| Calico Light Weapons Inc | |
| Type: | Private |
| Location City: | Elgin, Oregon |
| Location Country: | U.S. |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Products: | Firearms, Magazines, Speed loaders, other firearm accessories |
| Homepage: | www.calicolightweaponsystems.com |
Calico Light Weapons Inc. (CLWS) is an American privately held manufacturing company based in Elgin, Oregon, that designs, develops and manufactures semiautomatic firearms. It was established in 1982 in Bakersfield, California, and released its first production weapon in 1985. In 1998 its operations were moved to Sparks, Nevada, where replacement parts for existing weapons were produced.[1]
In 2006, it was sold once again and moved to Hillsboro, Oregon, where full firearm production resumed. It implemented a CNC machining process and upgraded materials used in manufacture. There were also minor redesigns of some production models to increase durability and reliability.
CLWS produces a line of pistols and pistol-caliber carbines that feature a top-mounted helical-feed 50- or 100-round magazine that ejects spent shells from a bottom port, making a brass catcher practical in various situations. Nine millimeter pistols, carbines and submachine guns use the roller-delayed blowback principle used in the Heckler & Koch series of firearms.[1] [2]
The Calico M950 is a pistol manufactured in the United States. Its main feature, along with all the other guns of the Calico system, is to feed from a proprietary helical magazine mounted on top, available in a 50 or 100-round capacity.[3] The factory sights enable accuracy to about 60 meters (197 feet).
The Calico Liberty is a roller-delayed blowback-operated semi-automatic rifle (Liberty II) or pistol (Liberty III) chambered for the 9 mm Parabellum. These firearms use an unusual 50- or 100-round helical magazine that allow for a large number of rounds in a relatively compact and convenient package. The spent cartridges are discharged in an unusual fashion as well: downward, ahead of the trigger guard. This makes it relatively easy to fit an effective device to catch the cartridge cases, which can then be reloaded. A full-automatic (machine gun) version is available for military, police, and other government agencies.
At the 2012 SHOT Show, Calico exhibited a prototype 12-gauge shotgun with top-mounted helical magazine.
Its firearms have appeared in several action and science fiction films, including Spaceballs (1987), I Come in Peace (1990)[4] and some James Bond films, due to their futuristic appearance. The company's motto is A Revolution in Firepower!
Calico is one of the largest manufacturers of large (50- and 100-round) magazines for automatic and semi-automatic weapons.[1]
Current
Discontinued
Cancelled
. Jack Lewis (screenwriter). Assault Weapons. 28 February 2011. Gun Digest Books. Iola, Wisconsin. 978-1-4402-2629-8. 158–161.
. Ian V. Hogg. Submachine Guns. 2001. Greenhill Books. 978-1-85367-448-8. 126–127.