AmmoLand News editor, Jim Grant, reviews the newest EDC weapon, the Ruger MAX-9 Pistol.
Currently, the biggest trend in firearms design is the ultra-compact, polymer-framed 9mm handgun feeding from a double-stack magazine – and now Ruger has entered the fray with its MAX-9. And from a glance, the pistol looks great. But is Ruger simply chasing a trend, or are they looking to dethrone the designs that currently dominate the market? Let’s take a closer look at the Ruger MAX-9 and find out.
Live Inventory Price Checker
RUGER MAX-9 9mm 3.2" 10rd Pistol w/ Manual Safety - Black | KYGUNCO | $ 352.82 |
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RUGER MAX-9 9mm 3.2" 12rd Pistol w/ Crimson Trace Red Dot - Black | KYGUNCO | $ 493.99 |
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RUGER MAX-9 9mm 3.2" 10rd Pistol w/ Fiber Optic Sights | Black | KYGUNCO | $ 352.82 |
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RUGER Max-9 9mm 3.2" 12rd Optic Ready Pistol w/ Night Sights - Black | KYGUNCO | $ 352.82 |
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Ruger Max-9, 9mm, 3.2 Barrel, 1- 12rd & 1- 10rd Magazine, Ready Dot Micro Reflex Sight, Black, Pistol | BattleHawk Armory | $ 489.00 $ 394.00 |
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Ruger MAX-9 Features
For starters, the Ruger MAX-9 is a locked-breech, magazine-fed semi-automatic compact handgun chambered – you guessed it – in 9mm parabellum. The MAX-9 ships with two 11-round, stagger-column magazines in the box, as well as an optics-plate designed to use with Shield (and Shield-pattern) reflex sights.
Speaking of sights, the Ruger MAX-9 ships with a windage-adjustable low-profile blacked-out rear sight and an elongated combination bright green fiber-optic tritium front sight. The combination is ideal for quick shooting in all lighting conditions, as it naturally draws the shooter’s eye to the front sight – making for lightning-quick sight acquisition. Below this, the Ruger’s slide features aggressive rearward-swept serrations at the front and rear for ease of manipulation and clearing of malfunctions.
On the bottom of the slide, the MAX-9 incorporates inset controls to prevent them from snagging on clothing or a holster when drawing from concealment. These include an ambidextrous slide release, disassembly lever, and a left-side safety lever whose positioning is similar to that of a 1911. This last feature is ideal for me personally, since the MAX-9 is small enough to pocket carry, and when doing so, I prefer a manual safety. For shooters who aren’t a fan of manual safeties, Ruger also offers the pistol without one.
Under all this, the MAX-9 incorporates a polymer frame with an aggressive molded stippling texture similar to, but more aggressive than Ruger’s first modernized 9mm handgun, the Ruger American. Also, like the American Pistol, the MAX features a bladed safety trigger but utilizes a more subdued ambidextrous magazine release. Though, unlike the American pistol, the MAX-9’s magazine release is devoid of any texturing to make it tactilely different from the rest of the gun, making it easier to find in low, or zero light conditions.
Finally, the Ruger’s frame features a dehorned curved shape at the bottom that fits flush with the magazine baseplates. Though if shooters need more purchase on the handgun, the MAX-9 also includes extended baseplates making the gun comfortable to shoot for users of basically all sizes.
MAX-9 at the Range
Since the MAX-9 is a concealed carry gun, I tested it with a variety of defensive ammunition types and from a somewhat limited range. Since it’s is both outside the scope of the pistol’s intended use to engage targets past 25 yards, and generally of questionably legally to use the pistol in a defensive situation beyond that distance. (Yes, situations do exist where a shooter might have to stop an attacker at distance, but for the most part, self-defense scenarios happen within 10 feet.)
That said, in testing, the Ruger MAX-9 flawlessly blasted through every brand of ammunition fed to it. This includes defense rounds from SIG Performance, Hornady, Federal, and Winchester. Given the scarcity of 9mm ammo at the moment, I was only able to test 124gr JHP, 135 JHP, and 147 JHP. But if we’re being honest this covers the vast majority of commercially available defense 9mm loads.
One thing that stood out to me during this testing, is just how soft-shooting the Ruger is despite its compact size. One of the biggest shortcomings of compact handguns is their often snappy recoil impulse. But the MAX-9 felt more like a Glock 19 in terms of recoil than the ultra-small compact pistol that it actually is. This made requiring a sight picture between shots, and subsequently, follow-up shots much faster and easier than expected. And while the MAX is by no means a race gun, it still made short work of my Bianchi competition plate rack at 10 yards – no small feat for such a compact handgun.
Another outstanding aspect of the pistol was its accuracy. Despite only having a short 3.2-inch barrel, the MAX-9 proved capable of reliably hitting an eight-inch steel gong at 50 yards, and I was able to extend this range to 75 yards when the MAX was paired with a Shield SMSc reflex sight. Since we’re mentioning the Shield, I wanted to point out something that I’ve heard many shooters talk about when it comes to these sights. Many shooters at my local range asked me while Ruger didn’t utilize a Trijicon RMR footprint instead of the Shield one. And for those not familiar with both sights, the Shield is a much lighter, and more importantly, much smaller optic. So if a shooter is going for the most compact, concealable setup possible, the Shield SMSc is an obvious choice.
