R51 Update

I get questions about this pistol from time to time, so here's the "up to the minute" report.

Howard

https://youtu.be/rQbPLwmNNGY

Remington surely knows how to kill sales. How many folks considering buying a 9mm will look at the Remington after seeing this presentation?

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Originally Posted by Dan Cash

Remington surely knows how to kill sales. How many folks considering buying a 9mm will look at the Remington after seeing this presentation?

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The really bad thing is that the R51's poor performance places the 1911R1 in a bad light. I have found the R1 to be a solid pistol, but as you mentioned, a lot of prospective purchasers avoid them.

Howard

They stopped making them last February. I like mine, but expected more from it.

This reinforces the advice I frequently give youngsters in the gun shop that

"an old gun that works is worth more than a new gun that doesn't."

The late Fred Davis had an embroidered sampler on the wall of his shop in Falls Church, VA in the 1960s with that advice.

It is STILL true.

I considered one, handled it, then chose a S&W Shield. I am so glad I did. After proving it was 100% reliable with 200 rounds of assorted ammo I gave it to my wife, then got one for me. I hoped it would work for Remington but it is what it is.

Line round stovepipe usually an earlier variant of bolt over base misfeed where returning slide lower breechface/cartridge pickup rail strikes feeding round as it is still rising in extractor groove area rather than top of case rim as it is supposed to. Round fails to glance off ramp as it is supposed to and stands straight up, completely missing chamber.

Too much slide forward speed or not enough magazine spring or combination of both.

Thanks for the video Howard interesting .
I need to get my R51 out and see if it still works :popcorn:
I bought mine after the recall I couldn't help it :oops: interesting gun , it felt like it was full of gravel when cycling the slide , I cleaned up the rough spots inside and it felt much better and has been 100% reliable but I think I will dig it out and see if it still works :?

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Originally Posted by Texas by God

I considered one, handled it, then chose a S&W Shield. I am so glad I did. After proving it was 100% reliable with 200 rounds of assorted ammo I gave it to my wife, then got one for me. I hoped it would work for Remington but it is what it is.

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That's the same thing I did circa 2014. I still have the Shield, and it still runs well.

Howard

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Originally Posted by 35remington

Line round stovepipe usually an earlier variant of bolt over base misfeed where returning slide lower breechface/cartridge pickup rail strikes feeding round as it is still rising in extractor groove area rather than top of case rim as it is supposed to. Round fails to glance off ramp as it is supposed to and stands straight up, completely missing chamber.

Too much slide forward speed or not enough magazine spring or combination of both.

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The issues with this pistol all seem to be magazine related. I think a re-design of the magazine is what is needed.

Howard

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Originally Posted by onelight

Thanks for the video Howard interesting .
I need to get my R51 out and see if it still works :popcorn:
I bought mine after the recall I couldn't help it :oops: interesting gun , it felt like it was full of gravel when cycling the slide , I cleaned up the rough spots inside and it felt much better and has been 100% reliable but I think I will dig it out and see if it still works :?

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Be sure to try it with 7-rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. That seems to be where the fun begins.

Howard

A good friend has a Remington r51 and has it in a glass case on the wall of his shop with the caption, "A Frankenstein monster that should never have been brought back to life."

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Originally Posted by Hrfunk

Be sure to try it with 7-rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. That seems to be where the fun begins.

Howard

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Ha , maybe that's why mine works so good , I don't carry it and with range guns I normally just load 5 rounds.

I had hopes that this gun would work, I like the look and feel, but it really needs to work...

Thanks for the update.

The R51 operating system is a great concept and I really wish Remington could have made that gun work. The R51 has a lot going for it: Very thin pistol, nicely rounded profile, lightweight aluminum frame, decent sights, chambered for a good cartridge, excellent overall size. It has all the qualities one would want in a concealed carry pistol except the most important one -reliability.

I had high hopes for this pistol's success but it seems it just isn't to be.

Evidently they are still available at retail. My local shop just ordered one for somebody.

Sad about the r51 having so many problems it has some great features if it worked like it should.
I also have the Remington RM380 it has been 100% reliable a nice gun if you don't mind a da trigger.

Great video! I watch a few gun videos on YouTube and I really liked your presentation, camera presence, cadence, and articulation. Great job! It seems like it would be easy to do a decent gun video, but a lot of thought and preparation is needed to make good ones, which you obviously did.

Sad about the R51. I really wanted it to succeed. Remington has very few successes these days, it seems.