#Model51

The Remington R51 is a re-re-release of the Model 51 designed by John Pedersen that we have reviewed int he past to less than terrific results, but the hesitation locked mechanism at least makes for an interesting field strip. In this installment of TFBTV we take the little guy apart and try to show any wear on the gun’s internal components.

Remington R51 (Gen 2) was famously recalled in 2014 and redesigned. This redesigned version finally went on sale on August 12th. I immediately purchased this brand new Remington R51 Generation 2 (2016 version) new in box from my local gun store. I took it home, cleaned it up, and got it ready for a 600 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Watch this full and honest review to see how it fared.

The second generaton R51 handguns have finally made it to the range, but how do they perform? One of the first to record his experiences is YouTuber RyeOnHam, whose video is embedded below:

One week ago, we reported that Remington had distributed letters to owners of the troubled first generation R51 pistols that their replacements from the new second-generation were ready to be shipped. Since then, YouTuber and R51 buyer RyeOnHam has received his second generation R51 replacement pistol, and released a first look video on the weapon, embedded below:

Remington has just informed purchasers of the original R51 pistol that the second model – which aims to fix the issues of the initial production version – is now ready to be shipped. Remington has taken the extra step for initial buyers of the R51 of not releasing the new improved model to the wider market until all original R51 customers get their chance to receive a new pistol first. The letter below was sent out to Remington R51 customers earlier today ( thanks to Russell Duty for posting it to FB):

The Remington Model 51 is an example of how added complexity results in additional benefits to the shooter without compromising reliability. These .380 or .32acp pistols sold reasonably well over the course of about a decade, and is arguably one of the most interesting pistols ever made (sharing elements of gas and recoil operation). So how does it work and what makes it special?

William Smalley of Remington (and formerly of Para Ord) has been working on the R51 since its inception. I spoke with him about the R51’s troubles, and its planned return to production in early Summer this year. William is a “gun guy”, not a marketing associate or a booth runner; when a friend and I were looking at the interaction of the grip safety and the trigger, William field stripped the gun right in front of us and let us see how the mechanism worked.

[ This guest post was written by Michael. ]