Maxim Defense is a relatively young company that has steadily expanded its offerings and developed a reputation for high-quality firearms and components. 

Shooting Sports Retailer sat down with Maxim Defense’s David Farrell, vice president of commercial sales, to talk about how the brand grew from an accessory manufacturer to a full-fledged gunmaker, as well as the future of the company and our industry as a whole. 

SSR: Can you talk about the company’s history and its place in the industry today?

Farrell: Maxim Defense has come a long way since its inception in 2014, when it embarked on developing a replacement stock for the FN-P90. Within two short years, the company successfully launched not only its first universal AR CQB-style stock at the SHOT SHOW in 2016, but also its inaugural CQB pistol stabilization brace at the NRA Annual Meeting. The momentum gained from these accomplishments drove Maxim to rapidly scale its innovative accessory offerings. The culmination of its hard work and dedication came in 2019 with the launch of the PDX, Maxim’s first-ever firearm platform. Fast forward to today, and Maxim has evolved into a global market player. Offering an extensive range of products, including firearms, suppressors, ammunition and accessories, Maxim now caters to consumers and governments worldwide.

 

SSR: What sets Maxim Defense apart?

Farrell: At the core of our company’s identity, our mission and vision set us apart from being just another firearms manufacturer in a highly competitive market. We are deeply committed to powering innovative products that cater specifically to those brave individuals defending our nation’s freedoms. This unwavering dedication fuels our continuous pursuit for opportunities that are often overlooked or considered unattainable by others. Our aspiration to revolutionize and enhance the next generation of tools and equipment performance is driven by our passion for pioneering breakthroughs in design. As a company, we strive to exceed expectations and redefine industry standards as we work tirelessly to provide cutting-edge solutions for those who serve and protect our nation. 

SSR: What specific product or model have you seen the most growth in recently? 

Farrell: That’s a great question. From an overall product category standpoint, we have experienced some of the largest growth in the suppressor market. More and more consumers are educating themselves on how easy the process is to get a suppressor and following through with it. More specifically, the hunting base is suppressing their rifles at the fastest rate. Now more than ever, you are hearing hunters talking in hunting camps about what suppressor they prefer to use on their rifle. With that in mind, we released one of the lightest and quietest hunting suppressors on the market: the PRS Suppressor. Coming in at 10.8 ounces and consistently around 131db, this quiet, light, little can is quickly becoming the go-to for hunters looking to enter the suppressor market this hunting season. At $695 MSRP (yes, you read that correctly, $695) it is hard to pass up!

 

SSR: Have the ongoing supply chain problems translated into supply issues in your corner of the industry as well? 

Farrell: The short answer is yes. The supply chain crisis that kicked off in 2021 served as a rude awakening and a reminder to our industry and many others of the importance of strong supply chain management. While we are not immune to the commodity increases that many of us felt in transport and material costs, we did strategically make decisions early on by purchasing out and locking in contracts with our key partners to mitigate the bumps along the way as best as possible. The foresight and strength of our vendor partner relationships allowed us to navigate through many of the issues that were detrimental to others in the industry. As a result, we have maintained and continue to maintain our pricing structure without taking increases like many others have over the last several years.

SSR: Do you have any predictions on what we can expect out of the shooting sports industry in general in the next year? The next five years?

Farrell: Innovation. 

I believe that you will begin to see more innovation out of the industry as a whole over the next year to three years. If you are a manufacturer in this industry and not innovating, you are going away. Companies have started to come out of the haze from the very busy past three years of just keeping up with demand, and there is now a thirst for new product — and that is exactly what we are going to give them from Maxim Defense. 

 

SSR: Where does Maxim Defense see potential for growth? How about non-growth? Is there part of the industry that’s shrinking?

