Sweet! Remington has announced a new handgun...

[gc70]

Remington did a horrible job of letting inaccurate size information get out through the gun writers who previewed the R51 and failed horribly by not promptly putting out correct information.

That said, 6.6"x4.6"x1" (from the Remington brochure at Shot Show) is in my sweet spot for the size of a small 9mm. My three favorite carry guns are the HK P7, Sig P239, and Walther PPS. The R51 matches the HK and Sig in length and is 0.3" longer than the Walther. It weighs about the same as the PPS and is 1/3 lighter than the other two. More importantly to me, the R51 beats all three in height while having a grip that accommodates a full three-finger hold.

BTW, the R51's length and height put it between the Glock 19 and 26

[TBT]

^^^Agreed. It's in my sweet spot as well.

Yes, but this is coming from someone who hasn't actually shot the gun. Jeff Quinn and several of the folks at Gunsite have, and they were very complementary.

Absolutely. And I don't even know who this MAC guy is.

But even said that, I've never seen Jeff Quinn review a firearm he didn't like.

Hoping to hear more good than bad on this gun in the near future.

[lee n. field]

While I really dont see the point to the grip safeties, they do seem to work fine on the originals.

And I don't see the point of vehement objection to a grip safety.

For this gun, I want it.

I suspect (and hope) that that is what Remington was going for here, finishing the gun where it needs to be finished, and not stressing the finish where it makes absolutely no difference.

Also something I've noticed with Charter Arms. Where it needs to be, it's well machined. Where not, not so pretty.

[Tom Servo]

The R51 matches the HK and Sig in length and is 0.3" longer than the Walther.

Lots of folks get hung up on minutae of size and weight. What concerns me is whether the gun shoots well.

[gc70]

What concerns me is whether the gun shoots well.

The guns I shoot the best provide a full grip; I'm not as proficient at shooting with a finger dangling under the grip as some people are.

[jimbob86]

I'm most interested in what The Good Colonel stressed as the most important feature of a pistol: the trigger.

It's SAO. That's usually a plus, for me- I'm a 1911 guy.

If it's a gritty 8lb+ pull like the SIG 238/938's I've tried out .... then probably not.

It is about the same length as my EMP .... the EMP is about an inch taller (and holds 2 more rounds) and 4 ounces heavier ...... I still want to dry fire one .....

[Technosavant]

The complaints about finish on the thing seem to miss one important point: it's an all metal gun at the $400 price point. From a major, well known manufacturer. That's a pretty rare thing.

In these days of ever-escalating labor costs, the price of making sure every single surface, inside and out, looks beautiful is going to make that utilitarian gun cost way too much. You don't even get plastic framed guns of much quality at all for $400.*

It does appear that it's larger than I had first thought- it doesn't look like a pocket pistol. But that's probably going to mean it's an easy shooter. I'm still interested and I wouldn't even mind being the first on the block with one... even if it means it has to go back once or twice. I wouldn't be using this as a primary defensive gun, more just interested in having something a little different for a change. It won't supplant my P938, but it might just be an entertaining little pistol at a good price. Will it be as nicely finished as more expensive guns? No, but then, I'm not asking for that either.

*Off the top of my head, the only gun I can think of in that price range that might qualify is the S&W SD series, and that thing also has plenty of detractors. And it's plastic framed. Below that price point, there just isn't much that compares. Even folks who can't even afford a Glock or M&P need something decent too.

[KyJim]

That said, 6.6"x4.6"x1" (from the Remington brochure at Shot Show) is in my sweet spot for the size of a small 9mm

That's a bit bigger than I was expecting but I'm okay with the size if the trigger is okay and the gun shoots acceptably well. It's in the range of a Bersa Thunder .380 and a SW 3913 LS (9mm) I own and used to carry. I liked both for a compact pistol in a belt holster but went away from slide mounted safeties.

One thing to keep in mind on concealability is not just the overall measurements but how chunky/clunky the gun is.

[jimbob86]

Off the top of my head, the only gun I can think of in that price range that might qualify is the S&W SD series,

The Ruger sR9c is right about that price .... I like that gun.

This would be about the the same size as the sR9c, 3 oz. lighter, and definitely has it beat hands down in the "chunky/clunky" catergory.

The Ruger has a greater capacacity , but I'm not overly concerned about that- In most cases, if the problem couldn't be solved with 7 rounds, then running would have been the better option ....

[MikeNice81]

I think it is a good looking gun. However, it is the same size (basically) as my G26 with a +2 mag extension. Yet it would give me five less rounds at full capacity. Five less rounds isn't a great exchange for a width saving of .18". I would like to play around with one, but it would be low on my list of priorities.

