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Maxim Defense, best known for the company's ultra-compact CQB Stocks for AR-15 and SIG MCX rifles, jumped into the complete-rifle game with the most interesting ultra-compact AR rifle I’ve seen at SHOT Show 2019: the 18.75-inch-long Maxim PDX. It is currently available chambered in 5.56 NATO and 7.62x39, with 300 Blackout expected to drop in the second quarter of 2019, and ships in both pistol-brace and SBR configurations.
I’m deeply skeptical of most ultra-compact, rifle-caliber guns, especially because they tend to be portable flashbang generators with poor blast/flash management. The PDX was clearly designed to address this problem head-on, as it integrates Maxim’s HateBrake, which combines a linear compensator with a substantial blast-director device.
Despite having an ultra short 5.5-inch barrel behind the HateBrake, the ultra-slow-motion videos of a PDX in 5.56 NATO being fired in full darkness showed virtually no muzzle flash. The same gun fired without the HateBrake generated a massive fireball and visible concussion wave. Short of attaching a suppressor and making the gun substantially longer, the HateBrake is one of the few effective solutions we’ve seen for taming the blast from a tiny AR.
Naturally, Maxim Defense has mounted the company's rugged yet compact CQB collapsible stock on the PDX, which only extends 4 inches from the rear of the receiver when collapsed. The CQB stock does not interfere with any aspect of the gun’s controls when collapsed or deployed, and the PDX can be fired without extending the stock if desired. When it’s time to rock and roll, the CQB stock can be pulled briskly to full extension without fumbling for a latch or lever.
The PDX will be shipping in February 2019 with an MSRP of $2,299, with the 5.56 and 7.62x39 versions available immediately, and the .300 Blackout PDX that I’m excited to try is scheduled to ship in Q2 2019. The HateBrake is available separately for $200 to $240 MSRP, depending on caliber and muzzle-thread configuration.
I’m deeply skeptical of most ultra-compact, rifle-caliber guns, especially because they tend to be portable flashbang generators with poor blast/flash management. The PDX was clearly designed to address this problem head-on, as it integrates Maxim’s HateBrake, which combines a linear compensator with a substantial blast-director device.
Despite having an ultra short 5.5-inch barrel behind the HateBrake, the ultra-slow-motion videos of a PDX in 5.56 NATO being fired in full darkness showed virtually no muzzle flash. The same gun fired without the HateBrake generated a massive fireball and visible concussion wave. Short of attaching a suppressor and making the gun substantially longer, the HateBrake is one of the few effective solutions we’ve seen for taming the blast from a tiny AR.
Naturally, Maxim Defense has mounted the company's rugged yet compact CQB collapsible stock on the PDX, which only extends 4 inches from the rear of the receiver when collapsed. The CQB stock does not interfere with any aspect of the gun’s controls when collapsed or deployed, and the PDX can be fired without extending the stock if desired. When it’s time to rock and roll, the CQB stock can be pulled briskly to full extension without fumbling for a latch or lever.
The PDX will be shipping in February 2019 with an MSRP of $2,299, with the 5.56 and 7.62x39 versions available immediately, and the .300 Blackout PDX that I’m excited to try is scheduled to ship in Q2 2019. The HateBrake is available separately for $200 to $240 MSRP, depending on caliber and muzzle-thread configuration.
