Picked up a cool new toy at the LGS yesterday (Maxim 9 content)

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DMK

New member
After 1 year on waiting for my NFA paperwork to clear, I got a call from my LGS this week. Very long story short, I was shooting my Maxim 9 in my back yard after work last night. :D

The gun is a lot of fun. It's my first experience with a centerfire suppressor and it was not as quiet as I thought it would be, even though it was about 94 degrees out. (2500 feet of altitude though). That said it was about as quiet as a high velocity 22LR out of a semi-auto rifle. Perfectly satisfactory for my back yard range.

I shot some 158gr Fiocci, 158gr PPU, 147 Lawman, 147gr CCI and 150gr S&B. I also tried some supersonics: 124gr Lawman and 124gr Gold Dots. Everything was definitely hearing safe. I did all my shooting in the long configuration. You can also remove two baffle sections to make the gun shorter, but louder. For my use, I don't see the need to do that.

The Maxim shot nicely. The trigger is heavy and rough as a lot of people have complained about. That will need to be polished. I have the spring set for it, but I'll try polishing first since I've heard reports of light strikes with the lighter springs.

The gun looks like it would be long and awkward, but does not feel that way. The long sight radius is a nice thing too. It is clearly not a CCW, but it is fine for a full size range toy or night stand gun. It has a fixed 4.5" barrel with a unique delayed blowback system. The front section is mostly empty space with the suppressor baffles and chambers and mostly made of aluminum. Most of the weight is at the rear, so the gun balances nicely. Weight wise, it feels about as heavy as a 1911 govt model.

It definitely favored the 147gr bullets over the 158s accuracy wise, and they weren't noticeably louder. The three dot night sights are good, and it uses Glock sights if I wanted to switch them out to something else. It also uses Glock mags. It comes with two 17rd Magpuls and I also tried 17rd ETS mags. Shooting about 150 rounds, there were no function issues at all.

Overall I'm really happy with the Maxim. For me it is worth the wait and cost. It's definitely a niche item, but it's a unique gun and fits my need/want very well.

The other toy I picked up was a CGS Kraken 9mm suppressor. Shown below on my 9mm AR15 pistol. That was a lot of fun too.

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Looks like a Buck Rogers prop gun from the movies
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It's definitely a unique handgun! :D

(It doesn't look that silvery in real life BTW. It's a matte grey. The camera doesn't do the color justice.)
 
Thanks for the comments guys. Sorry about the pic size. I shrunk them a little.


The grip texture is interesting. Makes me think of barcode. Very "Neo".
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Supposedly it's morse code for Maxim 9, or Fight the Noise or something like that. It is kinda cool. It's a bit aggressive handling wise, as are the slide serrations. I like it though. It really helps you grip it but some folks are sensitive to that sort of thing (I have a friend who thought the XDS was too rough).


Is anybody making holsters for it yet?
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Yes. here's a few I bookmarked: Fury Carry Solutions, G-code, and there are also a few on Silencerco's site (I ordered the leather Galco with a %40 off labor day discount code and should get it next week).

More info here


Congrats.
Fight the noise! (Mine is doing month 4 of its jail time right now.)
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Thanks! It's a tough wait. My tax check was cashed on 9/25/18 so it was just a little under a year. Hopefully things will get better as the ATF catches up from both the .gov shutdown and the Silencerco BOGO last year.
 
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BTW, I weight the Maxim on a postal scale last night and compared it to some other guns

(unloaded, no mag in the automatics)

My all steel 1911 was 2lb 8 oz
The Maxim 9 was 2lb 9oz
My S&W Model 28 N Frame was 2lb 12oz

The Maxim's balance point is right front of the trigger (It balanced on my finger right between the trigger and the roll pin above it).
 
They feel much better in the hand than one might assume just based on appearance.

Thanks! It's a tough wait. My tax check was cashed on 9/25/18 so it was just a little under a year. Hopefully things will get better as the ATF catches up from both the .gov shutdown and the Silencerco BOGO last year.
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Yea... I feel like I've been waiting longer than technically correct.