[alex0535]

I like the looks of this little handgun. I like that it is metal framed. I like the price. If it seems like it shoots pretty good I would really like to get one in my hand and see what the trigger pull is like, if it's good this one might end up as a carry gun for me.

[Noreaster]

Still interested. I like the size and being able to have three fingers on the grip. Can't wait to try one.

[Technosavant]

The Ruger sR9c is right about that price .... I like that gun.

The Ruger SRx series have MSRP at $529 according to the Ruger site. Street may indeed be lower, but it's hard to compare MSRP of one gun (that hasn't hit the street yet) to the street prices of another.

[skizzums]

regardless of how good/bad the grip safety is executed, look at all the interest in this gun, our little forum has at least 2 threads and this one is on page ten, its what every gun blogger is taling about

whatever this gun does or doesnt do, its definetly going to make a good american company bucketloads of money and hopefully they will be able to afford to have a full-line of new affordable pistols in the near future

[alex0535]

With the price under $400, they will sell like hotcakes. Apparently it isn't impossible to make a non-tupperware firearm that is also affordable.

My initial impressions make me want to get one of these in my hand. I like everything about it from what I have seen, once I get one in my hand I will know whether I want it or not.

[jimbob86]

The Ruger SRx series have MSRP at $529 according to the Ruger site. Street may indeed be lower, but it's hard to compare MSRP of one gun (that hasn't hit the street yet) to the street prices of another.

I've see the sR9c for $400 OTD .... I expect this one be be around thereabouts (if you can find one).

[QUOTE]regardless of how good/bad the grip safety is executed, look at all the interest in this gun, our little forum has at least 2 threads and this one is on page ten,[/QUOTE

The .327Mag generated a few threads as well- one of which is still active to this very day, with almost 1000 posts in it.

Now I can't find one for sale if i wanted to buy it.

[Mike Irwin]

I don't think the .327 Magnum generated nearly the buzz across the cyberfirearms space as this gun has. Not even close, really.

I really can't remember a gun ever generating this kind of buzz in the webosphere before.

[jimbob86]

I really can't remember a gun ever generating this kind of buzz in the webosphere before.

While I like what I've seen about the gun thus far, that kind of buzz may mean I won't actually see one in the wild for a long time, and street price might be inflated a bit ......

[Mike Irwin]

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what it's going to mean, Jimbob. That's both a good and a bad thing.

Good for Remington in that there's a ton of interest and (hopefully) profit in their new handgun, and bad for those of us who are interested in it because it's going to be awhile before we see one.

[Beentown71]

Originally Posted by Mike Irwin

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what it's going to mean, Jimbob. That's both a good and a bad thing.

Good for Remington in that there's a ton of interest and (hopefully) profit in their new handgun, and bad for those of us who are interested in it because it's going to be awhile before we see one.

As long as they don't go all Kel-Tec, I can be patient.

[dgludwig]

Personally, I think it's ugly as sin; based on the original model 51 from just about 100 years ago.

I have to agree with Uncle Malice and other malcontents. When I first heard that Remington was going to reproduce the Model 51 and at an affordable price, I began formulating a strategy for my wife to justify adding yet another pistol to my already bloated handgun inventory. That is, until I first laid eyes on the new "Model 51". Personally, I see almost no resemblance to the original Model 51; one of the best-looking, classic "pocket" pistols ever made, imo.

Very disappointing to me. I'll save my " I need a new pistol" argument to my wife for another day.

[jimbob86]

Personally, I think it's ugly as sin

I don't care what it looks like: I want to know what it shoots like.

9mm +p rated, 7+1, accurate, low recoil, low bore axis, SAO sliding trigger with a light crisp 5lb pull, 1 inch wide by about 6 inches long, 5 inches high, and 20 oz. empty..... AND just over $400?

If it's all they say it is then I want two of them.

You could paint them pink and blue and put Hello Kitty stickers on 'em, and I would not care, becasue it's gonna be an IWB CCW ..... nobody is gonna see it anyway.

[Walt Sherrill]

Originally Posted by jimbob86

You could paint them pink and blue and put Hello Kitty stickers on 'em, and I would not care, becasue it's gonna be an IWB CCW ..... nobody is gonna see it anyway.

Nicely put. Funny, too.

[chris in va]

I don't care what it looks like: I want to know what it shoots like.

Exactly.

We're so used to guns looking like a variation of a 1911 or Glock. This type of barrel system could revolutionize handguns if proven reliable.

I submit this design for thinking 'out of the box'.



It's an Olympic target free pistol. Nobody makes fun of this design, why can't we open our minds to the R51.

[Mike Irwin]

I just threw up in my mouth a little...