Many years ago I actually owned an original M51 in .380. I have to admit it was an extremely nicely made pistol. Mine worked perfectly and was far more accurate than a pocket pistol needed to be. Of course the sights were tiny to the point of invisibility but that was the norm for the time. I wound up giving it to a former mother-in-law and never got it back after the divorce.
FYI Mike at least in this location and format you don't need to pause to allow the other range users to shoot... we can year you just fine. Thanks for another great video.
I owned a Remington Model 51 in .32acp, loved it! No flaws, went bang every time I pulled the trigger and when I did my part the bullet always hit the target. I also owned a Remington Model R51 in 9mm, a 1st Class piece of junk! Disappointing because I was hoping for the joy of the 51 in the R51 with a bigger more powerful bullet. If the Model 51 failed it was because the buying public did not recognize a great semiautomatic handgun. The Model R51 failed because it was a poorly built semiautomatic handgun which the buying public came to understand. I would buy the 51 again in a heartbeat and count on it if necessary. The R51 is only good as a paperweight.
Hi Mike, I enjoyed the history of that Remington. You can see clearly why they went bankrupt. And the wayvac machine with Sherman Peabody was awesome! I remember watching that cartoon as a kid. LoL dating myself. Thanks for all your hard work and time Sir. 🤠🇺🇲
I bought my “Gen 1” R51 at Gander Mountain in 2015… in my mind it was a slick little gun. I still have it and never had any issues with it… but, it absolutely sucks to take it apart, clean and reassemble… that being said, I have ran 600 plus rounds out of her… I have “yet” to have sights fly if, feeding errors or any of the many problems I have heard about the R51… for now, I guess I got lucky. Granted… it is not my EDC anymore… but I ran two mags through it two weekends ago… ran a bore-snake through it and put her back up with both mags loaded. Good to see you back out Mike. Be safe and I hope things change so you can get back on your quiet range
I had the R-51 because of Pederson. I really liked the connection to firearms history. I said “had” because assembly and disassembly with that bushing was too much of a struggle.
Great video Mike! Interesting little gun. Given Patton's personality if he didn't like it, we'd probably know about it! So, if he liked it, it can't be too bad!
As far as I know the only autopistol Patton didn't care for was the Colt 1911 .45ACP. He carried one in combat during WW1 having left his Colt SAA home (He wasn't 100% sure he'd make it back and didn't want the gun lost!) and I've never seen a photo of him with a 1911 afterward. He did say "If you want to make noise use an automatic, if you want to kill people use a revolver!" but it's obvious he had no issues with the Remington or other small-caliber autos.
I fell in love with the R51 at first sight and went onto a waiting list for one at a local gunshop. As you mentioned, the first reviews of this gun basically claimed that it was the greatest invention since pizza. Fortunately, i watched a TH-cam video that exposed it's unreliability. Plus it showed how horrifically difficult it was to field strip and reassemble. As a result I passed on it. Thanks for providing the full story. Great video.
I have a gen2 R51 that has been really wonderful, bought it new in 2019 out of curiosity even after watching the reviews. I got some extra mags for really cheap and had to do that "fix" to get them to work. FYI there were videos on UTube telling the difference between Gen1 and 2, I believe it is the writing on the gun,it could be elsewhere in the google. This gun is a complete nightmare to take apart to clean and reassemble.
Good morning from Alaska Mike! Thanks for another great show. I learn new things every time I watch your shows! I haven't heard you mention anything on the status of The Duelists Den. It sure would be great to see you back there! I'm sure your neighbors out there and the city council is not happy with our election results LOL! Take care and God Bless!
I found an original 1921 made Model 51 .380 at a local gun store a few years ago for a very reasonable price. It's over 100 years old and it still in fantastic shape. It even came with the original owner's manual. I've only put 100 rounds through it, but it never jammed.
