Should you buy a Silencerco Maxim 9 in 2021 and beyond? Is the Maxim 9 practical? Can you concealed carry a Maxim 9? We’ll answer these questions and more in this Maxim 9 review. And by “we” I mean the two of us, yours truly and yours truly. You’ll have to watch the video to catch on, then draw your own conclusions based on our thoughts and Han Solo’s situations. Not even kidding. Oh, there are plenty of Maxim 9 reviews available already, so I’m not trying to exhaust every detail here. But there’s nothing like this one, I promise!
How Quiet is the Silencerco Maxim 9?
Quiet enough, I’d say. By the numbers, the Maxim 9 stays below the magical 140db number touted by most, and pushed by the Centers for Disease Control (yes, that CDC). Silencerco says that your ears will stay safe with virtually any ammunition type, super or sub-sonic. I’m saying “virtually” because someone somewhere has surely loaded a 9mm round that will break the 140 number.
Some of this gets pretty close to 140, and these are Silencerco’s own numbers:
Short Configuration (9.54 inches overall length)
- 115gr: 137.1 dB (supersonic)
- 124gr: 138.3 dB (supersonic)
- 147gr: 136.3 dB (supersonic)
- Subsonic: 147gr or above 139.9 dB
Long Configuration (10.75 inches overall length)
- 115gr: 137.1 dB
- 124gr: 138.3 dB
- 147gr: 136.3 dB
How the subsonic ended up being the loudest is beyond the scope of this review as I don’t have any subsonic 9mm and don’t recall ever shooting any. And since the supersonic sound levels are quieter, I just really don’t care about dealing with louder subs.
In the real world, when I filmed the Hoth reenactment scene in the dead quiet snow, it was certainly comfortable. And, that begs the next question…
Is the Maxim 9 Practical?
Who cares? It’s a ton of fun!
But seriously, how practical is the Maxim 9, really? “It depends” I think is the only fair answer. For concealed carry, I’m guessing Skinny Pete in The Italian Job could make it work.
For the rest of us, it either needs to be large jacket in the winter sort of cover, or some other creative garb to make concealed carry practical.
However, open carry is clearly an option if you’re into that. Silencerco carries a couple of Maxim 9 holsters, a leather Galco one and and Kydex Blackhawk. I also found one from G-Code, and XST RTI kydex available for both short and long Maxim 9 configurations.
Recently, I carried my Maxim 9 in the Blackhawk on my HSGI belt while hog hunting in Texas. We typically hog hunt through the night and sometimes need a sidearm handy to finish off a wounded hog. We’ve also had hogs charge when our primary guns were already empty. Since we are always running suppressed these days, an integrally suppressed pistol makes a ton of sense. And yes, I’ve used my Maxim 9 to finish off the nefarious pigs to full effect. Yes, it is heavier than some other options I have access to, but I’d say the Silencerco pistol is quite practical in this scenario.
And what about home defense? Well, countless people have 9mm for that purpose. Many have a silencer on their 9mm as the odds of throwing on ear pro for that situation would seem to be somewhere south of zero. But the Maxim 9 in both the long and short configurations is notably shorter than any other full sized pistol with a can hanging off the end. And it is milled for a red dot sight. I wish the keymod rail was MLOK or pic rail, but any and all of those options allow for easy flashlight mounting.
My Real Interest in the Maxim 9
Practicality aside, the Silencerco Maxim 9 is a load of fun! I love shooting without the requirement of “on body” hearing protection. If it were up to me, every gun would feature a silencer. It’s just polite! And, when it comes to introducing new people to shooing, a can goes a long ways in terms of keeping them comfortable and confident.
The fact that the Maxim 9 is totally unique wins the day as well. Let’s just call it cool, sick, wicked, badass, etc. Pick your decade and your favorite adjective. You get the point, as did the makers of the 6 Underground movie. I appreciate innovation, outside the box thinking, and Silencerco nailed it here.
Han Solo and the Silencerco Maxim 9
The Maxim 9 wasn’t around when George Lucas filmed Star Wars 4, 5, and 6 (the real Star Wars!). And it was in a different galaxy, etc. But if Star Wars was redone in the present it would have a different name (how about “The Solo Saga 1, 2, and 3?) and different weapons. Would Han have picked a Maxim 9? Well, watch the video below and draw your own conclusions. Comment below or on YouTube!
