R 51

[GarandTd]

Good to hear

[Fishbed77]

There were hiccups.

And that's why, as much as I'd like to, I just can't get on board with the R51 (or really any Remington products at this point).

It's easy to say that any pistol can have problems, or need a break-in period, but the fact is that I've had so many pistols over the years that have just run flawlessly out-of-the-box. Walthers, Glocks, SIGs, S&Ws, Colts, Rugers, and even Kahrs (whose manual claims they need a break-in, but have always run great for me).

I wanted an R51 because it was unique and interesting, but I can buy surplus pistols that are interesting and still operate flawlessly (Makarovs, CZ82s, etc.).

And yet almost every user review you read of R51s involves "hiccups" or "bobbles."

I just don't have time for that anymore.

[TunnelRat]

^ if there was a like button I’d use it. I don’t care how much of a rebate comes with a firearm, if that firearm is unreliable then it is essentially a very expensive paperweight to me when I knowingly have firearms that work. Too many reviews of these pistols that I’ve read essentially have asterisks when it comes to performance ratings.


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[chrisp51]

Finally got to talk with Remington and told them the story. They are sending me a return authorization packet. I will let you know how things turn out.

[CockNBama]

Not arguing with you folks. Not trying to convince anyone to like my pistol.

But I like it.

I've had hiccups with a Gold Cup, a Dan Wesson Pointman and several AR's, and every one of those became, over time, weapons I was glad to carry.

Y'all make your decisions. I'll make mine. We all will probably be as happy as we choose to be.

[TunnelRat]

Never tried to insinuate that you weren’t allowed to like it or make your own decisions. Was simply sharing my own thoughts.


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[Ibmikey]

Have I said this before? I like my R 51 it shoots well and allows me to talk about it with all sorts of folks who are down on the pistol or Remington but have never owned or fired one. CockNBama, I love your comment on making your own decisions, so often these posts begin with persons asking responders to make decisions for them....are we not all adults?

[Fishbed77]

I love your comment on making your own decisions, so often these posts begin with persons asking responders to make decisions for them....are we not all adults?

Absolutely. We have more firearm choices than ever before, and all of us in free states are (for the moment) able to make (most of) our own decisions.

I just choose to hand over my hard-earned money to companies who have a track record for producing reliable and well-made products rather than to those who are clearly not willing to put the required R&D and manufacturing QC/QA into their products before dumping them onto the market. Personally, I feel that companies like these are only marketing to the folks who see something in an big box store and buy it without doing any prior research.

It's just a personal risk assessment of my own. Others are welcome to do as they please.

[chrisp51]

Got the package from Remington to return the R51. It did not come with a prepaid label I have to call Remington to schedule a pick-up. The address it will be sent to is a gunsmith in Huntsville Alabama by the name of Heinrich. Kinda disappointed that it is not going back to the factory. I know they have this huge facility in Huntsville (saw it on one of Tom Gresham's shows) so why is it going to a local gunshop? Story keeps getting stranger. The letter they sent with the package did not accurately describe the problems I told them about so I added my own comments to the material going to the gunsmith. Will let you know what happens.

[TunnelRat]

We had a member on here post about sending his R1 back for service and it too went to a local gunsmith rather than the factory. I believe Remington told him at the time that they didn't have the capacity to fix it in house, but I'd have to find and check the thread to be sure.

[TruthTellers]

Cocknbama, if you get a gun that works, good. The chances that someone else buys a R51 that will be a problem are high.

It's not a risk I'm willing to take and I don't recommend others do either to save a few dollars and waste time on dealing with customer service, shipping, and more than likely, selling the gun after all the hassle.

I've run into issues with a Marlin .22 I have and it seems anything under the Remlin brand is suspect. I won't ever spend a dime on anything Remington or Marlin that's been made in this century.

[Glockgreat23]

Well I finally got the R51 to the range. Really disappointed. It's very accurate....when it chambers a round. I couldn't load more than 4 rounds at a time. I'm not happy, sending it back to Remington where I expect them to send new magazines back, but it's going to take at least 500 rounds of trouble free shooting before I trust it

[Ibmikey]

Anybody want to borrow mine for a day? Just stop ������ by...even give you a cup of ☕️ coffee. Mine does not like steel cases but shoots brass just fine.

[Kemikos]

Had my new R51 out to the range today. 100 rounds of Rem UMC 115gr and 100 of WWB 115gr.

In the 1st hundred rounds, I had the "nosedive" issue while charging the gun multiple times, but I only had two FTF's while shooting, and one of those was when I loaded one round and then replaced it in the magazine (7+1) before firing, which others have said has been an issue). The second time, I thought that the 6th round felt like it "hung up" while I was loading the 7th, and sure enough it nosedived after the first shot. About half of the magazines from the first hundred rounds were loaded with only 6 rounds; when I did this, the gun functioned flawlessly.

Sometime during all of this shooting, I noticed something: when I was racking the slide, I was (without realizing it) pulling back until I felt the slide stop release, then riding it forward a tiny amount before letting go. As if I was making sure the stop had released before letting the slide go (though I wasn't doing it consciously).

For the second hundred, I loaded every mag with 7 rounds and racked it like I was trying to rip the slide off the back of the frame, letting go of the slide while still pulling backwards. (You know, like the instructor told you to do for the malf drills?) Lo and behold, every single mag loaded and fired perfectly.