I'll spare everyone the details, but just getting mine shipped was a fluster cluck; with additional days to settle details after shipment, before both sides (shipper and dealer) felt that the paperwork was finally correct and complete.

It did take several months for me to find a Maxim 9 in stock when I decided to pull the trigger. I ordered one from Silencershop. They called me four days later to say they had to backorder the pistol with no idea when they'd get more. I told them to cancel it.

Next, I had my dealer order one. Everything seemed good. Then the distributor called back a few days later and said that their inventory was incorrect. Order cancelled.

I spent another week or so searching online. Couldn't find anything for less than $1,500; or 'used' and coming from out of state (double stamp, more wait).

I called SilencerCo to see if they had shipped any large orders to distributors recently. "No."
I asked when they might be shipping more. "After we catch up on Sparrows," was the answer.
I responded, "You're already six-plus months behind with those. Can you give me a rough guess on the next run of Maxim 9s?"
..."Probably nine to twelve months."

With little hope of getting the M9, I took my money to the LGS and paid for a SilencerCo Harvester .300 that they had in stock.

Eventually, Brownell's inventory updated to show in-stock status for the Maxim 9, and at the best price I had seen. I took a chance.
And that is when the real fluster cluck began... :rolleyes:

I started trying to buy a Maxim 9 in February. The Form 4 wasn't mailed until May.



A word of advice for potential buyers of the Maxim 9:
It is not a single serial number firearm. It has TWO serial numbers - one for the pistol and one for the suppressor body. The only one that's obvious is the serial number on the suppressor body.
These two serial numbers cause confusion and inventory errors. Be sure that all of your paperwork lists the correct serial number, and be aware that people not used to a firearm having two serial numbers may royally screw things up.

ALL of the problems I encountered when trying to get my Maxim 9 were directly related to everyone "knowing" that they Maxim 9 only had one serial number (because that's how it was represented for quite a while), when, in reality, it's a pistol and a suppressor - each with their own serial numbers.
 
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Wow, that sucks FrankenMauser. What a runaround.

Not to rub salt in your wounds, but I bought mine from Lanbo's Armory and had no problems. Just a three week wait on the form 3 (the dealer to dealer ATF approval for those that don't speak NFA).

Lanbo's actually listed both serial numbers on my order status when I logged into their site, so I downloaded the Form 4 pdf from the ATF website and had it all filled out already when my dealer received the Maxim. I just had him fill in his FFL #, sign it and then I mailed it off the same day.
 
That was my first NFA experience, so I'm glad it went smoothly. I was actually a kinda nervous that I'd screw something up and not find out for 10 months or something.
 
Range report #2:

I went out this morning with a machete, a bow saw and cleared a new range in my back yard. :) I now have a good spot that is more level and closer to my house than my old range. I was able to setup my Midway USA shooting mat (I love that thing!) and a piece of wood to get a good stable shooting position with a rest and everything. For now it's more or less clear to 25yds, but next week I'm going to clear out to 50y and I may even be able to shoot out to 80y maybe even 100y. There's a big hill behind it so I have a good back stop.

Got the PSA AK-V out today along with the Maxim 9 and my AR9 build. Unfortunately, I couldn't get good groups with the AK-V at 25yds and gave up on zeroing it. Maybe it doesn't like the suppressor, maybe it didn't like the 158gr Fiocchi I was using. I just didn't feel like wasting time with it today. It was also definitely louder than the AR9 or Maxim, but on a positive note didn't have any noticeable gas blowback.

Speaking of gas in the face, I had added the heaviest weight (3.4oz) of the tuning kit to the CMMG Guard bolt in the AR9. That made a big improvement in the gas blow black. It was hardly noticeable today. I had also tried to make a homemade gas buster charging handle the other day, but my Permatex was old and didn't cure properly, so as soon as I get some more I'll try that again. I got the AR9 zeroed 1.5" high at 25 yds (should be like a 90yd zero). I'm really stoked that the AR functioned perfectly even with the added bolt weight. Of course it's still in the 90's here, so I'll need to test this winter and see if it still functions well on the coldest days.

