Worth buying Maxim Defense PDX 7.62x39 for $1300?
Posted by LAHurricane@reddit | Firearms | View on Reddit | 30 comments
My local pawn shop has this gun in black pistol brace 7.62x39 for $1299. I am not sure if it is used or new but it looks brand new physically. I am looking for a cheap to shoot home defense/backpack gun that is super compact and reliable. I don't hunt or long range shoot or have any desire to. I would also like something that can be suppressed as well to fire subs.
YackReacher@reddit
Dont do it....friend had one...youll be replacing extractors constantly every other mag....just FYI.
LAHurricane@reddit (OP)
Ive heard it has problems with the bolt/extractors.
Local-Text-3426@reddit
Can't speak to issues others had. I only bought the upper with the stock BCG that came with it. I put in a spare Oden works BCG that I had, and put the whole upper on an ar pistol lower and have had no trouble. It is my wife's favorite gun. She wasn't one for guns but loves this one. No issue with 1000+ rounds through it. Light weight with little kick.
Imaginary-Squash7430@reddit
I have a couple of them, including one in 7.62x39mm. Ton of fun, surprisingly accurate for the short barrel, and softer shooting than any full-size AK. It's hard to go wrong with one.
RepulsiveUse3372@reddit
no
Striking_Ambition705@reddit
Yes! I’m looking for the same thing!
BlueOrb07@reddit
If you want cheap to shoot, home defense, and the ability to suppress/shoot subsonics, I don’t think that’s for you. 7.62x39 has been much more expensive to shoot since the Russian ammo import ban. It’s also gonna be more expensive to find a subsonic round for it (though this is generally true for any ammo). I would suggest a pistol caliber carbine because you’ll have less recoil, less penetration, less gasses to suppress, less unburned powder (leading to more noise and fireballs), cheaper ammo, and they’re generally easier to get in a compact package. This is a decent price for the gun though.
ynwit60shotz@reddit
if you want it do it it’s your money & we don’t live forever
LAHurricane@reddit (OP)
I want a home defense/backpack weapon. I have no intention of buying several guns, so I want to make a good choice for something that fills that role well. If I want to go and shoot my dad has like 90 firearms in basically every caliber you could imagine. He just doesn't have any super short backpack rifles for me to really try.
ratmanmedia@reddit
7.62x39 is not a home defense round.
Get a quality 5.56 gun and call it good
LAHurricane@reddit (OP)
I want a subsonic suppressed home defense round.
Suppressed subsonic 5.56 is a worthless home defense round that has muzzle energy equivalent to a .22lr. It has no mass.
7.62x39 and .300 blk have subsonic muzzle energy between a .45 ACP and 10mm Auto.
ratmanmedia@reddit
With the right suppressor you can run a short 5.55 with supers 🤷
At $2.00/rd and the finicky nature of it in AR platforms, I wouldn’t even consider 7.62x39
SHD_Tech@reddit
No all around. Not that gun, not that price, not that round.
If you just want it, and can afford it, do whatever. But it sounds like you’re trying to justify to yourself that it’s a sensible buy for the purposes you stated, and it’s just not.
LAHurricane@reddit (OP)
Do you have a good alternative? My ideal gun is a bufferless sub 20" folded gun that suppresses well for under $2000 for the base gun.
A different local pawn shop has a new Century Arms AP5-P with the kit for the $1500 MSRP.
I am not sure if I should go with a PCC or a SBR rifle.
SereneSnake1984@reddit
PCC should be plenty for most home defense scenarios, but plenty of people like to have rifle power even with engagement likely less than 20 yards.
LAHurricane@reddit (OP)
Yea, that is why I am also looking into rifle caliber PDW/SBRs. A subsonic. 300blk or 7.62x39 has the same muzzle energy as a subsonic .45 ACP or 10mm AUTO, and nearly double a suppressed 9mm Parabellum.
But with the rifle cartridges, even in a super short barrel, you can run supers and effectively and accurately hit targets at 200yds with lethal kinetic energy vs a pistol caliber cartridge that will struggle to be effective at that range out of a 4-8" barrel.
ManOf1000Usernames@reddit
I have never heard good things about 7.62x39 AR mags. 300 blackout is basically identical in performance for similar supersonic grain weights, uses mostly the same parts as 5.56, has more options for lighter and faster bullets, and is generally cheaper and more available in 2026.
And for $1299 i can buy all the parts and tooling and build one for cheaper in 300 blackout, just not in 7.62x39 as i do not know who makes barrels that short for it, plus the apparently proprietary lower and mags wont be cheap (and maybe thet brace will nit be cheap).
ghostdogs406@reddit
You will catch your house on fire dead serious. I built a 7.5” barreled AR pistol chambered in 7.62x39 and i kid you not when I say it was the absolute worst truck gun I have ever had and every time it was shot one instantly had a come to jesus moment from the muzzle report and flames it produced.
ghostdogs406@reddit
DrunkensAndDragons@reddit
I would never buy that. If you want a suppressed ar pistol that shoots subs and is cheap, get a psa jackal in .300 blackout. Its a 7.62 ak bullet stuck into a cutdown 5.56 ar case. 7.62x 39 aks have goofy mags. .300 blk ars use regular 5.56 stanag mags.
tjcarbon9@reddit
Junk
LAHurricane@reddit (OP)
I am familiar with .300blk. Balistically it is nearly identical to the 7.62x39 in velocity and energy, but has a much straighter walled cartridge preventing the goofy banana mag.
miscben@reddit
I've got a maxim, it's great. 7.62x39 wouldn't be my first choice but they're good guns. If you like get it.
LAHurricane@reddit (OP)
I definitely love what they look like. I would pick .300blk over 7.62x39 if I was paying full price. But I wouldn't pay $2500 for this gun so that is a moot point.
How is the reliability on yours?
miscben@reddit
Thousand plus rounds, no problems.
ChevTecGroup@reddit
Itd be cool if it took ak mags
Hotwheelz321@reddit
I guess if you like shooting fireballs then go for it..
SetNo8186@reddit
I suspect you could order PSA upper and lower to build something for much less.
ZeRo76Liberty@reddit
I would buy something more easily suppressed if you are buying something for your main home defense weapon. It’s just better to not have to worry about your ears ringing. Have you ever fired a short rifle in an enclosed space? That’s a good price but it’s going to be very loud in that configuration.
LAHurricane@reddit (OP)
I have never fired a short barrel 7.62x39. I have fired .44 mag, .454 casul, .500 S&W, and 45-70 out of revolvers in indoor ranges though, which are brutal, especially the .500 S&W and 45-70. If that counts.
My plan was to get a cheaper suppressor than what Maxim offers. Then I would keep it stored as a suppressed self defense weapon loaded with subs. Obviously I need to do some research on what kind of suppressor would work well. I don't need a Ferrari hanging off the end of the gun, functionality is what I care about most.
Supposedly using a suppressor not endorsed by Maxim voids your warranty, but I can't find anything mentioning that in the user manual posted on their site.
I'm hesitant on the PSA Jakl since the PSA Jakl 1.5 and PSA AXR are supposed to release this year.