The Remington R51, back in action.
Well, well. Remington is back at SHOT with an updated R51. This isn’t a huge surprise, but it is newsworthy. I’d figured they were going to try again. Back in October, I was at the NASGW Show in Little Rock, and Remington had massive banners at the entrance advertising the pistol. I figured it was either a resurection of the failed design, or the worst marketing blunder since New Coke.
Either way, they had the new guns at SHOT, and I waited until the end of the day Friday, right before the booth closed, to stop in. The crowds had gone, and I got the whole story–and I find it interesting.
It seems the problems at Remington had to do with the transfer from the hand-built process to the machine work. Using the same plans, the Remington folks were able to make guns that worked. When they automated the process, something wasn’t right.
Word in the Remington booth is that the problems have been solved, and the new guns are up to spec. They’ve also fixed some of the more common complaints. They made the gun less ratchety. They put set screws in the sights. They added a positive indicator in the reset of the trigger. And they made it work.
The new guns will ship with extra mags, and come in a Pelican case. Not bad. If you have one of the old ones, you may exchange it for free. If you want one of the new ones, they’ll be available as soon as Remington replaces all of the old ones. And they have a couple of other new designs fully realized, waiting in the wings. As soon as the R51 is up and running, they’ll be rolling out those, too.
[one_half]
New pins should keep sights from sliding.
[/one_half][one_half_last]
The interior of the Pelican.
[/one_half_last][full_width]
A nice case for a gun like this.
[/full_width]
I bought one of the first R-51’s and it had more troubles than it was worth. When I realized that I would have to purchase a 9mm Para finish reamer to correct the chamber, I put it on GunBroker.com. We sent along a note on which 9mm ammo it liked, and I’m sure that the lady who bought it, won’t have any trouble. But this design isn’t any M-51. Its a take off of the later M-53, made for the 45 acp. In John Pederson’s M-51, his breech block drops into a steel recess in the frame, and it then is cammed up out of it. Remmie’s new R-51’s, simply bring the block backwards into an aluminum shelf, and then the slide cams the block up and over the shelf. Its only a delayed blowback, and it probably needs to be sent out in the lower pressure 45 acp, with a lot herkier grip frame. The concealed hammer was a big plus in my book. I have bought my wife a Ruger SR 22 to replace the R-51? I sold. With a C.T. Laser sight, its good for about 15 yards in bright daylight. I can get it to sing at 50 yards with the open sights, by using a diopter on my prescription eye glasses. In semi darkness, the C.T. laser is good for more than 50 yards. Its job is to protect my wife’s two ankle biters while we are at hunting camp, staying in our Tin Tepee. These Remington guys really fudged things by claiming it was easy to retract the slide. Yes, if you hold the pistol upside down, so the “floating breech block” won’t hit that aluminum shelf in the frame in the first place. Not getting it all the way back will mean a FTF jam. So its actually one of the nastiest slides to retract, weak handed, while pointing the gun in a safe direction, using your strong hand.
I bought mine last year. It was the first one in Maryland so it had to go to the Roster Board where it failed to function properly. My gun Dealer returned it to Remington on the recall. I am patiently waiting for my replacement gun. I have been a loyal Remington customer for over 58 years, I am sure they will treat me right and the replacement will pass the Hand Gun Roster Board on the 2nd try. A year and 3 months is not too long to wait for perfection.
I went to Cabelas last year and wanted to purchase a R51. Cabela’s was out of stock so I filled out paperwork to be contacted when they were available to get one at a special price. To this day, now over a year ago, I haven’t heard a word from Remington or Cabela’s. So what is the status of this firearm….any comment from Remmington?
Just spoke with Remington last week. They truly don’t have a time frame for releasing the R51. I’ve been waiting for my replacement for about 10mos now. The only other option is to replace it with an Standard R1 or get a refund. I REALLY like the design and would rather have the original I sent in back. I can send it to a gunsmith and get quicker results. I am truly disappointed with Remington. I am contemplating taking the R1 and building on that platform.
I remember wanting a R51 when they came out. After finally finding one instock at a local gun shop last year I had to see it.
What a disappointment. …. The slide action was terrible… Stiff and notchy…
Needless to say I handed it back to the gun store clerk and left the store..
Since that dissapointing day I have purchased roughly 20 other firearms and not a single one of those purchased firearms has the Remington name on it …
Remington…..Are you listening????
