Hudson’s H9 still seems to be the belle of the SHOT Show ball, but I’m still equally (at least) exited about SilencerCo’s Maxim 9. Above, both soon-to-be-released pistols can be seen side-by-side (photo from Hudson’s Facebook page). One suppressed, one integrally-suppressed. Below, a photo showing the Maxim 9 in its shortest and longest configurations, plus a quick video of the Hudson H9 frame being forged…
On a related note, I actually won a raffle drawing at Hudson’s H9 launch event and apparently the first H9 off the production line will be mine to keep. Obviously that’s pretty freaking awesome, as my initial impressions of the pistol have all been highly positive. In the comments, though, please let me know if you think I should go ahead and review it or if I should loan it to another TTAG staffer to do so. On one hand, it’s my gun and I can say whatever I want about it…it isn’t like I need to butter up Hudson to borrow one, and I won it randomly from a ~300-person drawing. On the other hand, maybe y’all feel there’s a conflict of interest? Sound off below to let us know…
Safest thing to do might be to just give the H9 away, to I don’t know, maybe the first person to comment on this article?
I’d say it’s more fair to pass it on to the first person to comment on the first comment of the article.
Just sayin’.
1) Attach needless bulk to a garden variety pistol
2) Charge double or more vs. garden variety pistol
3) ???
4) Profit!
I cannot fathom the adoration for the H9; it’s not integrally suppressed, it’s not anything at all like a 1911, it doesn’t even have a uniquely low bore axis as claimed from what I can tell. It is a heavy Glock with even blockier slide profile. Has anyone even filmed one being shot, yet?
By all means review it, but also try to find something that justifies the multi-cubic-inch void in the slide/frame below the muzzle.
I shot it at SHOT Media Day. I was not impressed, nor did I find anything wrong. Just didn’t say wow to me.
Correction: I shot the H9 and was not impressed. Can’t wait for the Maxim 9!
What happened to the edit feature here???
I won’t argue that I am a curmudgeon, but it still doesn’t impress me 🙂
Oh, Rabbi’s just a curmudgeon 😛
Barnbwt, the H9 is nothing like a Glock whatsoever. May as well say a Honda Civic is the same as a Ford F-150 since they both have four wheels and a gas engine. I mean, yeah, the two guns are striker-fired and they shoot bullets out of a barrel but going too much further than that is really stretching things. It does actually have a super high grip and low bore axis, and that “void” in the front houses the recoil spring assembly. I don’t like how it looks, either, and it takes up a lot of extra space down there, but it does shrink the height of the slide and it puts/moves weight in an ideal place for flat shooting (a lot of competition guns have weights that you can add to the dust cover area, or have a larger, solid dust cover without Pic rail slots for the express purpose of weighing more). The trigger feels like that of a tuned 1911. …I think if I had the option, I’d get it without the tiny little Pic rail on the bottom of that guppy belly on the front. Don’t really need the rail, and I’d just as soon sleek up the profile of it.
BTW, there’s video of me shooting it and a video of Dan shooting it in the hands-on article from Monday’s range day: http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2017/01/jeremy-s/hudson-h9-hands-shot-show-range-day/
I won’t argue that I am a curmudgeon, but it still didn’t impress me, curmudgeon or not. 🙂
-It’s 9mm double stack
-It’s striker-fired with a totally different disconnector system than the 1911 (obviously the hammer/sear, as well)
-It has a Glock/SIG style barrel hood locking design (it’s also linkless, right)
Could you explain how it’s not a heavier, beefier SIG/S&W/Steyr/Springfield/Ruger/Remington/Walther Glockalike?
My main issue with the H9 is that it is literally the same as other common designs, with a single component (guide rod) moved about an inch down for no discernible reason, masquerading as cutting edge innovation. The patent drawings and side views I’ve seen do not seem to indicate a radically lower bore, as is seen on the Strike One, for instance. Instead, it merely does not have a *high* bore, like the SIGs, and is mostly due to slide/frame/grip design choices already hashed out by Glock/Steyr/etc to make striker guns with lower bores. I’d want to see numbers on comparison photos to buy the argument this radical and impractical design change has even this one stated benefit.
The rest of my beef is the absolute flood of glamour* surrounding this gun since the very first day anyone heard of it a week ago. “Such a low bore axis” as though that’s new or unique, “1911-style Glock” even though this is an oxymoronic and also inaccurate statement that makes no sense at all upon analysis, “will have very little muzzle flip” yeah I bet, with that giant schnoz and great weight, “hugely innovative” while drawing upon the most mundane design concepts for everything but the recoil guide rod location (which time will tell, but may end up imparting a lot of off-axis torsion on the slide/rail interface, resulting in premature rail wear). And above it all, wildly impractical for just about anything its stated benefits would be an asset (too big to carry, too heavy for fast competition, accessory rail makes holster usage impossible, suppressor attachment exacerbates weight/balance issues). I’d have had more respect if they’d simply said they did it to look cool, and pitched it to a studio doing a RoboCop remake. It’s the TRR8 of the autopistol world, and that’s coming from a guy who owns a TRR8 & loves it.