Another great vid. Sherman Peabody, Bill Jordan, and Patton in one vid, LOL. Remington could have used the Patton connection for marketing. Yes, Bill Jordan would not be a good rep for electronic handgun sights. This genre of pistol, the US made single stack autos, was always obscure to me. When I saw one I thought it was some obsolete design in an obsolete chambering. The Berettas and Bernardellis I knew about. I did have some French pistol in an almost obsolete 7.35 or 7.65 caliber that was nice but got traded in for an Astra Constable (Guernica, Spain) in .22 LR. Many vicious Red Squirrels in the Northeast Kingdom fell to this.
A few years ago while surfing GunBroker, I buzzed bid on a NIB 21st century R-51. Looked amazing. Then I did some research on it. Ooof. Luckily, I was outbid. I would consider picking up the OG version, though. Would go well with my Savage pistols. Great presentation, Mike. I always enjoy your work.
Well I own two of the Remington R51’s. One tan frame, one black. What I found was the first rendition had a flat bottom breech block. The second one has a hump at the bottom. The hump bottom pushed the round down and makes the round nose dive causing issues. I believe they did this for case head support over the first model, but now they created another issue, a feeding issue. I also think because of the nature of taking it apart and putting it back together scared many away. The engineer who designed this was a rollercoaster engineer. Im keeping my two and will shoot them but never carry them. Remingtons 380 wasn't too bad except for the pin system. Thanks for the review!!!
I love my nickel plated1925 built Model-51! Yeah, the sights suck. I tolerate my R-51, which I just had to buy to compare them. Keep up the great work Mark!
In my experience three things have to happen with a semi in concert: sounds like a little stronger recoil spring is needed to lock breech. If not feeding a stronger magazine spring is needed. Timing of a round in position is critical. If that doesn't do it we're into the art of magazine followers and on our own. Maybe a Mec-gar?
Sherman and Peabody, that goes back a ways. I was one of those that had back ordered the R51. Which I canceled hearing those bad reviews. By the time they say they fixed it I already bought another pistol. Back then and still live on a budget, so didn't by it when it came out the second time. By the sounds of it i am glad I didn't get it. It was very intense to here the history on it as I lived near Ilion and been to the museum a few times before they closed up in NY.
This happen in the auto industry all the time. Engineering and QC wants a few more weeks and a couple more pre production builds, sales wants new products on the lots. Sales always wins out.
Remington wasn't the first gun maker to rush a model on the market before all the bugs had been worked out of it and it's certain they won't be the last. And not just gun makers either. I used to work in a gun shop and we told our customers (quietly mind you) to never buy the first six months to a year of anything new to the market, give it some time. The new ones may just have bugs (and a lot of them do) and once the novelty's worn off you'll get it at a better price anyway.
My uncle had an old model 51, I actually loved that pistol as a kid just for how it looked and loved shooting it…except for the sights of course. But as a kid I just thought the pistol was so cool I was super excited for the R51, but then that bad press and the whole “thing” around just scared me off of it.
I own both of these guns (1920 Model 51 in .380 and a 2nd gen R51) for exactly the reasons Mike has presented---I love weird guns---and I completely agree with all the issues he has mentioned. But I find both to be weird and wonderful, if only as range toys---and, honestly, once you're past your first 1, 2, or 12 guns, they're all range toys. The original Model 51 is the least snappy .380 and quite pleasant to to shoot, except for the teeny, tiny sights. But the sights aren't really a problem, because the POI is about a foot high at 25 feet anyway. So, point shooting it is! Actual function of my gun is basically flawless with every kind of ammo I've tried (and many .380s are finicky). The R51 is a much better gun in almost every way. The sights are great, and I even have a Crimson Trace laser for mine, which I picked up on clearance for $30; I also got my gun for under $200, and spare mags for next to nothing. This is the advantage of buying a gun no one else wants! The R51 is easy to shoot and remarkably accurate; recoil is also less than you might expect for a gun this size and weight. Ergos aren't quite as good as the original, with a little bit of a slab-sided shape, but the build quality is superb---excellent machining and finish. The problem is with feeding, as Mike has mentioned. Mine runs ball ammo fine, with an occasional hiccup, easily cleared. But try it with hollow point ammo, and it is really finicky. I think the design of the mags is very odd, with strange angles and bits that you just don't see on other guns (or on the original Model 51, for that matter!) They say that magazines are the Achilles heel of any auto-loading firearm, and I think that the engineers at Remington just didn't have time to perfect the mags. My R51 has no problem running dirty, but mine has perhaps been broken in a bit better than Mike's. I believe Remington mentioned something about break-in back in the day... Take-down and cleaning are bizarre with both of these guns (and both are similar), though nowhere near as difficult as my Ruger Standard/Mark I .22 pistol. Plenty of videos out there to demonstrate, but there's no way you'd ever figure it out on your own. It always seems to me that disassembly and re-assembly are very different, even though that doesn't sound like it makes any sense. There's just nothing else like it, but that's what makes these 2 guns interesting. Col. Whelen famously observed that only accurate rifles are interesting, but I think that only weird pistols are interesting.
