Calico M960

History of Calico M960

The Calico M960 is a role-delayed recoil submachine gun marketed by Calico Light Weapon Systems (CLWS) primarily for the military, security and law enforcement. A semi-automatic civilian model called Liberty was also developed. Originally located in Oregon, CLWS was incorporated as a private company in 1982 before transferring operations to Nevada before returning and settling in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Calico is known for its collections. 22 rifles, 9mm pistols, M900 series carbines and M750/M900 series submachine guns (including M960/Liberty).

The Calico M960 series has yet to receive a large-scale quantitative defense contract, while still being an interesting design proposition. It has features that are unusual for most assault weapons currently in use around the world, managing a small working profile and having fewer protrusions that can get stuck in the heat of battle.

It is also a balanced design to hold in the hand. Calico weapons are characterized by reliability and accuracy, as well as great functionality and long service life.

The Calico M960 series is unique in its overall design as it uses a screw-feed magazine, a cylindrical drum mounted to the rear of the receiver, and an adjustable shoulder rest. The main advantage of this arrangement is the larger internal magazine, which can hold up to 100 rounds of ammunition, whereas traditional submachine guns are usually limited to 20, 30 or 40 rounds detachable box magazines. The weapon is designed to fire the widely used 9x19mm Parabellum pistol from a 50 or 100 rounds drum at 750 rounds per minute, the spent cartridge is ejected from the bottom of the receiver, in front of the trigger guard (as well) it is ambidextrous ). Iron sights are standard, but optical sights can also be fitted if desired. The rest of the design includes a traditional angled pistol grip with an integral trigger assembly, a handguard with angled foregrip and a protruding barrel assembly covered by a perforated muzzle brake.

Gross weight unladen is 2.17kg, with the stock folded to an overall length of 647mm (from full extension of 835mm). The overall structure includes metal for key interior working components and lightweight composite materials for the furniture.

The benchmark production brand for this weapon series is the M960A with a collapsible stock, followed by the compact selective-fire M961A with a shorter barrel. The M960AS is in permanent stock. As mentioned, Calico also sells the M960 series under the Liberty name, and the product line includes the Liberty 50, Liberty 50 Tactical, Liberty 100, Liberty 100 Tactical, Liberty I, Liberty I Tactical, Liberty II, Liberty II Tactical, Liberty III and Liberty III tactics.

Each has distinct physical changes (fixed/foldable bearings) to the base design to accommodate discerning customers. Law enforcement and military versions offer fully automatic fire capabilities, while civilian designs are limited to semi-automatic fire.

With no stock and shortened barrel assembly, the "Liberty III" series took more of a "submachine gun" form and was overall lighter and more compact. "Tactical" models feature Picatinny rails for mounting additional tactical accessories. According to Calico marketing materials, all models have an effective range of up to 300 yards.

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