Calico Light Weapons Systems
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| Private | |
| Industry | firearms |
| Founded | October 1982 |
| Headquarters | Cornelius, Oregon, U.S. |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Firearms, Magazines, Speed loaders, other firearm accessories |
| Website | www.calicolightweaponsystems.com |
Calico Light Weapons Inc. (CLWS) is an American privately held manufacturing company based in Cornelius, Oregon. It designs, develops and manufactures automatic firearms. The company was established in 1982 in Bakersfield, California, and released its first production weapon in 1985. In 1998 the company's operations were moved to Sparks, Nevada, where replacement parts for existing weapons were produced.[1]
In 2006, Calico was sold once again, and moved to Hillsboro, Oregon, where full production of firearms resumed. Calico implemented a CNC machining process and upgraded materials used in manufacture. Additionally, there were minor redesigns of some production models to increase durability and reliability.
Products
CLWS produces a line of pistols and pistol-caliber carbines. Calico firearms feature a top-mounted, helical-feed, 50- or 100-round magazine that ejects spent shells from a port in the bottom, making a brass catcher practical in various situations. The Calico 9 mm pistols, carbines and submachine guns use the roller-delayed blowback principle used in the Heckler & Koch series of firearms.[1]
At the 2012 SHOT Show, Calico exhibited a prototype 12 gauge shotgun with top-mounted helical magazine.
View
Although reviews of the product line were very favorable, Calico is working to secure military and law enforcement and export contracts. Calico firearms have appeared in several action mand science fiction films for example ranging from Spaceballs, and I Come in Peace[2] to James Bond due to their reliability, capacity and unique futuristic appearance. The company tagline is A Revolution in Firepower!
Calico remains one of the largest manufacturers of large magazines for automatic and semi-automatic weapons (50 and 100 rounds).[1]
Products
Current
- .22 LR Pistols
- Calico M110[3]
- .22 LR Rifles
- 9mm Pistols
- Calico Liberty III & Liberty III Tactical[3]
- 9mm Rifles
- Liberty I and II
- Liberty I and II Tactical
- Calico M960 (military and law enforcement only)
- Calico M960A
Discontinued