I bought my R51 after they first came out. Shot well, easy on the recoil and decently accurate. Only problem was the slide would stick back 1/8″ every now and then, an easy smack would set in place. Sent mine in under the replacement program back in Oct14, was told late Nov-Dec14 for a replacement. Nothing, emailed customer service and told factory moving from NC to AL and would likely be mid Feb15. I was at the Outdoor Show in PA and the Remington salesman said most likely more towards end of 2015 for replacements. Emailed cust srv again, they said production should start back up 2nd qtr 2015. Emailed cust srv again tonight, waiting for reply. I like the gun very much but I traded my R1 in for it (bought a Kimber .45) so I don’t need another .45 but I just might take a R1 for replacement and trade it in on a Kimber Solo 9mm. Just have to see what they reply. I think their cust srv has a lot to be desired.
I was able to hold one today at a trailer set up by Remington at the Grand Opening of Cabelas in Garner NC. It didn’t have a lot of eye appeal but advertising said the pistol has a 3.4″ barrel and a very low bore axis reducing muzzle flip and felt recoil. It shoots + p ammo and I liked the 3 dot sights on it. Looks to me to be about the perfect size for a carry gun and fit the hands much better than the mico guns. The only safety on the one I held was the grip safety which seemed like a good Idea to me. I would actually consider buying one.
I like the design , size , caliber ,carryablity and lack of recoil ,still the question I have is when will the improved R51 hit the shelves again ?
Remmington R51, a classic case of corporate accountants literally designing, developing and manufacturing products for companies. It’s all about dening money for a new product launch. This type of incompetent management, takes money away from all of the imputs it takes to make a successful product R&D ,engineering, tooling, quality control, well trained and retained motivated employees and so on, is a disguised way of punching that bottom line and justifing and keeping their jobs. This example of dysfunction is called a QUALITY FADE. The Chinese were one of the first to perfect this hard to detect but intentional business practice. With no checks and balances in place the result for Remmington was the worst possible outcome.”No one company should be considered a total failure, even they can be used as a bad example. “
quality control. no one has mentioned the workers who will be history when the plant moves to a better state. I looked in a new R51 last year, burrs, tool marks. the gun should not have been shipped. but. I want one. bad hands, weak upper arms, and put over 150 rounds of mixed stuff. and no bobble of any kind. the owner will not sell. I want one.
I for one LOVE Remington- they provide thousands of weapons that need repair early and often…. I HATE SIGs- they can go for thousands of rounds without so much as tuneup. How’s a gunsmith supposed to feed his family on that? I had the opportunity to work on the R51 last Spring- as others have described, it was not ready for prime time. I was able to get it functioning somewhat by polishing up the rough bits, especially the barrel and recoil spring. Customer was able to get through a mag with only one or two issues. Maybe Gen 2 will be better, but then again…
Thanks again, Remington.
I have a used Czech Army CZ82 that was made in 1985, and it has 1500+ rounds through it being my CCW. Polygonal rifling; 12+1 capacity. Easy to fix if it were to ever need anything, and it has never hiccupped. Best $199 I ever spent. Remington recall- prone product in a fancy Pelican case? LOL. No thanks.
Winston,
I have a CZ82, old enough I bought it with my C&R license. I use if for carry when I need a small weapon.
Had a part break on the hammer mechanism and sent it in and they fixed it for free. (Did I mention it was C&R)?
I don’t think US manufacturers could not even copy and build a simple Makarov correctly.
The original Rem Model 51 grip safety joints, bite the hands’ web unpleasantly when using hot 380 loads.
I wouldn’t want to shoot it in 9mm unless that joint was covered up.
A rubber strip cemented over the entire backstrap would probably do it.
Pedersen spent a lot of time on ergonomics , pointability & thinness .
Slide effort is light due to Pedersens’ delayed locked breech design.
His screwless,interlocking parts takedown is something else to appreciate.
If you believe Remington’s story about going from hand tooling to machining, I have some beach front property in Arizona I’ll sell you. It seems plausible enough that there would be some issues going from a concept gun to a production model, but that’s not what happened in this case. Sights falling off guns, slides locking and having zero movement, guns that fail to fire, and more are unacceptable failures that should have been caught by quality control before those guns ever left the factory.
BTW Remington, quality control is this thing where you actually look at the gun and test it before you put it in the box. No, it can’t be automated, a human must actually look at the gun and verify its working properly.