*enchantment/hypnosis meaning
remove the rail? WTF?
OK Sure if Streamlight comes out with an 800 lumen versions of their TLR-1 HL to fit inside the recoil guide rod.
Sounds like Jeremy needs to attend a tactical pistol class.
Or visit an inner city of a major metro like Chicago, L.A. or Detroit, outdoors all night, with his choice of CCW and no weapons light, with a Trump tee shirt. and learn about target acquisition in hours of darkness.
Since a very large percentage of ‘bad guy activity” occurs in hours of darkness, the high performance weapon mounted light has got to be one of the greatest implements to improve pistol craft since the 1911. (along with the RMR and similar microdots)
Instead of knocking the essential rail, i would be asking
“Hey where is the removable top of slide cover for my choice of an RMR, Delta point Pro or Vortex microdot?”
But don’t take my word for it, ask guys like Gabe Suarez or the folks at CZ Custom or folks who made the FN FNX Tactical or Sig 320X Romeo…..
Wait??! he’s the article author? WTF.
Whose letting the school children write for TTAG anyway?
I don’t envision this as a carry gun for my purposes.
Perhaps they could do a bolt-on rail like the S&W TRR8’s rails.
There’s no shortage of force-on-force instructors who don’t like the idea of weapon-mounted lights being used for target identification, btw. Not ideal to figure out it’s just your teenager sneaking back into the house by pointing a gun at their face. They’re certainly great for shooting in the dark, but for seeing where you’re going and identifying threat/no threat, it isn’t ideal to muzzle everything you want to ID.
You what that sounds like to me? *Not* hype. Finally, something about this gun that sounds realistic. At least the thing exists, I couldn’t find a single vid of a test fire on their site, just that melodrama with cavemen & shit.
So they’re charging $1200 for $500 pistol?
These are two of the only guns that make Glocks look pretty.
This. I was wondering if I’m the only one who finds the H9 homely. I’m curious why there’s so much material in front of the trigger guard.
At least the maxim is ugly for a reason.
JS, I think you’re trustworthy enough to do a good review yourself, but you might consider a partner in performing the review and writing it up.
I’m medium interested in the Maxim 9 but I think I’ll wait for passage of the HPA and the introduction of competing pistols before plunking down my plastic.
Once I move to Austin I think I’d like to do that anyway — include multiple writers’ opinions on certain aspects of the gun in most of our reviews. When the production CZ P-10 Cs come in, Tyler is borrowing one as well so he can provide feedback and comparison to the M&P 9 with Apex trigger that he’s so familiar with. …should be a regular occurrence, basically, in the near future, and that’ll absolutely happen with the Hudson whether I’m weighing in on it or not…
You may as well review it yourself. If anything there is less conflict of interest if you won it fair and square, you won’t have to send it back, and it is less like your positive review could be interpreted as a payoff for their having leant you a gun.
That take was rigged and we all know it. Proof being I never win anything….
Hudson H9: I quite like it as I’ve always been a 1911 fan except for it being ill designed for ambidextrous safeties (being left-handed that’s important to me). Polymer frame with a ‘straight back 1911-esque trigger pull is something I’m used to as well. Letting the user decide if he wants a thumb safety or not is a thoughtful design touch.
The only real change I’d like to see is an H9 with a ‘bobtail’ look ( http://highendgunstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/SW-bobtail.jpg ) as that might aid concealment. The added bulk beneath of the dust cover is inconsequential.
Why does it have to be you OR someone else reviewing the H9? Seems to me that getting two different points of view would be the superior option, here.
Looking at that Maxim, I wonder something…
Would it be a patent violation if someone developed an integrally-suppressed slide and frame that someone could drop in a fire control group like Sig and Ruger use?
If HPA passes like it should, that would let companies develop a suppressed weapon without the hassle of having to get an SOT and other ATF permissions to manufacture…
I think you should test it and then let someone else test it and print both at the same time. I would suggest a non Glock tard or it will be pretty boring. Blah blah….it’s not a glock…blah blah blah…Glock does it better…etc.
I think they’ll sell a bunch to Hollywood for fururistic, dystopia movies…..so they can complain about people liking guns.
I think having two opinions would be your best option. As far as a conflict of interest, the way I see it you already have gun manufacturers handing you guns to review. So long as you feel able to give an unbiased review, I say go for it.
I don’t understand where all the hate is coming from on these two guns. Whether you like them or not, its always encouraging to see people still trying to innovate and try new designs. I’ll probably never buy a Chiappa Rhino or Beretta PX4, but they are innovative and will help push the gun industry forward. Same can be said with these two pistols.
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