Capitol Armory and SilencerCo shared a bay at the end of the expansive (well over half a mile of shooting lanes!) Texas Firearms Festival. It was a very popular destination, but I pushed an old lady out of the way and snagged the most recent prototype of SilencerCo’s integrally-suppressed 9mm pistol, the Maxim 9, and put a few rounds through it.

As it approaches final form, the Maxim 9 sports the following features:

• Accepts GLOCK magazines (the demo gun was using Magpul PMAG 17 GL9s) and sights

• Suppressor length is configurable, just like the SilencerCo Salvo 12 and Osprey Micro

• Ambi slide stops

• Truly excellent grip ergonomics and oversize trigger guard

To be added prior to production are an optics mount area, likely to go on top of the suppressor body just in front of the ejection port, and an option for an integral light/laser in the bottom of the suppressor body. While the frame of this late prototype is still 3D-printed, the production versions will obviously be injection molded FRP like any other polymer pistol frame.

On the range, I was extremely impressed with how the Maxim 9 shoots. Due to the short length of the integral suppressor, it doesn’t have the feel of a pistol with a typical suppressor attached. The weight is there, but the inertia of all of that mass way out in front of the gun isn’t. It swings and points quickly and accurately, and I did not feel like I was being dragged around by the nose of the gun.

However, the benefits of the extra mass were very obvious. The pistol shoots extremely softly and flat as can be. There’s almost no muzzle flip at all, and felt recoil is nothing. In fact, with the front sight located on the stationary suppressor section and that lack of muzzle rise, the sight is imminently trackable. I believe I could shoot this gun very quickly and accurately, never losing focus on or track of the front sight during shooting. With a red dot mounted on that same, fixed part of the pistol, it would be even better yet.

The plan for the Maxim 9’s release is to launch it with a handful of holster options ready-to-go, and I must say that I fully plan to purchase this firearm and CCW it (once verifying reliable function, of course), likely in the suppressor’s shortest configuration. Placing an optic in front of the ejection port will require some clearance accommodations in the holster, but I’m sure they’ll figure it out.

MSRP is expected to be in the neighborhood of $1,500.