To all my brothers and sister in the gun culture, boycott “Freedom” Group. They ruined DPMS, they ruined Bushmaster, they are almost done ruining Remington and they won’t stop until we stop buying their crappy guns. If people keep buying their crap, they will try to acquire more manufacturers as well. We can’t let that happen.
Like many others last year I looked forward to the new R51. When one finally arrived locally I rushed down but my expectations were dashed. No…not dashed…but totally crushed. What a poorly crafted, gosh awful feeling pistol. No sale.
After my fiasco with the 700 trigger recall (first one, not current one) I’ve never been so PO’d at a gun company in my life. If you like being treated like a piece of annoying dirt, provided they even treat you, then Remington is where you want to be.
I’m now in the process of dumping most of my Remingtons. Never could love the 870 and current 700s are just bad. Howa and Savage and Browning/Winchester will be replacing them.
So Rem. had problems and a recall….a nightmare for them and an inconvenience for us.They did all they could to handle a very difficult situation….offered refunds etc and I hear a lot of complaining. The gun industry is a tough business…think you could design and build products on a mass scale without an occasional hiccup? Stop whining. We re lucky to have companies like Rem in the gun business.
I too contacted Remington people at the Shot Show. I sent in a customers R51 in October and never got a confirmation of receipt. They advised when the factory is moving from New York It will begin replacing the R51 after the new factory is set up. (someday) . Lets see now they recalled the 17HMR 597 and offered a paltry $200 for it if you sent it in to them. We now know that “ALL 700’s” are recalled, and the R51. I sure wish I owned the office serving their shipping and receiving. Come on Remington how about checking your guns before selling them to the public.
I don’t trust a company who won’t let a gun journalist in their SS booth just because he’s not a RemDick Rider. Remington has lost all value it once had in its name.
My original Remington 51 in .380 is such an outstanding gun that I will root for the new R51 to come together, and I’ll buy one if it does. If they can’t get it done, it goes into the category of the US Army’s attempt to reverse engineer the German MG-42 during WWII. They got it to the test-firing stage, only to find it jamming constantly. Come to find out that we’d forgotten to redimension the ejection port to accommodate the caliber .30 case length of 63mm, vs. the original German 57mm. We gave up the entire project!!! (I suspect there must have been other problems, but that’s the story I’ve read.)
The original R51 was troubled by a bad disconnector, which was re-designed and NP3’d.
The breech block camming surfaces would fret and gall after a 1000 rounds or so.
This from direct observation of sample guns through our shop.
Breech block was a MIM part, thin hard skin, soft core.
New issue should be better. New head engineer says she has it in hand.
I wanted an R51. The Gun Magazines were raving over them when new, and then the release happened. They had major issues. Remington “owned up” to those issues, gave a viable explanation on the how and why it happened, and offered to make it right through any means you wished, refund or “new” R51 when issues were corrected. I don’t take issue with anyone making a mistake, they happen. I hate companies that “hem and haw” their way around the issue, and make excuses. Remington did not. They accepted the blame and responsibility, and held themselves accountable for the errors. I am looking forward to the new release, and plan on buying one. At least I know if there is a problem, Remington will deal with it properly. Don’t expect that from Taurus. They act as if you are trying to steal from them when you have an issue with one of their firearms. Hey Taurus, it’s YOUR warranty! If you don’t wish to honor it, don’t promise it!
Still looks Dumb
Ugly gun, I don’t get it. If they had kept it as the original I would have liked it. I suspect they tried to use modern engineering and milling methods to achieve a low price point which induced changes to the original design. Looks like a bastardized compromise, the usual block slide crudely machined to shape it and stuck on top of a polymer frame.
Looks like crappy work. In my opinion it will fail, there is too much competition from better guns to buy a cheap imitation, an ugly one at that.
I was an early adopter. The action was rough and staccato when racking the slide admittedly, no feel on trigger reset, but honestly didnt bother me. I did and still have lingering concerns about that breech block area where that petterson lug strikes that initiates its’ pivot (hope that is explained well enough). The lug looks to be a hardened steel and the block is part of the frame in anodized aluminum. I’m thinking those strikes over time cant be a good thing.
Outside of that, the issue mine had was that it dropped the magazine every time the pistol was shot.. it cycled and never had a mishap otherwise, but that mag dropping character couldnt be fixed. The petterson action otherwise did work, definitely reduced recoil.
I think its a touch overstyled tho. I dont much like the extra swoopy lines on the slide and think the front doesnt need that tapering..the whole thing somewhat ‘feminizes’ the styling..which might be ideal for what might be the ideal market I suppose (except the takedown).
