Known as one of the most reliable sniper rifles ever to be manufactured, the Barrett M107 .50-caliber rifle is a firearm that has been developed specifically for the United States of America’s Army modern fight against terrorism. It was officially adopted in 2002 due to its 2,000-meter range, along with the design that enabled the minimizing of recoil. It also includes a suppressor and can be switched to semi-automatic firing.
With all its features combined, it is considered one of the most lethal rifles in the U.S. Army’s repertoire for dealing with personnel or material targets at great range. In fact, Military.com reports that it is without a doubt the best sniper system being used in the U.S. inventory. As we all know every essential tool sometimes doesn’t work the way we expect or intended. Even with Barrett’s flawless reputation of building rifles that had a near 100% reliability rate, sometimes problems do just crop up at the worst possible times.
This was exactly what happened to a Marine Corps who pinned under by enemy fire, decided to contact Barrett’s armorer’s customer support line mid firefight. Don Cook answered the call, a Marine veteran, who has been dealing with M107s repairs for over two decades. He confirmed in 2011, of picking up a call from a young Marine under heavy fire. The Marine quickly explained that during maintenance of the rifle he had bent up the ears of the lower receiver, since then the sniper rifle was no longer firing consistently. Unfortunately, did not realize until the next day where they were being engaged by an enemy.
Cook miraculously knew exactly what to do, even over the telephone, he explained how they could fix the rifle without any tools. Using the bottom of the carrier the marines were able to bend the ears back down. In just a matter of seconds, the rifle was suddenly firing correctly without issue.
Don Cook remembers hearing “Thank you very much” and then the line went dead, after all, the Marines had the battle to get back to. He calls it one of the highlights of his life, helping Marines mid firefight and ensuring lives were not lost due to Barrett’s rifle malfunction.
