Calico Liberty
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 406 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.27 kg
- Introduced
- 1996
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Calico Liberty is an American semi-automatic 9x19mm carbine built around a distinctive top-mounted helical-feed magazine holding 50 or 100 rounds, with spent cases ejected through a bottom port. It is the post-1994 Assault Weapons Ban civilian carbine derivative of the selective-fire Calico M900 series, fitted with a 16-inch barrel and a fixed or retractable stock in place of the compensator and short barrel of the military models. Its blowback action, lightweight cast aluminum receiver, and oversized helical magazine give it an unmistakable futuristic profile.
The Calico's signature helical magazine, in which cartridges spiral around an internal feed screw, was invented by Michael Miller and Warren Stockton (US Patent 4,888,898) to pack 50 to 100 rounds into a compact tube mounted atop the receiver, giving the Liberty its science-fiction silhouette and frequent appearances in 1990s action films.
The Liberty 100 is a post-AWB version of the M900 with a fixed (or retractable) stock and no compensator. The helical magazine is interchangeable between 50- and 100-round capacities across the Calico carbine and pistol lines.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Calico Light Weapons Inc.
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1996 to 2024
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 406 mm
- Overall length
- 876 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.27 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 3.99 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 100
- Magazine
- Helical
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Black
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 427 m/s
- Effective range
- 100 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Helical feed magazine
Top mounted magazine
Bottom ejection port
Collapsible stock
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 62 9x19mm Parabellum carbines | 2.27 kg | 2.78 kg | Lighter than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 56 9x19mm Parabellum carbines | 876 mm | 820 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 64 9x19mm Parabellum carbines | 406 mm | 406 mm | Near the median |
| Magazine capacityAmong 64 9x19mm Parabellum carbines | 100 | 24 | Among the largest capacities |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the Calico Liberty
How much does the Calico Liberty weigh?
The Calico Liberty weighs 2.27 kg (5.00 lb) empty and 3.99 kg (8.80 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Calico Liberty?
The Calico Liberty is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the Calico Liberty hold?
The Calico Liberty holds 100 rounds, fed from a helical magazine.
How long is the Calico Liberty?
The Calico Liberty is 876 mm (34.5 in) long overall, with a 406 mm (16.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Calico Liberty?
The Calico Liberty is made by Calico Light Weapons Inc. (United States). It was designed by Michael Miller and Warren Stockton.
When was the Calico Liberty introduced?
The Calico Liberty was introduced in 1996 and discontinued in 2024.
How does the Calico Liberty operate?
The Calico Liberty uses a blowback action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Civilian market
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/calico-liberty' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "calico-liberty", "name": "Calico Liberty", "manufacturer": { "id": "calico", "name": "Calico Light Weapons Inc.", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1982, "website": "https://calicofirearms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-07-06 11:00:16", "updatedAt": "2026-07-06 11:00:16", "version": "da20db948d45e0de20a19a1141f4e97f8cfc31acb473855244b4bca9e088368d" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1996, "barrel_length_mm": 406, "weight_empty_g": 2268, "action_type": "blowback"}