I regret to say that I didn't even think about testing loading a mag in with the slide closed. I'll try that and report back.

I can see why the Model 51 is so admired. The R51 (magazine issues aside) shoots like a dream. Very controllable, accurate, comfortable to shoot - I was having no trouble ripping out the centers of bullseye targets at 5 and 7 yards, and was doing respectably at 10. After shooting it, I'm definitely going to try and work out the kinks; it's totally worth it.

[shinerjohn]

Kemikos, I have much better consistency with my R51 by using 124gr bullets. No FTF with 124gr for me! I also bought a mag loader. UpLuLu I believe is the brand. I took my R51 out last week with very good results. I am approaching 1,000 rounds down range and I haven't cleaned it since round 500. I chamber the first round by locking the slide back and using the slide release.
Start keeping your mags separated. If one fails to function properly, set it aside. Later go back to it and try again. They WILL replace mags! I have 4 mags and 3 of them are replacements.
For now just load 7 rounds. Once a mag is consistently working with 7, start topping the mag off after chambering the first round. I suggest that you stay away from hollow points until your R51 consistently works failure-free with 7+1 FMJ.
I very much enjoy shooting my R51!

[Ibmikey]

I did not indicate before but all the ammo through my R51 has been full metal jacket by various manufacturers. My only FTF were the steel case Winchester very early on. I had one mag that was giving me trouble and Remington sent a replacement, however, the bad got mixed with the good and now all three seem to function correctly.

[Model12Win]

Originally Posted by Fishbed77

And that's why, as much as I'd like to, I just can't get on board with the R51 (or really any Remington products at this point).

It's easy to say that any pistol can have problems, or need a break-in period, but the fact is that I've had so many pistols over the years that have just run flawlessly out-of-the-box. Walthers, Glocks, SIGs, S&Ws, Colts, Rugers, and even Kahrs (whose manual claims they need a break-in, but have always run great for me).

I wanted an R51 because it was unique and interesting, but I can buy surplus pistols that are interesting and still operate flawlessly (Makarovs, CZ82s, etc.).

And yet almost every user review you read of R51s involves "hiccups" or "bobbles."

I just don't have time for that anymore.

"Hiccups" are what babies do and "bobbles" are what puppies do when they're first born (can't walk right).

When a gun does that, that's cutesy talk for a FAILURE of some kind. A gun is a SERIOUS item, especially one billed for concealed carry. The Remington R51 is a FAILURE.

Kind of sad when my 30 year old communist made Makarovs (all four of them) have fired THOUSANDS of rounds with 0 "hiccups", 0 "bobbles", and 0 FAILURES of any kind, yet a brand new American pistol made by the once legendary Remington company has developed a terrible reputation for quality control and reliability.

I agree with you, and will never own a Remington R51.

[Ibmikey]

The True “Failure” is those who close their minds to the point no other information is acceptable. Kind of reminds me of the actions of some of our recent political leaders.

[hodaka]

I like Makarovs. The fixed barrel and blowback design is accurate and extremely reliable. But..........you contend with a strong mainspring and a less powered round than the R51 along with a heavy pistol about the same size. R51 is a good design with P+ 9mm capability and a light rack and infinitely better sights. Although some have reported problems, I think it a nice little pistol which carries easily (thin and light), is accurate and full power.

[Kemikos]

Oh, one thing I forgot to add to my report: she bites. Maybe if you have hands like Jack Skellington you'll be fine, but if yours are on the meaty side like mine and you take a high grip, you will be leaving DNA on the slide.

I'll probably take a stone or really fine jeweler's file and put a tiny radius on the back corners of the slide, and see if that helps. I'm a little surprised they were left so sharp; every other part of the gun that you might touch while firing is nicely smoothed and contoured...

[Glockgreat23]

I have written on this post already, but have all the problems mentioned and then some. I said I was going to send the gun back to Remington, but while talking to them on the phone, they suggested to try some new rounds they would send out to me that day, and see if new mags solve the problem. That was three weeks ago, still no mags. Coincidentally, I ordered a golf club from Japan the same day. That arrived yesterday, so I've decided if I need self feel weapon, I'll use the golf club. Reliable and fife time. I am 100% done with Remington

[Mike Irwin]

I'm quite bummed to read of all of the continuing issues with this pistol.

I had really hoped to get one, and I really expected that Remington would do as well with it as they did their .45, but after all this time and so many issues, I'm afraid that it's not going to be the case.

I'm now looking at one of the new Ruger 9mms.

[cocojo]

Question: What did Remington do to their magazines since the inception of the gen two being released? My gun is a new smoke grey version with new magazines and they still have problems. The seventh round doesn't want to feed with a full magazine and a round chambered. Nose Dive!

[wild cat mccane]

Managers=stock market.

But when you realize that, it crumbles a lot of conservative ideas about what is wrong with America. It's still true that all the consolidations of gun companies is for stock price. But hey, whateves right? It's just a few evil people instead of an entire market system.

[wild cat mccane]

Isn't the R380 the same size as the R9? If so, I think Remington hasn't given us much until it reproduces the R9. It wasn't like the R380 was particularly amazing compared to other 380s.

The R9 was special because it's only size competitors are the PM9 and DB9.