Otherwise I admittedly confess that I am drawn to it because of it’s ‘difference’, tho a revival of an old system, its still unique in the modern handgun world, so that made it interesting. It’s decent price point also made it something worth while taking a chance on. I’m looking forward to Part Deux..but it has been and shall remain a curiousity piece for me and thats good enough.
I gotta agree with some of the other comments regarding Remington customer service.. the telephone system to try to get a live human being to converse with seems purposefully setup to encourage you to just give up and go away. If you do get a live person, you are almost guaranteed to have the wrong department that means being placed on hold for an indeterminable amount of time and if/when you finally get a live human again, the impression that you are bothering them is more the sense I get than one where they have any real interest in helping me.
I’ve never quite understood people that work in customer service.. if you fundamentally dont like or have a low tolerance for your customers..why did they apply for and take the job?
Sounds like Remington has outsourced to the PRC. Could “Made in China” be any worse?
Look what they did to Marlin when they acquired them. Destroyed the brand and started sending junk out the door. Poor management/leadership is to blame here, plain & simple. Everything else; quality, enigeering, marketing, etc. can be attributed to the current leadership. The “mystery” of manufacturing quality products was solved by Bell Labs many years ago with statistical quality control, so there can be no excuses for putting substandard products on the market in this day and age. Hopefully the shareholders wise-up and hire someone who knows how to make quality firearms to head-up this company. They also need to move out of New York and relocate to a right-to-work state that respects our 2nd amendment rights.Good Luck Remington.
Remington could do all of us a favor, and bring back the “66” it was the best!
yeah the 66 with the “unbreakable” nylon stock that was guaranteed never to break or crack. I have seen hundreds with cracked stocks, I would like it brought back too, but with a different composition for the stock.
yeah the 66 with the “unbreakable” nylon stock that was guaranteed never to break or crack. I have seen hundreds with cracked stocks, I would like it brought back too, but with a different composition for the stock.
Remington could do all of us a favor, and bring back the “66”
Purchased mine early last year and did not shoot it much. Had no problems other than figuring out disassembly and reassembly. Read the manual (duh). Sent it back to Remington under the voluntary replacement program. Have heard nothing since (3 1/2 months). I’m still willing to give them a chance whenever I receive the new one. Wish i had been given the option to swap for a 1911 as one of the others mentioned.
You still can. Just call Remington’s Customer Service line, give them your case number (they can look it up if you don’t remember), and tell them that you want the R1 1911 swap.
I had the first version of the R51 and I thought it was great. It did everything right and was fun to shoot, no failures at all. I only put about 250 rounds through it though. I sent it back when the recall started and waited. When December came and went I called Remington. The lady I spoke with was very nice, courteous and professional. They were unable to deliver the new R51 on schedule because of a decision to move the manufacturing to their new plant in Huntsville. She did not seem the least bit evasive and told me they are still hiring people there. They are saying mid 2015 for shipping dates but that will take a miracle now so reality is more like late 2015. She offered me a 1911 R1 instead of waiting for the R51 and I took it. They had those in stock and I received it about a week ago. The whole roll out has obviously been a fiasco but I really did like the R51 I had and I will get another one when they are available again.
David, I didn’t read the first article on this gun, the Remington R51, what are some of the specs; caliber, capacity etc?
Sorry to pop your bubble Richard, but you may loose interest, or at least wait a while on purchasing this firearm.
Just for your information; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTzS4sQfn4U&feature=player_detailpage&x-yt-cl=84838260&x-yt-ts=1422327029
seems as if the writer likes the case better than the pistol……
I am very excited about the R51 Gen 2. The first R51 I got in March of last year worked incredibly, smooth easy racking, and not a single problem with brass bullets. After over 800 rounds there was wear starting to show on the Breech Block. I called and was put on hold for a few minutes until an extremely helpful customer service rep, Carolyn, answered and listened to the my concerns. She spent quite a while bringing up my past emails, going over every concern I had, and made the offer to send the return mailing info. I told her I really did not want to return mine, but wanted to see if there were some repair parts that could be used to make the corrections. I told her that I love mine and it is functioning great, the front sights had been tuned in, both sights are a tight fit, it feels and aims great, is smooth to rack, and it feel like it was made for my hands. There have only been a few FTF and that was because of the cheap steel jacket Russian ammo I bought. The major concerns I have are: 1) with the wear on the Breach Block Assembly starting to show on the rear sides and beginning to create “troughs” (for lack of a better description) on the frame where the BBA slides in front and behind the two ears on the Disconnector & Fire Control parts. After ~750 rounds, mine is very easy to rack, and disassembly and re assembly are done with ease.
