Barrett M98

The Barrett M98 was a gas-operated, semi-automatic prototype sniper rifle, chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum, and manufactured by Barrett Firearms Company. It was originally introduced at the 1998 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, but was never placed into production due to the introduction of the M99.

Overview
The M98 is a lightweight, gas operated, semi-automatic sniper rifle designed for use by both the military, and police sniper teams. Chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum, it was made to fill the gap between rifles chambered in the traditional 7.62 × 51 mm and .50 BMG (12.7 × 99 mm) calibers. The M98 was very similar to a traditional manually operated bolt-action rifle. The receiver was relatively heavy compared with the rest of the rifle, but was still lighter than that of a similarly sized rifle. The barrel and receiver were both mounted on a light weight aluminum base for maximum rigidity, and the stock was made of fiberglass reinforced polyamide plastic to reduce weight.

The gas system was mounted separately from the barrel in order to isolate the barrel's vibrating mass, and was instead located in the butt-stock. The gas is delivered to the operating mechanism via a lightweight tube that runs from the gas port in the barrel to a tappet in the butt-stock behind the firing mechanism. Rigidly mounting the receiver and isolating the barrel from the operating system enhanced accuracy. Recoil was attenuated not only by the gas system itself, but by a high-efficiency proprietary muzzle brake. The rifle was also equipped with a military standard Picatinny rail mounted on the steel receiver.