Calico M900
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 406 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.68 kg
- Introduced
- 1989
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Calico M900 is a 9x19mm semi-automatic carbine produced by Calico Light Weapons Systems, sharing the company's signature top-mounted helical-feed magazine system in 50- or 100-round capacities. It uses a roller-delayed blowback action derived from CETME/HK lineage and a 16-inch barrel paired with an aluminum receiver and folding wire stock. Marketed to the civilian carbine market in 1989, it was offered alongside the M950 pistol and the select-fire M960 submachine gun built on the same platform.
The M900's helical magazine sits horizontally atop the receiver like a futuristic backpack - when it appeared in films like 'Total Recall' and 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' audiences often assumed the prop was a sci-fi invention rather than a real, registered firearm available at sporting goods stores.
The civilian M900 is semi-automatic only; the M960 is the select-fire variant developed for military and law-enforcement evaluation. After production lapsed in the late 1990s, the platform was reintroduced under the 'Calico Liberty' branding in the 2000s.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Calico Light Weapons Systems
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1989
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 406 mm
- Overall length
- 876 mm
- Weight, empty
- 1.68 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 2.50 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Roller delayed blowback
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 100
- Magazine
- Drum
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum
- Slide
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Anodized black
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 427 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 678 J
- Effective range
- 100 m
- Maximum range
- 200 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 top mounted magazine
Folding stock
Ambidextrous bottom ejection
Two part roller delayed bolt
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 | 1.68 kg | 2.78 kg | Among the lightest tenth |
| 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 |
Answers
Questions about the Calico M900
How much does the Calico M900 weigh?
The Calico M900 weighs 1.68 kg (3.70 lb) empty and 2.50 kg (5.50 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Calico M900?
The Calico M900 is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum.
How many rounds does the Calico M900 hold?
The Calico M900 holds 100 rounds, fed from a drum magazine.
How long is the Calico M900?
The Calico M900 is 876 mm (34.5 in) long overall, with a 406 mm (16.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Calico M900?
The Calico M900 is made by Calico Light Weapons Systems (United States). It was designed by Michael Miller.
When was the Calico M900 introduced?
The Calico M900 was introduced in 1989.
How does the Calico M900 operate?
The Calico M900 uses a roller delayed 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 sport shooters
- 1989
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
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-m900' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "calico-m900", "name": "Calico M900", "manufacturer": { "id": "calico-light-weapons", "name": "Calico Light Weapons Systems", "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": "2026-05-04 12:38:54", "updatedAt": "2026-05-04 12:38:54", "version": "8d20a5811486ffac5d70b8f87797cc2294e05b742a277eb82c35f0276d59bff5" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1989, "barrel_length_mm": 406, "weight_empty_g": 1678, "action_type": "roller_delayed_blowback"}