Who has a Ruger Max 9?

[Capybara]

Have had my eye on a Ruger Max 9 since it came out. Since I live in California behind enemy lines, the Max 9 is not on California's handgun roster. Fortunately found someone who was gifted a Max 9 and wanted to sell it. I carry a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9 V1.0 and recently acquired a Shield Plus PC that I really like. But I've owned Ruger handguns previously and always liked them so I wanted to give the Max 9 a go.

For those of you who carry the Max 9, what do you think? Anyone with the Max 9 also own and carry the Shield Plus? Any compare and contrast feedback?

 

[Capybara]

Guess I will be one of the few Max 9 owners out there. I pick it up next week, will report back first impressions.

 

[CNobbe]

Have shot a Max 9 a few times, but the P365X is my winter carry. It was reliable, but the Sig just shot better for me and was softer shooting.

 

[Capybara]

Have shot a Max 9 a few times, but the P365X is my winter carry. It was reliable, but the Sig just shot better for me and was softer shooting.

Thanks for the feedback. I have heard it's a bit snappy but we shall see.

If you knew what a 365X sells for in California, you'd laugh, then feel sorry for us.
I bought the Ruger BNIB for about half of what a P365X sells for here and about half of what I paid for my off roster Shield Plus PC

 

[frankt]

I won a Max 9 at a match and of course I had to shoot it!
I fired 100 rounds of JHP,FMJ and coated lead FP reloads. It shot very well and I think it was surprisingly soft shooting. IT fired about 50 rounds with no problems and then started to get a little balky. I relubed it and it was perfect after that.
If I needed a pistol in that size I would have kept it but I already have a 363 and a G43X with a Red Dot so I sold the Max 9.

 

[RUT]

I too have a Max 9, but have only put ~100 rounds through it or so. It went bang every time and was as accurate as can be expected for what it is. The only mods I did was to add Talongrips and install a Galloway flat faced trigger.

 

[Capybara]

Thanks for the feedback gents. I pick mine up this week!

 

[TarDevil]

I'll probably trade my LC9s for one. There were slide lock-back issues earlier, and some reports of take-down pins falling out. Hopefully those have been rectified.

 

[Capybara]

I'll probably trade my LC9s for one. There were slide lock-back issues earlier, and some reports of take-down pins falling out. Hopefully those have been rectified.

I'll let you know what I discover. I've owned many Rugers and they are generally good, not high-end, but not fussy, reliable firearms.

 

[BC17A]

I've had my Max-9 for a while now and am not sure I'll ever trust it to EDC. Around the 500 round mark it started to lock back the slide continuously. The frames can flex to the point of letting go of the slide stop spring and that's what happened to mine as it has to many others. I live 20 minutes from Ruger so I dropped it off the next day. I was told that mine was the third one dropped off that week for repair, not counting the ones that were shipped back. The following day they called and said it was repaired and to come pick it up. They replaced the frame, slide stop, SS spring and functioned checked it. A few range trips and 300 rounds later it let loose of the slide back plate, locked up the slide and munched the plate in the process. Since it was a sloppy fit to begin with I didn't bother taking it back to Ruger to get another loose part installed. I just fabricated a new plate out of aluminum that fits like it should. Probably going to off the Max and buy a Shield Plus to replace it.

 

[Buckeye63]

I like my Taurus GX4 … But my friend at work has a Springfield Hellcat … I fired it at the range.. absolutely love that pistol … the Hellcat Pro will be my next pistol purchase when the prices level out ..

 

[Capybara]

I've had my Max-9 for a while now and am not sure I'll ever trust it to EDC. Around the 500 round mark it started to lock back the slide continuously. The frames can flex to the point of letting go of the slide stop spring and that's what happened to mine as it has to many others. I live 20 minutes from Ruger so I dropped it off the next day. I was told that mine was the third one dropped off that week for repair, not counting the ones that were shipped back. The following day they called and said it was repaired and to come pick it up. They replaced the frame, slide stop, SS spring and functioned checked it. A few range trips and 300 rounds later it let loose of the slide back plate, locked up the slide and munched the plate in the process. Since it was a sloppy fit to begin with I didn't bother taking it back to Ruger to get another loose part installed. I just fabricated a new plate out of aluminum that fits like it should. Probably going to off the Max and buy a Shield Plus to replace it.