Have to admit I've been fascinated by the re issue R51. After hearing of your experiences I better pass on this one. And as always an interesting video Mike.
And that is just one of the reasons I purchased the only pistol I still own in 9 Minimal......A Taurus G2C that now resides in my gun safe having been replaced by a "Slick Willy" era single stack Smith & Wesson compact chambered in .40 Stout & Wicked.
I have had both the original is one of the best point shooting guns you will ever hold, and that was the shooting style back then. I have later R51 made after the recall and it is a great shooter.
A pity they newer made wild west style guns like colt and Winchester did. Like the 1875 revolver, remington keene, rolling block etc. I bet it would have been a success. The pederson .45 is a real beauty, pity it didn't have the sucess it could have had. 19:48 i think remington had general quality issues at that time. By that time wanted to buy a rem700 in 300wm, i was told by the seller to switch to another brand due to the quality issues. Had a remington ww2 1911, very well worked gun good quality.
I remember being interested in the R51 when it came out. Thought it was an interesting gun. Doing a little research on it at that time, everyone said it was a jamb-O-matic. So I forgot about it.
I got my paws on a second issue R51 at a guns store when they re-released them. The rear sight was so loose I could remove it with my fingers. After the previous problems with the same pistol I passed. I’d love to find an original in .380.
I remember when the R51 came out. I was watching the reviews on TH-cam and it was failing miserably. The last review I had watched noted the the gun was capable of or actually firing out of battery, I can't remember which. At the time I was getting GUNS magazine. They did an article on the R51 and they dressed that pig up like a princess. I was so angry. I sent them a scathing email. Basically telling them that some people actually believe what you tell them, and it's very likely that their lies could get someone serious hurt or even killed. I was not one of those people. I had worked in the sales dept. of a manufacturer of AR-15 rifles for 4 years. At one point we sent a rifle to a gun writter, and after writing the somewhat canned but otherwise glowing review, he returned it. Upon it's return it was found we had shipped him one of the guns we had taken to Shots Show. These guns are disabled for safety reasons. Which means there's no way he could have actually fired the rifle. Despite that somehow the gun writer wrote about shooting the rifle and the great groups he got with it. I was very disappointed when the R51 failed. When it was first introduced I thought it would make a great suppressor host. Since it's barrel was fixed, it would not require a booster to function with a suppressor.
the ONLY problem with the M51 was too much machine time to produce, therefore more expensive just as the depression was building up.. poor timing.. I owned a .32 for a few years, EVERYONE used to comment on the COMFORTABLE grip.. it was a fine 'belly-gun' which is what it was designed as, not a target gun a point n POP... Merry Christmas Mike....
I got the 32ACP model and I love it. Put over 500 rounds through it. FMJ and HP runs no different. My only disappointment is it only came with one original magazine. Tried two after market mags and they both failed to work.
My experience with a Gen2 R51 was the opposite of yours Mike. I've got several hundred rounds through mine, and only had a few problems now that it is VERY dirty.
No less a gun guy than General Patton owned a Remington M51 and actually preferred it to the Colt M1903. Patton liked the slimmer profile and ergonomics of the M51 and was more than pleased with the accuracy and reliability. AND the Remington was less expensive than the Colt! Patton was independently weathy but who doesn't like saving a few bucks? Too bad it just didn't catch on, I suppose Colt's market dominance was just too much to overcome.
