Ruger MAX-9: the new, small concealed carry pistol
The MAX-9 and MAX-9 Pro 9mm semi-automatic pistols expand Ruger's line of dedicated concealed carry handguns, aimed at the increasingly vast and receptive US market going head-to-head with well-respected competitors such as the Springfield Armory Hellcat, the SIG Sauer P365 and the Smith & Wesson Shield series
Ruger's new MAX-9 and MAX-9 Pro semi-automatic subcompact pistols are specifically aimed to America's large concealed carry market
For years, now, all 50 States of the US have had laws in place for the release of concealed carry licenses to their citizens, replacing the decades-old "No-Issue" legislation that had been in effect in numerous jurisdictions.
"May-Issue" and "Restrictive May-Issue" laws are now rare in the United States, and as of March 2021 eighteen States have some sort of "Constitutional Carry" provisions in place – meaning that non-prohibited individuals require no license to carry firearms on their person, open or concealed, depending from State to State and sometimes County to County.
Ruger – one of America's best known providers of hunting, sport shooting, and defensive firearms to the global civilian markets, and consistently one of America's most dynamic gunmakers for years now – has been consistently churning out products aimed at such a growing market for more than a decade, and 2021 makes no exception with the brand new Ruger MAX-9 line of semi-automatic pistols.
Ruger MAX-9 pistol, right side
Ruger MAX-9 pistol, left side
The MAX-9 series comprises of two models: the baseline MAX-9 and the MAX-9 Pro. The only difference between the two is the manual safety, or lack thereof: the baseline MAX-9 model sports a low-profile manual safety lever on the left side of the frame, at easy and quick thumb reach, while the MAX-9 Pro model doesn't.
Both variants are chambered in 9mm Luger and feed through double-stack, steel-body magazines holding twelve rounds each, bringing the overall capacity to 13 rounds with the possibility to load an additional round in chamber. Two magazines are issued with each Ruger MAX-9 or MAX-9 Pro; all magazines feature a black polymer baseplate with a finger rest for a more comfortable grip, and are Teflon-coated for easier insertion and release even in harsh conditions.
The Ruger MAX-9 is a striker-fired design, sporting a smooth trigger with an integrated safety, offering a clean pull, a crisp release, and a short reset. The integrated trigger safety adds to a vast array of integral safety features that include an internal striker blocker and an inspection port allowing for visual confirmation of a loaded or empty chamber.
The Ruger MAX-9 pistol is built around a black, glass-filled high-performance Nylon frame with a medium-textured grip frame providing a secure and comfortable grip; the frame hosts a one-piece, precision-machined fire control chassis that's easily removed for maintenance. The slide is precision-machined out of alloy steel and sports a black oxide protective finish and front and rear slide serrations for easier handling.
Other features of the Ruger MAX-9 and MAX-9 Pro slide include a fixed HiViz tritium fiber optic front sight; a drift-adjustable, raised cowitnessing rear sight; and a micro red dot sights interface compatible with several popular MRDS models such as the Crimson Trace Series 1500; HEX Wasp; Holosun 407K and 507KM; J-Point MRD; SIG Sauer Romeo Zero; Sightmark Mini Shot A-Spec M3; Swampfox Sentinel; and seven Shield Sights models: RMS, RMS-2, RMSc, RMSw, SMS, SMS-2, and SMSc.
The black oxide, alloy steel, 8,1 cm / 3.2" barrel – with six RH grooves and a 1:10" twist – brings the overall length of the Ruger MAX-9 to a total of 15,2 cm / 6". The MAX-9 is barely 2,4 cm / .95" wide, 11,4 cm / 4.52" wide, and weighs 521 grams / 18.4 oz overall: a perfectly compact package for everyday, all-day long, effortlessly printless concealed carry.
Numerous accessories are already available for the Ruger MAX-9 and MAX-9 pro, including holsters, micro red-dot sights, and 10-rounds magazines for those jurisdictions that impose legal limits to the capacity of detachable magazines sold on the civilian market.
Both the Ruger MAX-9 and Ruger MAX-9 Pro pistols are already being distributed on the US civilian market at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $499.00; no information concerning export availability and pricing has been released so far.