Verdict
So is the MAX-9 worth it, or was Ruger just riding the coattails of other companies acting as trendsetters?
With an MSRP of $559.99 (and street prices often lower), the MAX-9 is a solid carry gun that stays true to the modern ethos of Ruger firearm design. By that, I mean the tendency of Ruger to only release guns that are 100% reliable with fully-realized designs and only when Ruger has sufficient capabilities to produce enough to meet demand. This is why Ruger never suffers from the industry standard of announcing a new gun several months ahead of its release, and then when it finally hits store shelves, being out of stock for nearly as long. And true to form, the MAX-9 delivers on being a rock-solid design backed up from Ruger’s legendary customer service.
In a nutshell, the MAX-9 is a purpose-built design that from the ground up was meant to be the ultimate concealed carry handgun. One that offers a solid combination of excellent magazine capacity, bright, easy-to-find sights, excellent accuracy, and rock-solid reliability. In fact, the Ruger MAX-9’s features read like a checklist for the perfect carry pistol, and as such, represents the best budget-friendly option on the market today.
About Jim Grant
Jim is one of the elite editors for AmmoLand.com, who in addition to his mastery of prose, can wield a camera with expert finesse. He loves anything and everything guns but holds firearms from the Cold War in a special place in his heart.
When he’s not reviewing guns or shooting for fun and competition, Jim can be found hiking and hunting with his wife Kimberly, and their dog Peanut in the South Carolina low country.
You failed to mention what the trigger pull was.
Seriously – not a good sign.
I think I just bought my last Ruger anything, Friday. Long story short, I bought two original style LCP’s a few years ago. Both jammed terribly straight out of the box. I am talking every 2nd to 3rd shot or worse. Sent the first one back to Mayoden for repair. It came back slightly better, jamming every 3rd to 4th shot. Absolutely unacceptable. While it was gone, I kept reading these (apparently bs) anecdotes on line by people who claimed their LCP never jammed with any ammo. Sucker that I am, I bought the second one while waiting on the… Read more »
2 with the same problem I wonder what the common factor they both share is?
Wonder no more! The common problem is leftists.
I’ll tell you what the common factor is. Lefties bought up gun factories, and made them churn out crap! Like the “Freedom Group”, owned by Cerberus Capitol Management, which is controled by George Soros, a famous anti gunner, who bought up dozens of gun companies like AAC, Remington, Marlin, etc. and started turning out firearms with barrels on sideways that wouldn’t even go bang. It’s the same problem all over the world. It is you socialist pigs with no idea what you are doing or saying. As in Ayn Rands Masterpiece; “Atlas Shrugged”, when idiots and fools are put in… Read more »
Good report. Thanks for sharing.
Thank You, Wild Bill!
Every RUGER forum on the web HATES these guns… Does ammoland only do fluffpiece gun reviews? The Max line are HORRIBLY & UNSAFELY UNRELIABLE, both in 9mm and 380 acp.
Literally almost every post on Ruger forums about the MAX line is people begging for help with FTFeed and FTE.
The one place I did not look before buying!
Thank You, Genius Joe!
I honestly don’t know if that was sarcasm or not, but you’re welcome either way (:
It was sincere. No sarcasm.
Yep.
My 10 year old Kel Tec P-11 is still reliable.I’ll pas.
‘Pas’ what?
Snippy little beotch Superthug strikes again.
It’s unfortunate he (like most LEOs) is unwilling to discuss the weird dynamic between LEOs and people who don’t murder, rape, assault, commit arson, loot, vandalize, or fail to return their shopping cart to the appropriate location. That is, the people who really do pay their salaries (they hate that phrase).
Totalitarians have always hated the good LEOs.
Violent criminals and their sympathizers have always hated the good LEOs.
Increasing, the people who don’t cause problems, but have been paying attention, have grown extremely distrustful of LEOs (as a group).
He’s not willing to really discuss anything because he’s a vindictive, emotional, Low-IQ, tyrannical tuuaat. All he’s fit for is snippy little G-wad hit & run deflections, shooting unarmed women’s jaws off while they’re holding their baby in a doorway, etc.
I wish he would discuss things. There is a problem that is building and a lot of different groups of people are going to have to make difficult decisions.
MAX9, sorry NO try MDS9 for Mini Double Stack 9. Oh such a crowded Market as every manufacturer has one their lineup nowadays. Personally I think it just the latest fade to sell hardware as none fit in a normal size hand let alone someone with large hands like myself. Plus for all the girls they crank up the tension on the recoil spring to the MAX to compensate for minimizing the slide. So if you have weak hands and no upper body strength this is not the gun segment to buy from. Just so you know I’m not picking… Read more »
They lack technique. Instead of pulling the slide rearward, one merely pushes the grip forward while holding and then releasing the slide in order to chamber a round. There; I fixed it for you (and the ‘girls’).
Taurus G2C mag holds 12, better grip, and is less. On the other hand, Ruger is a cool gun name.
