Calico Light Weapons Systems
founded October 1982
California, Nevada, Oregon
- Oct 1982 in Bakersfield, California
– California Instrument Company
– totally new concept in firearms magazine technology was developed - Pistols and pistol-caliber carbines
– with 50 and 100 round magazines - May 1985 first working 100 round helical feed .22LR carbine prototype successfully tested
- 1985 first guns
- June 1987 first 50 and 100 round 9mm “double helix” firearms were produced
- 1998 moved to Sparks, Nevada
– replacement parts produced - 2006 moved to Hillsboro, Oregon
– full production of firearms resumed
Calico Firearms
1090 Hemlock St
Elgin, OR 97827
(541) 437-1031
calicofirearms.com
About Calico
Calico Light Weapons Systems was an American maker of pistols and pistol-caliber carbines, founded in October 1982 in Bakersfield, California. Its defining feature was the top-mounted helical-feed magazine, which held 50 or 100 rounds in a compact cylinder lying along the top of the gun. Spent cases ejected from a port on the bottom, which made a brass catcher practical. The company released its first production gun in 1985. Calico made pistols and rifles in .22 rimfire and 9mm. The .22 guns were simple blowbacks, and the 9mm models used a roller-delayed blowback system. The M950 pistol is one of the best-known models.
The 9mm guns reached the market shortly before the 1994 federal ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds. That ban hit a company built around 50- and 100-round magazines especially hard, and Calico stayed largely dormant until the ban expired in 2004. The company moved to Sparks, Nevada, in 1998, where it mainly made replacement parts. It was sold again in 2006 and moved to Hillsboro, Oregon, where full production resumed with CNC machining and better materials. It was later based in Elgin, Oregon. According to Wikipedia, the company went out of business in 2024.
Key Facts
- October 1982: Founded in Bakersfield, California
- 1985: First production firearm released
- 1998: Operations moved to Sparks, Nevada
- 2006: Sold and moved to Hillsboro, Oregon; full production resumed
- 2024: Company went out of business
Sources
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