The Maxim also got some tuning. I had purchased the MWS trigger spring kit, but heard of some light primer strike complaints with the lighter spring. Nonetheless it's the only aftermarket solution for this gun. Watching their installation video (link here) they mention how the gun comes with the trigger very dry and recommend oiling it in some specific locations. Well, I pulled the chassis out of the plastic frame and looked at what they are talking about. Actuating the trigger I could see where it was dragging. I basically doused all the trigger parts in Slip 2000 and blew some compressed air in there to force the oil in and blow away the excess. I then put a extra drop at the moving surfaces. I only used the trigger safety spring from the kit and did nothing to the slide except put a little oil on the striker/sear engagement surfaces. Then I put the gun back together and dry fired it probably a hundred times while I watched a movie. That made a huge difference. Most of the grittiness was gone after that (just a little at the takeup was left) and right now after shooting today all the grittiness is gone. I think the lack of lubrication of the trigger parts is the cause of the complaints. I'm really happy with the trigger now.

Shooting wise, I put 200 rds through each gun so far and the Maxim has also been 100% reliable except for when I tried some aluminum case CCI Blazer. Both guns had ejection issues with the aluminum cases maybe once every 20 rds and tried to double feed. That's not very surprising. I seen some guns choke on that. Everything with a brass case was gobbled up and spit out with no drama. The Maxim shot to point of aim with 147gr ammo. It seems to shoot low and just slightly left with 158gr Fiocchi and PPU. When shooting the 158gr I had to sight using the tritium dot instead of the top edge of the front sight.

Sound wise, the Kraken is definitely quieter. This is very apparent when shooting guns from hip level. The Maxim has a deeper tone, where the Kraken sings at a slightly higher pitch. Hits on my steel targets at 7yds were much louder than either suppressor. I tried a cap full of tap water in each then vigorously shook it out. That made a huge improvement. Both suppressors are hilariously quiet when run wet. The metallic action noise was way louder than the report in both. :D

Overall I'm really happy with both. I'll definitely be out tomorrow with them again. I think I still have some ammo left. :p


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Here's my new backyard range. The paper targets left and right were at 5yds, the 4 steel gongs left and right at 7yds, and down center is paper at 25yds.

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My mailman came up and delivered a big box from Silencerco. He said "your silencer is here!" He's a cool guy. :)
Of course it was actually my leather Galco Maxim 9 holster.


.
 
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I thought if the pistol was built with a integral suppressor the NFA tax stamp wasn't required. Nice looking weapon, looks like it should be in John Wick 4

Gary
 
I thought if the pistol was built with a integral suppressor the NFA tax stamp wasn't required
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That is definitely not true. A suppressor is always an NFA taxable item, integral or not.

The Maxim 9 in fact, has two serial numbers. One on the chassis of the gun and one on the suppressor itself. The latter serial was sent to the ATF on a Form 4 and added to the NFA registry.

I think perhaps confusion may come from short barrel rifles that are made with permanently attached or integral suppressors. While actual barrel with rifling might be less than 16", the permanently attached suppressor tube can add additional legal "barrel length". So when measuring with a rod from bolt face to the end of the permanently attached suppressor tube it measures 16" or more. That avoids needing two tax stamps, one for a short barrel rifle and one for a suppressor.
 
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DMK said:
That is definitely not true. A suppressor is always an NFA taxable item, integral or not.

The Maxim 9 in fact, has two serial numbers. One on the chassis of the gun and one on the suppressor itself. The latter serial was sent to the ATF on a Form 4 and added to the NFA registry.

I think perhaps confusion may come from short barrel rifles that are made with permanently attached or integral suppressors. While actual barrel with rifling might be less than 16", the permanently attached suppressor tube can add additional legal "barrel length". So when measuring with a rod from bolt face to the end of the permanently attached suppressor tube it measures 16" or more. That avoids needing two tax stamps, one for a short barrel rifle and one for a suppressor.
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Ohhh Ok..

I see where I goofed thanks my friend

Gary
 
An integrally suppressed rifle is a good example. It will have two S/Ns as well. One on the rifle, one on the suppressor.

Two S/Ns, but only one tax stamp
 
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