I thought the R51 looked pretty cool when it came out, amd I loked the feel of it, so I intended to buy one for concealed carry. But I found the grip safety would tend to catch and not reliably compress, so I passed. Glad I did!
Well but single stack subcompact is still very popular. They should’ve listened to their engineers telling them it’s still got problems to work out. I remember them being in gun counters and salesmen warning everyone not to try it.
I remember when that R51 came out, I wanted one because I thought it was a really nice looking gun Then people started talking about the shooting experience, and I noped out
My gen 2 had burrs on the slide that dug into the locking block, took a diamond file to fix the feed problem. My gun shoots stupid low, probably need to make a taller rear sight, does yours?
The original is such a good looking gun I can see why it did sell enough to last awhile. Odd that Colt could patent the grip screws though as that had been done by many for decades already, and you're generally not allowed to patent a widely used existing idea. The new one may have better sights but I don't like the look. None of this matters if it doesn't work reliably even if that takes some after-purchase work to attain. I can go with a flintlock not being 100% reliable, but anything newer had better be very, very close to always or it won't have a home here for long.
Actually, the original Model 51sold fine, but it was expensive to produce. In order to get sales, Remington had to price competitively against the Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless. But the Colt was cheaper to Produce than the Remington. At the price point Remington had to hit to sell the Model 51, they made very little profit. After 10 years of making no money on the Model 51, Remington dropped it from the lineup.
The reason it *could* have worked the second time around is that the hesitation lock system would actually be taken advantage of because of its 9mm chambering, even having the ability to chamber +P rounds. But again, the shoddy QC Remington had during the era of Freedom Group ownership ruined everything.
Many years ago I actually owned an original M51 in .380. I have to admit it was an extremely nicely made pistol. Mine worked perfectly and was far more accurate than a pocket pistol needed to be. Of course the sights were tiny to the point of invisibility but that was the norm for the time. I wound up giving it to a former mother-in-law and never got it back after the divorce.
History repeats itself. As the saying goes.. Mike, that was a fabulous presentation sir!
Gave you a shout/mention on the turkeys opinion 's live feed last night, we shared our guntuber faverites
Thanks!
Thank you for the great content in this video and over the years, its getting harder and harder too find info on the older stuff.
I love your history videos. Keep them coming.
Glad to see you back out on the range Mike. Thanks for another great video
Got to hold an original 51 in .380 a few months back, was maybe the best feeling pistol I've ever felt, like it was molded to my hand
FYI Mike at least in this location and format you don't need to pause to allow the other range users to shoot... we can year you just fine. Thanks for another great video.
Very true. I think it's a nice accidental background music too.
I owned a Remington Model 51 in .32acp, loved it! No flaws, went bang every time I pulled the trigger and when I did my part the bullet always hit the target.
I also owned a Remington Model R51 in 9mm, a 1st Class piece of junk! Disappointing because I was hoping for the joy of the 51 in the R51 with a bigger more powerful bullet.
If the Model 51 failed it was because the buying public did not recognize a great semiautomatic handgun. The Model R51 failed because it was a poorly built semiautomatic handgun which the buying public came to understand.
I would buy the 51 again in a heartbeat and count on it if necessary. The R51 is only good as a paperweight.
The P 08 was a great hit. Looking forward to see its re-introduction!
Lol, TBH I was thinking about what a modern take on the Luger would look like.
I wonder what the modern take on a Luger would look like. Bet as long as it took Glock magazines it would be a hit. Lol
Hi Mike, I enjoyed the history of that Remington. You can see clearly why they went bankrupt. And the wayvac machine with Sherman Peabody was awesome! I remember watching that cartoon as a kid. LoL dating myself. Thanks for all your hard work and time Sir. 🤠🇺🇲
I bought my “Gen 1” R51 at Gander Mountain in 2015… in my mind it was a slick little gun. I still have it and never had any issues with it… but, it absolutely sucks to take it apart, clean and reassemble… that being said, I have ran 600 plus rounds out of her… I have “yet” to have sights fly if, feeding errors or any of the many problems I have heard about the R51… for now, I guess I got lucky. Granted… it is not my EDC anymore… but I ran two mags through it two weekends ago… ran a bore-snake through it and put her back up with both mags loaded. Good to see you back out Mike. Be safe and I hope things change so you can get back on your quiet range
Another great video Mike. Thank you for all the historical research you do. Your education has served you well.
