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"A Revolution in Firepower" is the tagline for Calico Firearms, and its firearms are indeed revolutionary. Calico's firearms are lightweight, portable and packed with features. Before 1994, Calico Firearms built a 9 mm semi-automatic and a .22 semi-automatic in both carbine and pistol configurations. The carbine version looked futuristic and appeared in many science-fiction movies, including Spaceballs. The ammunition is located on top of the gun in a cylindrical-style magazine with the magazine part of the sight picture, allowing the user to keep an eye on ammo count during shooting as well as balance out the weight of the gun. Today, there are plenty of vintage models on the market but there is also a modern version in production. For more on the Calico M-900 Carbine, watch this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV.
In 2024, former owner Gregg Ritz purchased Thompson/Center Arms. Now the company has introduced a modern take on its classic Contender/Encore concept: the ENCORE PROHunter.
While it's certainly a saturated marketplace these days, the AR-15 has never been more popular with American firearm enthusiasts, and many manufacturers are continuing to feed the need with new options loaded with new features.