What is A Calico Gun?

The Calico is a small American business that specializes in firearms. It was founded in 1982 and first produced a weapon in 1985. It began as a machine gun but subsequently converted into a series of unusual pistols, submachine guns, and semi-automatic carbines with helical high-capacity magazines. The Calico company produces a variety of weapons based on the same concept. This firm’s M950 submachine gun was designed as a military product for the market and law enforcement agencies. It debuted in the late 1980s or early 1990s, according to reports. The Calico weapons include a number of advanced and even strange features, in addition to the unusual design. These weapons, on the other hand, suffered from considerable technical problems. For various causes, these submachine guns were not adopted by any nation and were produced in just a few quantities. Civilian versions of the weapons sold poorly.

The submachine Calico guns are exotic and unusual in both appearances and design. The Calico weapons’ most important features were a big magazine capacity that was ambidextrous, as well as a small profile and conventional operation. Calico Light Weapon Systems (LWS) released the first versions in 1990, which were designed for both Law Enforcement and Military markets (in either semi-automatic or selective-fire form, in 9mm) as well as the general public market (semi-auto only, in pistol or carbine types, in 9mm and .22LR version). The United States Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, which limited magazine capacity for civilian guns to 10 rounds, had a negative influence on the sales of these weapons. It appears that military and law enforcement sales during the late 1990s were insufficient, and it appears that Calico LWS went out of business.

The Helical, the large-capacity magazine was originally developed by Michael Miller and Warren Stockton in 1985, and improved upon by 1988. Calico manufactured two distinct models in both.22LR (models 100, 105, and 110) and 9mm Luger (models 900, 950, 960). The ejection chute, located just ahead of the trigger guard and opened to the bottom, distinguished 9mm versions from 10-18x variants. The 22LR models, on the other hand, have a slim front edge on their trigger guards and ejection ports on the side of receivers.

Technical Description

The Calico 9mm submachine guns were delayed blowback operated, selective-fire weapons. The two-piece, roller delayed blowback bolt mechanism was originally conceived by Ludwig Vorgrimler towards the ending of WWII, and later refined and popularized by Heckler and Koch with its MP5 series and G3 series rifles submachine guns. The spent cases of a calico submachine gun are ejected straight down through the ejection chute in the trigger guard, which is an uncommon feature. Bottom ejection was dangerous because it allowed ejected cases to come into direct contact with the shooter’s supporting hand, which might result in burns and damage to the holding palm if the two-handed grip is incorrect. The charging handle is positioned to the left of the gun, just above and ahead of the trigger, and it does not move when the gun is fired. The .22 Long Rifle versions of the Calico guns, on the other hand, had the ejection port located at the top of the receiver, above the pistol grip.

The Calico rifle’s most unique feature is its huge cylindrical magazine, which is positioned at the top of the weapon. This magazine is made mostly of polymers and contains helical guide grooves in its “inner” cylindrical wall, with the rotating central “follower,” which causes the cartridges to follow the helical track within the cylinder. The follower is activated by a spiral spring positioned at the rear of the cylinder. The winder handle on the magazine prevents it from being stored loaded and with unwound spring to minimize spring tension loss when kept for an extended period. The magazine spring could be instantly wound up by rotating the handle to prepare the magazine for firing if necessary. Magazines for Calico guns can hold between 50 and 100 rounds in quite a slim packaging.

Types Of Calico Guns

Calico M100

The Calico M100 is a .22 rifle with a blowback mechanism that comes standard with a 100-round.22 LR helical tubular magazine and has a foldable stock. The Calico 100 and 110 are unusual weapons from the 1980s that were likely one of the most unique and futuristic-looking of their time. The 100 and 110 have a right-side ejection port, unlike other Calico guns.

Calico M900

The Calico M951 is a select-fire variant of the M900 Semi-Auto Carbine, which features a distinct compensator (similar to a mini Cutts Compensator) that is larger than the one on the M900. It has a 9mm Calico-style receiver, and like other  Calico variants that is 9mm, it utilizes roller-delayed blowback. It also has an ejection port in the forward direction of the trigger, similar to that of a typical rifle or SMG magazine well.

Calico M950/950A

The Calico M950 is a 9x19mm carbine that comes in the form of a handgun. The M950 is available in both semi-automatic and full-auto models, the M950A, armorers have changed to M950 semi-automatic pistols to simulate M950A gun movies, adding to the perplexing number of variations seen in films. The factory M950A has a pistol to assist in climbing the barrel when firing fully automatically. The gun is a converted M950 (with an increased rate of fire), but the foregrip was not installed because blanks do not create the same level of muzzle climb as live rounds. The M950 and M950A do not include a retractable stock, and neither type of receiver can accommodate one, so if you see a retractable stock on one of these guns, it isn’t one of them.

Calico M110

This is a miniature version of the M-100 .22 LR Pistol. It’s commonly known as the M-100P, which was the previous model that it replaced. The bolt was modified to make it lighter, and the feed lip in the magazine was changed. Most of the components are replaceable, but certain parts on the older 100P would need minor adjustments to use the current magazine design.

To know more about the Range of A 6.5 PRC Rifle click here.

Thomas Boseman

Thomas Boseman is the author of Pawnbroking.com. A pawn shop owner by day, blog writer by night. When not writing, he enjoys exploring the outdoors with his dog, Roman. Thomas received his bachelor of arts in film from the University of Arizona. A Brooklyn native, Thomas is a lover of filmmaking, motorcycle, and coffee.

Recent Posts