I had the R-51 because of Pederson. I really liked the connection to firearms history. I said “had” because assembly and disassembly with that bushing was too much of a struggle.
Great information, Mike. Thanks, once again.
Thanks for the 417, springfield, mo, reference. We ❤ it!
Thanks for taking us on another trip in the way back machine Mike, we certainly appreciate the great video!
Great history lesson! Keep up the Great Work!
Great video Mike! Interesting little gun. Given Patton's personality if he didn't like it, we'd probably know about it! So, if he liked it, it can't be too bad!
The Model 51 that Patton had was, and is, a great gun, but too expensive to manufacture.
As far as I know the only autopistol Patton didn't care for was the Colt 1911 .45ACP. He carried one in combat during WW1 having left his Colt SAA home (He wasn't 100% sure he'd make it back and didn't want the gun lost!) and I've never seen a photo of him with a 1911 afterward.
He did say "If you want to make noise use an automatic, if you want to kill people use a revolver!" but it's obvious he had no issues with the Remington or other small-caliber autos.
I fell in love with the R51 at first sight and went onto a waiting list for one at a local gunshop. As you mentioned, the first reviews of this gun basically claimed that it was the greatest invention since pizza. Fortunately, i watched a TH-cam video that exposed it's unreliability. Plus it showed how horrifically difficult it was to field strip and reassemble. As a result I passed on it. Thanks for providing the full story. Great video.
Great article. Thanks. Good to see you again.
Glad to see you’re doing better, Mike
One of the WOW things on these is the thing that tensions the extractor is a chunk of rubber 🤣
I have a gen2 R51 that has been really wonderful, bought it new in 2019 out of curiosity even after watching the reviews. I got some extra mags for really cheap and had to do that "fix" to get them to work. FYI there were videos on UTube telling the difference between Gen1 and 2, I believe it is the writing on the gun,it could be elsewhere in the google. This gun is a complete nightmare to take apart to clean and reassemble.
Good morning from Alaska Mike! Thanks for another great show. I learn new things every time I watch your shows! I haven't heard you mention anything on the status of The Duelists Den. It sure would be great to see you back there! I'm sure your neighbors out there and the city council is not happy with our election results LOL! Take care and God Bless!
I found an original 1921 made Model 51 .380 at a local gun store a few years ago for a very reasonable price. It's over 100 years old and it still in fantastic shape. It even came with the original owner's manual. I've only put 100 rounds through it, but it never jammed.
Well it LOOKS awesome …! Lol
Merry Christmas my friend!
So good to see you again Mike! I hope you're doing well. Thank you for all the amazing videos!
Nice in-depth video Mike 👍
fabulous presentation👍👍👍👍
thanks Mike!
Great video thanks for all your hard work!
Another great vid. Sherman Peabody, Bill Jordan, and Patton in one vid, LOL. Remington could have used the Patton connection for marketing. Yes, Bill Jordan would not be a good rep for electronic handgun sights. This genre of pistol, the US made single stack autos, was always obscure to me. When I saw one I thought it was some obsolete design in an obsolete chambering. The Berettas and Bernardellis I knew about. I did have some French pistol in an almost obsolete 7.35 or 7.65 caliber that was nice but got traded in for an Astra Constable (Guernica, Spain) in .22 LR. Many vicious Red Squirrels in the Northeast Kingdom fell to this.
Excellent history lesson, as usual. Thanks.
Thanks Mike. Another great video.
In a way, this is a vid I didn't need to see. But. ...here I am, cuz how interesting you make your presentations
Great history as usual. Thanks.