Farrell: We see a large potential for growth coming out of the suppressor category; we’re seeing record numbers of consumers entering this category. Last year, we saw the largest-ever number of new customers purchase their first suppressor. All of these new customers came from different backgrounds, from the hunter who was suppressing his deer rifle for the first time to the weekend range shooter who finally pulled the trigger (no pun intended) on his first pistol suppressor after shooting his friend’s suppressor at the range. More and more people are going through the process and realizing it isn’t as scary as they anticipated and suppressing their guns.

 

SSR: What can we expect out of Maxim Defense in the second half of 2023? What products have you most excited for the future?

Farrell: Man, you’re going to get me in trouble for letting out the secrets. I guess being the salesman I am, I can’t help myself. I think consumers are going to be very excited for what’s to come from Maxim Defense in the second half of the year. To avoid upsetting all of the marketing folks at Maxim, I’ll tip-toe around it like this: If you checked out and saw the new MD15L that was released at SHOT Show this past year, imagine if that rifle had a big older brother that shared all the same feature-rich accessories offerings, from trigger, sights, furniture, etc., but at a $1,899 price point.

Also, keep an eye out for the extension of the suppressor lines, maybe jumping into the pistol-caliber arena or maybe offering something that the larger-bore shooters would enjoy. I’ll leave it up to your imagination from there. 

SSR: How does Maxim Defense support its dealers? 

Farrell: Dealers are the backbone of our industry. Unlike other industries, our customers have to go into a dealer to pick up and shop for our products. So, it’s pivotal for our dealers to have the tools, knowledge, products and support to be successful in selling the brand.

We support our dealers in a number of different capacities, the first one being a strong direct-dealer program. This allows our dealers the access to purchase and stock the products needed for their stores and customers. Next, we focus on consumer pull-through. Creating and marketing incentives that drive customers to retail and purchase product in the dealer channel is a constant top priority. In addition, we provide in-store training through the 20-plus outside sales representatives that we have out in the field traveling to our dealers and assisting them with all of their Maxim Defense needs. Lastly, we deliver product on time when we say we will. Keeping short lead times is crucial for us, and it is what our dealers have come to rely on when they place orders with us. 

To find out more about Maxim Defense and have a sales rep stop in near you, please reach out to info@maximdefense.com

SSR: Do you have any advice for retailers about selling Maxim Defense products specifically? 

Farrell: Pick the guns up when they come into your shop. Hold them, feel them, get to know and understand them. Holding a Maxim Defense and feeling that difference in quality will be the differentiator between the other guns on the wall behind the counter. Also, ask questions. Hear our sales pitch at HQ on the product, give us a call and let us walk you through the offering. We love talking to dealers and would love to hear from you.

SSR: What’s your personal favorite Maxim Defense product, and why?

Farrell: That’s a tough question. Man, with so many to choose from, this question is more difficult to answer than I anticipated. At first, it’s hard not to say the PDX. I mean, who doesn’t love shooting a super-short PDW in 7.62x39 suppressed. Or am I feeling the need to stretch the legs and bang on steel at long-range with our MD11?

Decisions, decisions.

At the end of the day, I love a solid, all-around M4 platform with all the bells and whistles. There’s no denying that on the MD15L, so that’s my personal favorite right now at Maxim Defense. I mean, how could you say no to a carbine from Maxim that comes in at just over 6 pounds, has Radian accessories, Magpul furniture, $270 Blackout Defense trigger, spiral fluted barrel, several colors to choose from, and all for under $1,499 MSRP? You can’t, which is why I love it.

 

SSR: Is there anything you’d like retailers to know about Maxim Defense and its products?

Farrell: Sure. We’ve talked today a lot about the product that has turned Maxim Defense into the exciting, innovative company that it is today, and all of that is great. But what separates Maxim Defense from the other companies is the people. The people that Maxim Defense is composed of are individuals that come from all backgrounds that include military, law enforcement, space, other firearms companies and much more — all brought together here by passion and desire to bring the best products into the market. That is truly the lifeblood of Maxim Defense.