecessary space in a necked-down .50 BMG case, so the case was cut 5/8 inch shorter than the parent. The finished cartridge retains a .50 BMG-like taper for reliable feeding and a sharper shoulder for improved headspacing. The current load generated 57,000 psi against a maximum operating pressure of around 60,000 psi, a margin chosen to protect barrel life and reliability.[4](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_st_goingthedistance_20001/100044) Barrett's own FAQ draws a distinction here: the case "is of proprietary dimension and is not simply a necked-down .50 BMG," even though Hornady, American Rifleman, and Lee Precision all describe it as a necked-down and shortened .50 BMG case.[1](https://barrett.net/support/faq/) • [2](https://static.hornady.media/site/hornady/files/obsolete-data/416-barrett.pdf) • [8](https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/barrett-40-years-of-50-caliber-authority/) • [3](https://leeprecision.com/416-barrett-2)
## Dimensions and standardization
Hornady's reloading data lists a bullet diameter of 0.416 inch, maximum cartridge overall length of 4.540 inches, maximum case length of 3.273 inches (trim to 3.263 inches), a CCI No. 35 primer, and a 1-in-12-inch twist in the 32-inch Model 99 barrel.[2](https://static.hornady.media/site/hornady/files/obsolete-data/416-barrett.pdf) The cartridge was homologated by the C.I.P. (the European permanent international commission for firearms testing) on 2016-05-18, with the United States as country of origin and a maximum service pressure of 4,400 bar; the datasheet was revised on 2025-05-13.[6](https://bobp.cip-bobp.org/de/tdcc_public) The chambers in Barrett rifles are not cut for "bore rider" cartridges, in which the bullet's shank rides the bore rather than the case neck.[1](https://barrett.net/support/faq/)
## Ballistic performance
**Factory loads.** Barrett's FAQ gives approximately 3,250 fps for the 400-grain solid brass projectile from a 32-inch Model 99 barrel.[1](https://barrett.net/support/faq/) The company's current ammunition line offers two .416 Barrett loads, both at 2,850 fps from a 36-inch barrel: a Precision load with the Hornady 500-grain A-Tip Match bullet (ballistic coefficient 0.967 G1, 0.492 G7) and a Range load with the 452-grain Cutting Edge Bullets MTAC (0.83 G1, 0.42 G7). Barrett describes the Precision load as capable of consistent sub-MOA groups and engagement of targets beyond 2,500 yards.[7](https://barrett.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BARRETT-2026-Product-Catalog-Digital-LR.pdf)
**Downrange energy.** Hornady's handbook entry, using a 450-grain BTHP Match bullet with a 0.720 G1 ballistic coefficient at 3,050 fps, notes that the load remains supersonic past 2,000 yards and that the cartridge produces over 9,000 foot-pounds at the muzzle. As a measure of how much energy it retains, Hornady states that at 1,200 yards the .416 Barrett still carries more energy than a standard .308 [Winchester](https://www.edgepedia.org/winchester) does at the muzzle.[2](https://static.hornady.media/site/hornady/files/obsolete-data/416-barrett.pdf) A Barrett patent filing describes the cartridge as specifically designed to keep the bullet supersonic beyond 2,500 yards.[5](https://patents.google.com/patent/US7802394B1/en)
**Compared with the .50 BMG.** The .416 Barrett was created to exceed the long-range trajectory and wind resistance of standard .50 BMG ball ammunition while offering reduced recoil, and to avoid restrictions on .50-caliber military use in some jurisdictions.[9](https://ammowisdom.com/416-barrett-vs-50-bmg/) American Rifleman's company history lists the cartridge among Barrett's milestones as delivering more downrange energy than its parent case.[8](https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/barrett-40-years-of-50-caliber-authority/) Barrett notes that much of the recoil in both the .50 BMG and .416 Barrett is reduced by the muzzle brake.[1](https://barrett.net/support/faq/)
## Rifles chambered
The cartridge was first chambered in the Barrett Model 99, a single-shot bolt action built from a single piece of aluminum extrusion with the barrel rigidly affixed; its interrupted-thread breech mechanism later carried into the Model 98B and MRAD series.[2](https://static.hornady.media/site/hornady/files/obsolete-data/416-barrett.pdf) • [10](https://smallarmsreview.com/the-interview-chris-barrett-part-i/) Because the case head matches the .50 BMG, rifles made for the parent case can be rebarreled to .416 Barrett.[2](https://static.hornady.media/site/hornady/files/obsolete-data/416-barrett.pdf) Barrett's current catalog offers the MRAD ELR bolt-action repeater in 416 Barrett with a 30-inch or 36-inch barrel, 1:12 twist, and five-round magazine; the rifle took second place at the King of 2 Miles match.[7](https://barrett.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BARRETT-2026-Product-Catalog-Digital-LR.pdf) Barrett does not currently offer hunting ammunition for the cartridge, and notes that hunting with nonexpanding bullets is illegal in some states.[1](https://barrett.net/support/faq/)
## Legal context
California's .50 BMG rifle law defines a banned ".50 BMG rifle" by reference to a cartridge with an overall length of 5.54 inches, bullet diameter of .510 to .511 inch, case base diameter of .800 to .804 inch, and case length of 3.91 inches.[11](https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/regagunfaqs) Because the .416 Barrett fires a .416-inch bullet from a shorter case, it falls outside that definition, and Chris Barrett identified the California legislation as a prompt for finishing the cartridge.[4](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_st_goingthedistance_20001/100044) Barrett himself has emphasized that the round is more than a legal workaround, calling it "an exceptional cartridge of its own accord when it comes to long range precision."[12](https://smallarmsreview.com/the-interview-chris-barrett-part-ii/)
## References
1. [Barrett Firearms FAQ: .416 Barrett](https://barrett.net/support/faq/)
2. [Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading: 416 Barrett](https://static.hornady.media/site/hornady/files/obsolete-data/416-barrett.pdf)
3. [Lee Precision: 416 Barrett](https://leeprecision.com/416-barrett-2)
4. [Going the Distance, Shooting Times](https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_st_goingthedistance_20001/100044)
5. [US7802394B1: Rifle barrel and method of determining rifling twist for very long range accuracy, Google Patents](https://patents.google.com/patent/US7802394B1/en)
6. [C.I.P. Homologation table (TDCC), 416 Barrett](https://bobp.cip-bobp.org/de/tdcc_public)
7. [Barrett 2026 Product Catalog](https://barrett.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BARRETT-2026-Product-Catalog-Digital-LR.pdf)
8. [Barrett: 40 Years Of .50-Caliber Authority, American Rifleman](https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/barrett-40-years-of-50-caliber-authority/)
9. [.416 Barrett vs .50 BMG, AmmoWisdom](https://ammowisdom.com/416-barrett-vs-50-bmg/)
10. [The Interview: Chris Barrett, Part I, Small Arms Review](https://smallarmsreview.com/the-interview-chris-barrett-part-i/)
11. [California DOJ Firearms FAQs: .50 BMG rifles](https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/regagunfaqs)
12. [The Interview: Chris Barrett, Part II, Small Arms Review](https://smallarmsreview.com/the-interview-chris-barrett-part-ii/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Firearms and ammunition › Ammunition and cartridges › Rifle cartridges*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license