Praise the Lord and Boiling hot coffee time and thank you for sharing brother
Great historical conversation.
A few years ago while surfing GunBroker, I buzzed bid on a NIB 21st century R-51. Looked amazing. Then I did some research on it. Ooof. Luckily, I was outbid. I would consider picking up the OG version, though. Would go well with my Savage pistols. Great presentation, Mike. I always enjoy your work.
Looking good brother!❤️👊
Thank you
Well I own two of the Remington R51’s. One tan frame, one black. What I found was the first rendition had a flat bottom breech block. The second one has a hump at the bottom. The hump bottom pushed the round down and makes the round nose dive causing issues. I believe they did this for case head support over the first model, but now they created another issue, a feeding issue. I also think because of the nature of taking it apart and putting it back together scared many away. The engineer who designed this was a rollercoaster engineer. Im keeping my two and will shoot them but never carry them. Remingtons 380 wasn't too bad except for the pin system. Thanks for the review!!!
Really interesting thanks Mike.
I love my nickel plated1925 built Model-51!
Yeah, the sights suck.
I tolerate my R-51, which I just had to buy to compare them.
Keep up the great work Mark!
I was amazed yours actually cycled. Many youtubers show them fail
In my experience three things have to happen with a semi in concert: sounds like a little stronger recoil spring is needed to lock breech. If not feeding a stronger magazine spring is needed. Timing of a round in position is critical. If that doesn't do it we're into the art of magazine followers and on our own. Maybe a Mec-gar?
Sherman and Peabody, that goes back a ways. I was one of those that had back ordered the R51. Which I canceled hearing those bad reviews. By the time they say they fixed it I already bought another pistol. Back then and still live on a budget, so didn't by it when it came out the second time. By the sounds of it i am glad I didn't get it. It was very intense to here the history on it as I lived near Ilion and been to the museum a few times before they closed up in NY.
This happen in the auto industry all the time. Engineering and QC wants a few more weeks and a couple more pre production builds, sales wants new products on the lots. Sales always wins out.
Great Video
Glad you made it to the range to enjoy the sunshine.
Thanks, Mike. You make even subjects I don't care about interesting. It's sad to see such bad work from such an iconic name as Remington.
Remington wasn't the first gun maker to rush a model on the market before all the bugs had been worked out of it and it's certain they won't be the last. And not just gun makers either.
I used to work in a gun shop and we told our customers (quietly mind you) to never buy the first six months to a year of anything new to the market, give it some time. The new ones may just have bugs (and a lot of them do) and once the novelty's worn off you'll get it at a better price anyway.
I have what I think is a 51 in 32 cal. Patent date is 1920 and 21. Has always worked. Like it a lot except it's 32 cal. Liked your post
I very much enjoyed the video
The R51s are terrifying for their propensity to fire ever so slightly out of battery.
My uncle had an old model 51, I actually loved that pistol as a kid just for how it looked and loved shooting it…except for the sights of course. But as a kid I just thought the pistol was so cool
I was super excited for the R51, but then that bad press and the whole “thing” around just scared me off of it.
I own both of these guns (1920 Model 51 in .380 and a 2nd gen R51) for exactly the reasons Mike has presented---I love weird guns---and I completely agree with all the issues he has mentioned. But I find both to be weird and wonderful, if only as range toys---and, honestly, once you're past your first 1, 2, or 12 guns, they're all range toys. The original Model 51 is the least snappy .380 and quite pleasant to to shoot, except for the teeny, tiny sights. But the sights aren't really a problem, because the POI is about a foot high at 25 feet anyway. So, point shooting it is! Actual function of my gun is basically flawless with every kind of ammo I've tried (and many .380s are finicky).
