Calico M950 Review: An Overlooked Gem?

The gun industry often punishes creativity when it comes to firearms. We rarely see something new and exciting. While today’s selection isn’t new, it’s still exciting.

I have the Calico M950 in hand, specifically, the Calico M950 pistol. The M950 is weird from top to bottom, but does weird pay off? Was the Calico M950 an overlooked gem in a field of large-format pistols?

Let’s dig into the Calico M950, its fascinating features, and take it to the range to find out if the gun industry missed out on something good, or rightfully ignored the weird kid at school.

Calico M950 Specs & Features

Specs:

• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 50, 100
• Barrel Length: 6″
• Overall Length: 14″
• Weight: 2.25 lbs

Features:

• Helical top-mounted magazine
• Compensator
• Adjustable front sight
• Ambidextrous safety
• Ambidextrous mag release
• Downward-ejecting

Calico M950 Backstory

Calico is an odd acronym for California Instrument Company. California Instrument Company began its life producing products for the petroleum industry, but made a significant shift by entering the world of firearms. Calico Light Weapon Systems was founded on an idea conceived by a Calico employee named Cliff Davis, who designed the magazine.

The first Calico was the M-100, a .22LR rimfire semi-auto carbine that introduced Calico’s main design feature – a massive magazine. The Calico magazines are helical, double-stack magazines that mount to the top of the gun. Drum might be a more accurate term, but magazine seems to be the chosen term.

Their original .22 LR magazines held 50 to 100 rounds. Sales of the Calico .22 LR, surely boosted by Space Balls, allowed the company to develop a 9mm version. Calico aimed to produce submachine guns and machine pistols for military and police markets, while also offering semi-automatic variants in pistol and rifle formats.

The guns all use either 50 or 100-round helical, double-stack magazines. Each magazine has a handle for applying tension and a button for releasing it, allowing the weapon to be safely stored while loaded. It’s essential to read the manual to determine the proper amount of handle rotation to apply to your magazine.

According to the original CEO of Calico, Mike Miller, they sold guns to everyone. Special Forces, the DOD, the Marshal’s Service, the DSS, SEALs, and the DEA. How true any of those claims may be is unknown. I couldn’t find any photos or documents to substantiate significant sales to military or police forces.

What I do know is that the M950 was the basic pistol format of the Calico Light Weapon Systems and was one of their leading sellers to the civilian market. This represented the shortest and smallest 9mm configuration available, and is one of the most common on the market, right beside the M900 rifle version.

Shooting the M950

I didn’t have high expectations for my M950. I purchased it because it’s neat, and I got it at a good price. I’m happy to say my initial expectations were wrong.

First, I had heard a lot of negative things about the gun’s reliability. I watched Ian at Forgotten Weapons struggle with his rifle variant. So imagine my surprise when my Calico worked like an absolute champ…mostly.

The 50-round drum would often choke on the first round, but run fine after. If 49 rounds were loaded and I applied the minimum of seven total twists to the magazine, it would fire without a problem. It’s an odd problem, but if I have to sacrifice one round for reliability, I’ll take it.

Since owning this gun, I’ve shot a lot of rounds through it with no real malfunctions. Between my friends and me, the round count for this gun already exceeded 500 rounds. Everyone who sees this gun wants to shoot it, so it’s been passed around a lot.

For this review, I shot another five drums, bringing the total round count up to 750-ish rounds. My only malfunctions occurred when the drum was loaded with 50 rounds instead of 49.

Accuracy isn’t bad, but the sights suck. The front sight is on the tower that sits in front of the drum. The rear sight is attached to the drum.

Most drums have a rear open sight and a peep sight that the user can flip between. My M950 is an early Bakersfield model, and it only has open pistol-style sights. The front sight is adjustable for windage, but it’s quite a challenge to make adjustments.

I dialed in the sights, but the problem is their size. They are huge, so at 50 yards they completely cover steel gongs, 33% reduced-sized IPSC targets, and similarly sized targets. This makes shots on small targets difficult at 50 yards.

Even at 25 yards, the sights still feel fairly large. Hitting man-sized targets isn’t difficult by any means, but I like a little more precision-oriented shooting from my larger firearms.

On paper, I was capable of generating 3-inch groups at 15 yards oddhand. At 25 yards, I could produce 3.5-inch groups using a barrel and backpack as a rest.

Another issue with the sights is the height over bore. With an AR, it’s hardly a factor because an AR can reach out to 500 yards. The 9mm cartridge isn’t a long-range option, so at 9mm ranges, height over bore becomes an accuracy issue. At close ranges, you’ll always appear to be hitting a few inches low.

The M950 is capable of decent accuracy, but the sights hold it back. It’s begging for a red dot, but the old scope mounts are challenging to find.

One thing I love about this gun is the lack of recoil. The roller delayed design makes it easy to shoot quickly without losing control. I fired a Bill Drill from the low ready and achieved a time of 1.66 seconds. That’s fast enough for me!

