New pistol in the house

Mark W. · Sep 19, 2018

So I picked up a Remington R-51 tonight from the local dealer/pawn shop. New with a spare mag and BGC $354.00

Laid out a cloth and field stripped it to make sure its clean for this weekend at the range.

Comments.

WOW not an easy pistol to break down you end up working against the recoil spring (which is stout) a lot of the process. Not complicated and I am sure once 500 rds is through it it will be come easier.

All parts look to be very well made all machine work is finished very well.

Don't like the grip safety in that it has an audible click when being compressed.

Trigger is a little stout but then its brand new and an EDC pistol so thats what you get.

All and all on first blush I like it fits my hand and the wife's well sights easy to find and use.

A day at the range will tell a lot.

Certainly a nice finished piece.

Wouldn't mind a metal trigger for it. Wonder if anyone will make one. I guess I could make one myself.

Alexx1401 · Sep 19, 2018

Looking forward to hearing how you like it after you run some ammo down range.

MilitantBEEMER · Sep 19, 2018

I have always wanted one but have heard Some negative reviews. Hopefully Remington has it dialed in and you have a good experience. If so I will definitely pick one up.
Congrats and keep us posted!!

Plus pics are always good!

Kruel J · Sep 19, 2018

I hope it works out for you, but certainly wouldn't be something I would put into the rotation. No offense. Looking forward to a range report.

Mark W. · Sep 20, 2018

From the carry point of view its quite nice everything rounded and nothing to catch on anything. Only real complaint so far is the slide release is heck to release as the nub your thumb pushes on is so small. But its done that way to make it thinner.

joken · Sep 20, 2018

I have one and it's a jammer. I completely and I mean completely disassembled it and did everything I could to make it run better, no luck. From what I have read the mags are the issue and Remington will, or used to replace them. I just haven't done that. The trigger is real short and bites my finger, but the gun feels pretty good and would be very easy to carry. I wouldn't recommend completely disassembling the gun. It's a bubblegum to get back together.

Mark W. · Sep 21, 2018

OK an update. I decided to try chambering a round from the magazine tonight. And when I pulled the slide all the way back it locked!!!!! WHAT THE HECK.

So I fiddle farted around with it and could only chamber a round from the mag by pressing the STIFF slide release.

OK something had to be wrong. I went back to the instructions and I guess I missed that the little piano wire spring has to be on top of the tab on the slide release (nothing like this on the 1/2 dozen 1911 pattern pistols I have owned that break down in a similar fashion.

Once I figured out how to cause the spring to ride on the top of the little tab it functions as it should. Even reducing the amount of force required to release the slide.

OK so that's figured out. next off to the range for a real function test.

SynapticSilence · Oct 12, 2018

I have the original - an all steel Remington UMC Model 51 made around 1920. It's a .380 but an amazing pistol. It has the same unique hesitation locking mechanism designed by John Pedersen that the new mode has. And yeah, it's a confusing mess to field strip the first few times, but it gets easier. But as opposed to the R51, the older model is an all steel pistol with all steel internals. The newer version has some of the alloy/aluminum frame and action elements rubbing against steel, so that could conceivably cause problems over time. Some reviewers have seen wear almost immediately. Check out the Military Arms Channel's YouTube reviews on the first release of the R51 and the re-released version after the recall for info on this.

The real issue with the new guns is that the old ones were all milled and fitted by hand and checked 100 percent for function. The new ones had all the parts produced by CNC machining or MIM. When the guns were released for review, they were all guns that had been handfitted, tested 100 percent for function, and so therefore worked. So the reviewers went crazy for them. When they went into production, though, the small tolerances in the CNC and MIM processes stacked together to produce guns that simply didn't work at all. Even after they bought them all back and rereleased them, they haven't been very reliable. Just a bad belief that if they could be made by hand, certainly they must be better if modern production methods were used.

This is my original Remington UMC Model 51 from circa 1920. Except for some extremely minor finish wear on the barrel, it looks like it just came from the factory almost 100 years after it was made. Shoots like a dream. These are so ergonomic that they were actually marketed as "The Self-Aiming Pistol." That claim actually isn't that far off because it points more naturally than any other gun I have. One of my luckier finds.

P7M13 · Dec 25, 2018

I recently picked up one R51 for $200 and took it out shooting. After a few jams, realized it had everything to do with the magazine. Slightly modified the mag front feed lip for the longer FMJ ammo I was shooting, and no more jams. Since then, bought a 2nd one for $175.
Haven't reloaded 9mm for a few years, so picked up a bunch of boxes on sale for $9 each while in PA (Winchester brown box, 115gr FMJ-FP, feels like +P) with a shorter OAL that completely side-steps the mag feed issue.
Now about 250 rounds into the first one, 50 rounds into the 2nd one, and not a single jam.

MilitantBEEMER · Dec 25, 2018

Nice. How is the recoil? I have seen a few videos of complaints. I have really wanted one but turned away by multiple reports of feed issues and harsh recoil.

Thank you and Merry Christmas!!

SynapticSilence · Dec 25, 2018

Re the slide stop, Kahrs have the same sort of arrangement where the spring has to be just so when reinserting the stop. It's something almost every Kahr owner does wrong at some time, me included.

Pandaz3 · Dec 28, 2018

SynapticSilence said:
Re the slide stop, Kahrs have the same sort of arrangement where the spring has to be just so when reinserting the stop. It's something almost every Kahr owner does wrong at some time, me included.

Not me ! …..Yet

I have not detail striped the frame, I did replace the MIM striker with a solid steel one and the guide rod with a SS one. This is on my CW-380. If I did remove the offensive part I lucked out putting it back in. Kahr's seem well built, even the cheapies.

I would like to buy a RM-51. The RM-380 I have works fine.

P7M13 · Dec 28, 2018

MilitantBEEMER said:
Nice. How is the recoil? I have seen a few videos of complaints. I have really wanted one but turned away by multiple reports of feed issues and harsh recoil.

Thank you and Merry Christmas!!

I find the recoil not bad, but I think it is snappy for a 9. Because everyone's perception is different, you should give it a try.
Next time I head south, I'll bring it and a box of ammo and give you a shout.

MilitantBEEMER · Dec 28, 2018

P7id10T said:
I find the recoil not bad, but I think it is snappy for a 9. Because everyone's perception is different, you should give it a try.
Next time I head south, I'll bring it and a box of ammo and give you a shout.

Awesome I look forward to it!!
Thank you and Happy New Year!

SynapticSilence · Dec 28, 2018

Pandaz3 said:
Not me ! …..Yet

I have not detail striped the frame, I did replace the MIM striker with a solid steel one and the guide rod with a SS one. This is on my CW-380. If I did remove the offensive part I lucked out putting it back in. Kahr's seem well built, even the cheapies.

I would like to buy a RM-51. The RM-380 I have works fine.

They're two different animals. The RM-380 is basically where Remington bought the rights to the Rohrbaugh 9mm pistol, downsized it to .380, and actually improved on the design. The R-51 was their attempt to take a really revolutionary 100-year old handmade design and use modern machining methods to produce it on a massive scale. The first idea worked. The second? Not so well. I had an RM-380 and thought it was much more accurate and easy shooting than the original Ruger LCP. I only sold it because my wife preferred the Ruger for some reason only she understands. I'm not saying not to buy the R-51, just that you might need to be prepared if you get one that doesn't work perfectly.