The R51 is a much better gun in almost every way. The sights are great, and I even have a Crimson Trace laser for mine, which I picked up on clearance for $30; I also got my gun for under $200, and spare mags for next to nothing. This is the advantage of buying a gun no one else wants! The R51 is easy to shoot and remarkably accurate; recoil is also less than you might expect for a gun this size and weight. Ergos aren't quite as good as the original, with a little bit of a slab-sided shape, but the build quality is superb---excellent machining and finish. The problem is with feeding, as Mike has mentioned. Mine runs ball ammo fine, with an occasional hiccup, easily cleared. But try it with hollow point ammo, and it is really finicky. I think the design of the mags is very odd, with strange angles and bits that you just don't see on other guns (or on the original Model 51, for that matter!) They say that magazines are the Achilles heel of any auto-loading firearm, and I think that the engineers at Remington just didn't have time to perfect the mags. My R51 has no problem running dirty, but mine has perhaps been broken in a bit better than Mike's. I believe Remington mentioned something about break-in back in the day...
Take-down and cleaning are bizarre with both of these guns (and both are similar), though nowhere near as difficult as my Ruger Standard/Mark I .22 pistol. Plenty of videos out there to demonstrate, but there's no way you'd ever figure it out on your own. It always seems to me that disassembly and re-assembly are very different, even though that doesn't sound like it makes any sense. There's just nothing else like it, but that's what makes these 2 guns interesting. Col. Whelen famously observed that only accurate rifles are interesting, but I think that only weird pistols are interesting.
Have to admit I've been fascinated by the re issue R51. After hearing of your experiences I better pass on this one. And as always an interesting video Mike.
And that is just one of the reasons I purchased the only pistol I still own in 9 Minimal......A Taurus G2C that now resides in my gun safe having been replaced by a "Slick Willy" era single stack Smith & Wesson compact chambered in .40 Stout & Wicked.
I groove on the gunfire in the background.
I have had both the original is one of the best point shooting guns you will ever hold, and that was the shooting style back then. I have later R51 made after the recall and it is a great shooter.
I remember being young E-4 in the Navy and reading about this pistol in a magazine on a duty day and thinking "absolutely not" lol
Good one thanks
A pity they newer made wild west style guns like colt and Winchester did. Like the 1875 revolver, remington keene, rolling block etc. I bet it would have been a success.
The pederson .45 is a real beauty, pity it didn't have the sucess it could have had. 19:48 i think remington had general quality issues at that time. By that time wanted to buy a rem700 in 300wm, i was told by the seller to switch to another brand due to the quality issues. Had a remington ww2 1911, very well worked gun good quality.
I remember being interested in the R51 when it came out. Thought it was an interesting gun. Doing a little research on it at that time, everyone said it was a jamb-O-matic. So I forgot about it.
I wanted the R51 to be a success, I loved how the gun looked. Fortunately, I heard about all of the issues before I could buy one.
Thanks
Patton pocket pistol he prefer the 1908 colt model hammer less 380. Also 51 rem 32 his insurance gun. Very good show and good information today.
Remington going bankrupt since 1816
Colt: let me show you how its done.
Hope you are well Merry Christmas.
I got my paws on a second issue R51 at a guns store when they re-released them.
The rear sight was so loose I could remove it with my fingers.
After the previous problems with the same pistol I passed. I’d love to find an original in .380.
I had a Remington model 51 back in the 70's.
I never heard of any made after 1928
I remember when the R51 came out. I was watching the reviews on TH-cam and it was failing miserably. The last review I had watched noted the the gun was capable of or actually firing out of battery, I can't remember which. At the time I was getting GUNS magazine. They did an article on the R51 and they dressed that pig up like a princess. I was so angry. I sent them a scathing email. Basically telling them that some people actually believe what you tell them, and it's very likely that their lies could get someone serious hurt or even killed. I was not one of those people. I had worked in the sales dept. of a manufacturer of AR-15 rifles for 4 years. At one point we sent a rifle to a gun writter, and after writing the somewhat canned but otherwise glowing review, he returned it. Upon it's return it was found we had shipped him one of the guns we had taken to Shots Show. These guns are disabled for safety reasons. Which means there's no way he could have actually fired the rifle. Despite that somehow the gun writer wrote about shooting the rifle and the great groups he got with it. I was very disappointed when the R51 failed. When it was first introduced I thought it would make a great suppressor host. Since it's barrel was fixed, it would not require a booster to function with a suppressor.
the ONLY problem with the M51 was too much machine time to produce, therefore more expensive just as the depression was building up.. poor timing.. I owned a .32 for a few years, EVERYONE used to comment on the COMFORTABLE grip.. it was a fine 'belly-gun' which is what it was designed as, not a target gun a point n POP... Merry Christmas Mike....
