Maxim Defense MD9 Prototype at SHOT Show 2022 Range Day (Look Back): Glock Mags, Direct Blowback and a Can on Top

Look back: this video was filmed at SHOT Show 2022 Range Day and published on the channel November 27, 2022. It is a short range-day sneak peek at an early prototype, not a full test and evaluation. I only got a few rounds on the line. The production MD9 lineup today is not the same gun you see here, so check current listings before you buy.

Squat Squad, this one is quick but it is a fun one. At the Maxim Defense spot on SHOT Show Range Day (yes, I was talking over somebody’s machine gun the whole time), Patrick from Maxim showed me something that was still under wraps: the new Maxim Defense MD9, Maxim’s take on the 9mm AR-style PDW. AR-9s and pistol caliber carbines were all the rage, and Maxim wanted in.

TL;DR (as filmed in 2022)

Prototype: Patrick called it an early prototype, still in development.
Magazines: takes standard Glock magazines.
This variant: an 8.5-inch barrel with Maxim’s CQB pistol brace.
Controls: designed with an ambidextrous magazine release.
Operating system: direct blowback. Simple, and it shoots nice.
Price and availability: not announced at the time. It was a preview for the community and the public.

What Maxim showed me

The gun showed up wearing Maxim’s own CQB brace. The gun on the line had an 8.5-inch barrel, a suppressor on the muzzle, and an optic on top. Patrick kept the pitch simple: standard Glock mags, an ambi mag release, and a direct blowback action that keeps the design basic. He was clear that this was an early prototype and that pricing and availability were not set yet. His tease was that Maxim had a lot going on and a lot of products coming to market.

Why a 9mm PDW makes sense

Here is why PCCs got so hot. You get to run a big boy gun with a real stock-style setup, but you are feeding it 9mm, which is generally cheaper to shoot than centerfire rifle ammunition. Patrick’s point was that this kind of gun covers a lot of jobs: plinking at the range, competition, or a home defense setup.

The suppressor is where a 9mm PDW gets really fun, especially with subsonic loads. Suppressors are NFA items, so plan for the federal paperwork and the wait, and check whether your state allows them at all. The same homework applies to short-barreled rifle versions of guns like this.

Rounds on the line

Then we put some rounds down range. The targets were out at roughly 80 yards, and the little gun was truly a joy to shoot. That is all I can honestly tell you from this clip. It was a handful of rounds at a media event, not a reliability test, not groups, and not a long-term review.

Where the MD9 went from here

Patrick hoped the MD9 would hit the market later that year. Today, retailers like KYGUNCO list several MD9 configurations, including CQB and MD9-K pistols, SBR versions, and a 16-inch carbine, in black and arid finishes. The barrel lengths on those listings are not the 8.5-inch prototype I shot, so treat this video as a first taste of the concept, not a spec sheet for what you can buy now.

Our take

Back in 2022, the MD9 looked like the right idea from the right company: Glock mags, ambi controls, simple blowback, and Maxim’s own CQB brace. It ran smooth and quiet with a can in my few minutes on the line. If you are shopping 9mm PDWs now, compare it against the other PCCs we have covered, like the roller-delayed Angstadt Arms MDP-9 and the Glock-mag Troy A4 Other Firearm 9mm, and look for a full review before you commit.