Double-taps are quick and easy to accomplish, and the sights barely move between shots. From a practical perspective, I could see this being a capable defensive firearm in the form of an SBR or with a brace.

Ergonomics: Fit and Feel

The Calico has some interesting ergonomics. It’s surprisingly friendly to left-handers. The safety is ambidextrous, and the empty cases eject downward through what looks a bit like a magwell.

The charging handle isn’t reversible, and is on the left side of the gun. It is non-reciprocating and provides a fair bit of handle to handle if you know what I’m saying. The safety is a lever type that is pressed forward to fire, and it’s super easy to press with your trigger finger.

Oddly enough, when you work the charging handle, the gun automatically comes off safe. It’s a weird design, and it seems like the M950 was intended to be carried without a round chambered.

Removing the magazine requires the user to pinch a set of tabs on either side of the helical magazine. It’s a very natural feeling as you reach over the magazine to grab it. Locking in a new mag is also easy and more intuitive than I expected.

It more or less drops right on the gun. The front needs to hook under two tabs, and that’s it. The M950 lacks a last-round bolt hold-open device, but it does have a manual bolt hold-open feature. Pull the bolt to the rear, press the tab, and it will lock it open.

The pistol grip is textured and rakes back a fair bit. It’s definitely intended to work with a stock. It’s not bad, but a more vertical grip would make managing the weight a bit easier without a stock. Other than that, it feels a bit like an AR grip in terms of width.

I have a lot of experience with weird guns, and rarely are weird guns this intuitive and ergonomic.

Improvements We’d Like to See

An integrated optic mount of some kind would be a saving grace on this gun. It would make it easier to shoot at distance, easier to shoot up close, and easier to shoot altogether.

Having it be brace-ready would also be really cool. I’ve been watching the 3D printed community to see if they have any options, but no luck so far.

Who is It For?

Unfortunately, it seems like Calico is dead. The website was up for a bit, but has faded away.

That means that the Calico M950 is best suited for people like me. People who collect and enjoy weird guns. It doesn’t do anything better than more standard PCCs and large-format pistols, but they are a lot of fun. And if you have a fun gun budget, the Calico can scratch that itch.

By the Numbers

Reliability: 3.5/5

It’s reliable as long as the magazine is only loaded to 49 rounds. Not a huge deal, but a notable one.

Ergonomics: 4/5

Is the layout odd? Yes, but it is surprisingly intuitive. Color me impressed.

Accuracy: 3/5

I take accuracy as a way to put ammo where I’m aiming. Mechanically, the gun is accurate, but the sights hold it back.

Customization: 1/5

You can swap from 50 to 100 round mags, and that’s about it.

Value: 3/5

The used market prices vary significantly, but I was able to pick this one up for around $500. However, that was a bargain, expect to spend a bit more if you can find one.

Overall: 3.5/5

The Calico has good bones and a solid foundation, but it has a few problems that need to be addressed.

Upgrades & Accessories for the Calico M950

While the Calico is tough to accessorize, it does have sling attachments. The no-frills Magpul MS1 sling is a perfect match for the M950.

A fly gun deserves an equally fly case to carry it in. Your friends will be impressed when you pop the Pelican open and pull out a Calico.

Keep your ears safe (and comfortable!) while you are emptying those huge mags with the EXO Pro electronic earmuffs from ShellShock Protection.

How We Tested the M950

For this article specifically, I fired 245 rounds. Prior to that, the gun had been passed around a lot at the range, so the total round count is north of 750.

For accuracy testing, I shot the gun at 15, 25, and 50 yards. I used both steel and paper targets. I rested the gun at 25 yards to see how tightly I could group on the paper targets.

To test control and examine recoil, I ran timed Bill Drills, failure to stop drills, and double taps.

Meet the Experts

This article was authored by Pew Pew Tactical author Travis Pike. Travis spent a lifetime shooting as a kid and later joined the United States Marine Corps, where he spent five years as an infantryman.

His experience as a machine gunner, recreational and competitive shooter, hunter, concealed carry instructor, and firearms enthusiast has given him unique insight into various weapon platforms. Travis has written countless articles for numerous publications. Between his personal collection and time spent shooting all manner of guns at media events, Travis knows a thing or two about odd guns.

Final Verdict on the Calico M950

The M950 and the whole Calico series are excellent collector’s items. They are an example of someone trying to be different and innovative. It’s clear a lot of thought went into these guns, not only to provide a different experience, but also to deliver an intuitive, low-recoil firearm capable of decent accuracy.

A few changes here or there, and we’d have an excellent tool, but for now, I’m happy with the joy the M950 brings to me and all the other folks at the range.

What do you think about the M950 or Calico weapons in general? Let us know in the comments below! Interested in other oddities? Check out our article on 5 Weird Guns You’ve Probably Never Seen!