I got the 32ACP model and I love it.
Put over 500 rounds through it.
FMJ and HP runs no different.
My only disappointment is it only came with one original magazine.
Tried two after market mags and they both failed to work.
Enjoyed it, what a lost opportunity
I like the Savage pistol, it has those "gills" like my Savage .22 rifle that was made in '52.
My experience with a Gen2 R51 was the opposite of yours Mike. I've got several hundred rounds through mine, and only had a few problems now that it is VERY dirty.
the people stayed away in droves....perfectly said.
My daddy have this guns Unique 7,65 and Manurhin 357, it is policeman frenchy.
Sorry my english, i amfrenchy.
1875 Remington was pretty good.
I have the wingmasters 410 to 12 guage, the 28 was a hard one to find until I found a matched pair 410/28.
Einstine's theory is proven by politicians every day 😂 thanks for the video Mike I really enjoy them.
Good Video
No less a gun guy than General Patton owned a Remington M51 and actually preferred it to the Colt M1903. Patton liked the slimmer profile and ergonomics of the M51 and was more than pleased with the accuracy and reliability.
AND the Remington was less expensive than the Colt! Patton was independently weathy but who doesn't like saving a few bucks? Too bad it just didn't catch on, I suppose Colt's market dominance was just too much to overcome.
Enjoyed the video USN 66-70 👍👍
I thought the R51 looked pretty cool when it came out, amd I loked the feel of it, so I intended to buy one for concealed carry. But I found the grip safety would tend to catch and not reliably compress, so I passed. Glad I did!
As a resident of the Tennessee Valley, I would like to point out we built the rockets that went to the Moon. Don't judge us by this turd, or Skylab.
The Good News:
It locks open on an empty magazine
The bad news:
It locks up at random
Mike looking great! Do a review on my favorite 9mm. Walther P38. Sometime if possible.
Well but single stack subcompact is still very popular. They should’ve listened to their engineers telling them it’s still got problems to work out. I remember them being in gun counters and salesmen warning everyone not to try it.
Remington also had to compete with Savage and their 1907 pocket pistol as well.
I remember when that R51 came out, I wanted one because I thought it was a really nice looking gun
Then people started talking about the shooting experience, and I noped out
My gen 2 had burrs on the slide that dug into the locking block, took a diamond file to fix the feed problem. My gun shoots stupid low, probably need to make a taller rear sight, does yours?
No, mine is good for elevation
The only Pedersen firearm I have is a pre-1919 model 10 shotgun. Made the same way, how to get around Browning's patents.
Great video, but it would have been perfect if the R51 jammed in the opening sequence!
The original is such a good looking gun I can see why it did sell enough to last awhile. Odd that Colt could patent the grip screws though as that had been done by many for decades already, and you're generally not allowed to patent a widely used existing idea. The new one may have better sights but I don't like the look. None of this matters if it doesn't work reliably even if that takes some after-purchase work to attain. I can go with a flintlock not being 100% reliable, but anything newer had better be very, very close to always or it won't have a home here for long.
Actually, the original Model 51sold fine, but it was expensive to produce. In order to get sales, Remington had to price competitively against the Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless. But the Colt was cheaper to Produce than the Remington.
At the price point Remington had to hit to sell the Model 51, they made very little profit. After 10 years of making no money on the Model 51, Remington dropped it from the lineup.
Man I sure do wish they made more pocket pistols that look like these!
According to the testing, the Navy found that the Model 53 ran even smoother than the 1911.
I love the Model 53. I wish they had done a production run of them.
The reason it *could* have worked the second time around is that the hesitation lock system would actually be taken advantage of because of its 9mm chambering, even having the ability to chamber +P rounds. But again, the shoddy QC Remington had during the era of Freedom Group ownership ruined everything.