Wow, I hope that doesn't happen to me. Since I bought this pistol off roster in California via a Private Party Transfer, there would be no legal way for Ruger to return a new frame/serial number to me since an FFL here couldn't legally transfer it to me.
I have not shot it yet, just dry fired it and I am distinctly unimpressed with the trigger. So much take up and it's sort of mushy. The sights are awesome. I have a Shield 1.0 as my CCW and will be adding the Shield Plus PC I bought to my CCW. Not sure
yet if I will add the Max 9, need some range time and a few hundred rounds through it.

 

[Capybara]

I like my Taurus GX4 … But my friend at work has a Springfield Hellcat … I fired it at the range.. absolutely love that pistol … the Hellcat Pro will be my next pistol purchase when the prices level out ..
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A friend of mine here carries the Hellcat (not the Pro). He let me try it and I hated the grip. Too small and boxy, the Shield Plus PC grip is MUCH better for my hand. Was the grip on the Hellcat Pro an improvement over the grip on the regular Hellcat?

I'm normally not a fan of Taurus guns at all, so many kabooms I've seen posts on but not on their newer guns like the GX4. I have heard good things about the GX4, have seen one or two on sale PPT here in California but at double the cost or more to what you in America pay.

 

[BC17A]

I have not shot it yet, just dry fired it and I am distinctly unimpressed with the trigger. So much take up and it's sort of mushy. The sights are awesome. I have a Shield 1.0 as my CCW and will be adding the Shield Plus PC I bought to my CCW. Not sure
yet if I will add the Max 9, need some range time and a few hundred rounds through it.

I forgot to add my comments on the Max 9 trigger. Mine was exactly like yours, mushy and not too impressive. If you look at the striker/sear through the back plate while you're dry firing you'll see whats going on. On mine, the sear was only contacting the striker on one side. As the trigger was pulled the sear was pulling the striker down on one side long before it started to move toward the break point. The striker should not move downward that much, that's just more loosey-goosey poor Ruger manufacturing. What I found was the striker was not 90 degrees to the sear so I cleaned up that edge of the striker with an Arkansas stone then polished it along with the sear. It made a pretty significant improvement but could be better. I thought about making a new outer sleeve for the striker, one that fits the channel with minimum clearance but since I don't plan on keeping it I decided not to waste my time. Chances are someone will make an aftermarket striker for the Max since there's obviously plenty of room for improvement.

 

[Jim Watson]

My LC9s has none of the flaws told of the Max. I will stay with it.

 

[Buckeye63]

A friend of mine here carries the Hellcat (not the Pro). He let me try it and I hated the grip. Too small and boxy, the Shield Plus PC grip is MUCH better for my hand. Was the grip on the Hellcat Pro an improvement over the grip on the regular Hellcat?

I'm normally not a fan of Taurus guns at all, so many kabooms I've seen posts on but not on their newer guns like the GX4. I have heard good things about the GX4, have seen one or two on sale PPT here in California but at double the cost or more to what you in America pay.

The Shield Plus is a great pistol… It is a bit bigger than other micro compacts .. its the size of a Taurus G3C … its pretty much a slightly larger gun than the Hellcat …
I own a G2c and G3X both have comfortable grips
Especially the G3X .. 15+1 /17+1

 

[Jim Watson]

At the local club's IDPA-ish shoot today, there were two guns that got through without malfunction. My revolver and a Shield Plus.

 

[LOLBELL]

I have the Max 9 and the 365. EDC is the 365. I haven’t warmed up to the Max enough to put it in my pocket every day yet. I may not, and I’m a big Ruger fan. For now I’ll stick with the Sig.