According to staistics, can’t remeember which, most self defence shootings are 5 yards or less
I compared the g2c and the g3c and I found I like the more aggressive grip of the g3c! Like I said in my general comment for this thread, for the price of one Max nine you can buy two g3c’s and now when it’s on sale, three of your g2c’s! I love my g3c! Shoots well, fits great in my hand, side acquisition is nice though I may acquire a tritium green optic front sight at some point! Further, I watched the Graham Bates Channel on YouTube and he had picked up an aftermarket 4 in ported barrel that… Read more »
Ammo shortage ? Well maybe if you live in a commy state, where you can’t buy online. It’s more about the financials at this point not quantity. I refuse to buy. I will use what I have for now. Prices are dropping just not as fast as they went up.
With prices up 2x-4x, I don’t believe they will ever go back close to
pre-panic prices. Especially if instant buyout of stock continues.
I think that you are right. The Biden handlers are ruining the purchasing power of the dollar. It is unlikely that the dollar’s purchasing power will ever return to what it was. So much for socialism.
So much for fiat currencies. No “money” produced by fiat decree has ever withstood the test of time. Fiat currencies are the world’s largest, and most popular, Ponzie scheme. They only pay off yesterday’s ‘investors’ with tomorrow’s fraud, exactly as chain letters do. It’s just that they don’t promise a 50 percent return every month, so they progress to their demise at a slower rate. But eventual collapse is baked right into the cake. Whether it happens in weeks, like chain letters that promise 10x (a thousand percent) return in a month, Or Ponzie’s postage stamp claim paying 50 percent… Read more »
Yes sir! Every can of vegetables in my basement is worth more than when I bought them.
But have they REALLY become worth more? They cost three times as much in fiat currency, but has their value actually increased? Or has the purchasing power of the fiat currency decreased? Since everything has gone up at the same time, that is a sign that the value of the currency has declined, instead of the value of your canned goods having risen. If you were to sell those cans for the current price, could you replace them at the lesser price that you paid in the past? Nope. The value of canned veggies hasn’t really changed, the value of… Read more »
The purchasing power of the paper currency has deceased. That is why my canned food in the basement that I bought months and years ago are worth more in terms of paper fiat money.
$
More reason to elect Trump or Desantis.
If they can overcome the institutionalized voter theft in at least 3 swing states now.
You could not give me one of these striker fired pieces of plastic 9mm junk . I prefer real pistols made of steal that have a hammer and fire a actual piece of lead and copper that can cause real damage to a 2 legged or 4 legged predator .
I’ll join your club. The article doesn’t even mention whether the pistol is hammer or striker fired! Not a biggie, its easy enough to find out elsewhere that its a striker. I guess now it is just assumed that every pistol is striker fired, and hammers are a thing of the past, which OFC we both know is complete BS. Why people prefer to NOT be able to manipulate their firearms ready status escapes me. I liken it to the past trend to remove the single-action cocking function from double-action revolvers. Why people would want to remove a sometimes useful… Read more »
The Ruger Max/9 comes with a 10 and 12 round magazine. Ruger does not make an 11 round magazine for this gun.
Most likely poor writing 10+1 = 11 round capacity
I’m kind of looking at that new Smith and Wesson CSX.
He is just slightly off on his stats as well. It isn’t inside of 10 feet that the vast majority of self-defense occurs, but inside of ten YARDS. That is the commonly quoted stat anyway. Here’s a former world champion and one of the best gunsmiths in the world both saying it: https://youtu.be/TGRxFVeW6w8?t=94 OFC, there is no way to really find out because the info is not compiled that way. Many shooting instances don’t even record the range, or at least don’t reveal it publicly. So until someone is willing to devote several lifetimes to gathering data on each one… Read more »
edit: acquire the sights, not require. why ruger didn’t utilize a trijicon, not while.
It seems that rushing to get the next “comment” posted before anyone else has caused many of us to skip proofreading by habit. I usually quit reading after the second or third “mistake”.
I don’t have to have the name Ruger on the side of my concealed carry subcompact; I just need it to be reliable when I pull the trigger. This is why I chose the Taurus G3C: Great trigger, fits the hand wonderfully and I have big hands, 12 rounds in the mag, great sights, and shoots very, very smooth! The kicker, is that for the price of one Max 9 Ruger I could buy two Taurus G3C’s!! Not needing two g3c’s, the $262 I spent on mine leaves me basically 300 bucks clear to buy ammunition, holsters, extra magazines, and… Read more »
Ummmm I’ll say it , riding the coattails of other manufacturers, I’m sure glock will be coming out soon with a hellcat 365 in no time at all.
eight months ago
Weight? Dimensions? Why not tritium REAR too?
A lot of shooters like the blacked out rear sight for a much quicker acquisition of the front sight. I thought this was all a bunch of hoopla by competition shooters for the most part, but after I bought my Taurus g3c which does have a blacked out rear sight, I found I was in fact acquiring the front sight much faster, even though it is only a simple white dot front sight! When I can afford it I do believe I will swap out the white dot for a tritium green optic front replacement site: the green lights up… Read more »