After getting lucky enough to buy my second, (and I think the last R51 advertised for sale on this site), I sent in the first one and stored the second one as an investment (serial #00017XXR51). I received an email from Remington indicating the new model would be sent in Nov. ’14, and another follow up saying “…..I sincerely apologize but I gave you some incorrect information. I was informed after I sent you an email that the R51’s are just now going into production….for shipment sometime the first of 2015. Remington should be sending you an email once these are ready to ship out but feel free to keep intouch with us. Again, I apologize for the delay and the incorrect response.”
The latest info I have read shows there are some positive changes with the base plate to the magazines, the Breech Block plating, the feel of the reset to the trigger, and the sights anchoring modification. If the internal parts are corrected to stack properly and the revisions make ALL of the pistols function without fault like my original did, this will be an exceptional piece and the next phases with the .40 and .45 will surely be promoted. If it does not function the way their reps say and all of the bugs have not been worked out before they send out the next generation, the results will most likely be fatal, considering all of the other issues they are trying to resolve. I hope it will be worth the wait! You can also follow the journey on the R51 Pistol Forum.
BEEP….BEEP….says the Remington drone….BEEP…BEEP
AaawooooGAH!! AAAwwoooogah!! “Paid-for Post” spotted off the starboard bow Cap’n!!
I mean, if you’re going to fluff Remington, the least you could do is TRY to make it not look so obvious. When companies pay people to troll these boards and offer their “unbiased” insight, it makes these companies appear shallow and disingenuous.
Sheesh!
Agree. That post is flashing strobes of fake. Must have confused Remington with another company.
Ditto on the customer service. I was able to buy a 700P in Win .308, that the local PD no longer needed, and I was wanting the manufacture date. I emailed them with the Serial & Model Number and have never heard a peep since. That was a year ago…
I purchased the R51 in March of 2014. I shot the gun twice (app. 90 rounds of Remington FMJ 9mm. The rear sight started moving out of alignment. I returned the gun on April the 7th of 2014, per Remington’s instructions. After numerous calls and emails to inquire as to when I could expect my gun back, I was given the sorry Charlie email with the offer of a pelican case and two extra magazines. My last call to Customer no service was an offer to refund my money since the agent had no clue when they would be shipping a replacement gun. What a poor example of the way to run a company. I since have bought a Smith& Wesson to replace the of the R51. I for one will never purchase anything from Remington or their other partner companies again. Color Me gone !
See Bill Kear,
This is what happens when you burn that bridge.
All for nothing.
As a lefthander, Remington was once my “go to” gun manufacturer. I got away from that more than 20 years ago. I’m interested in the new R51, but need to read that all of the bugs and poor design features (e.g. the punishing ridges of the grip safety) are addressed without any new issues. I’ll wait, and that wait will be made easier should the rumored Glock SSM (single stack magazine) 9mm, similar to their model 42, becomes available. Heck I might even quit the R51 wait if the Glock SSM pans out.
I love my original ones….I’ll give the new one a whirl once they are released.
I bought one of the first ones and it was a piece of junk. Probably the worst pistol in my gun safe. I’ve owned Miami pistols of better quality. The inside of slide and frame are rough. Gun jammed a lot when shooting. I spent some time smoothing down all those rough edges and finally got it working 99% of the time. BIG problem is Remington as a company. They basically don’t have customer service or a parts department. One of my magazines was stolen and I have attempted to buy another one with no luck. Remington provides a list of dealers in your area but when you contact them, they don’t even know what an R51 is and they can’t get parts either. I filed a question on Remington website, got a ticket # and have not heard a peep from them sense. Zero parts are available for this gun!!! Remington is doing the head in the sand trick hoping it will all go away. Buyer beware with Remington firearms.
If you believe in the Tooth Fairy then you might be dumb enough to buy one. If you have any grey matter between your ears you will wait the standard 2 years before buying any firearm that has just been designed and marketed as its cheaper for the manufacturer to test it on the public rather than do the R&D at the factory as they used to do back when they made quality firearms. If you wait two years even though you will not get quality you may luck out and get a functioning firearm complete with genuine stamped sheet metal and plasticky parts. It doesn’t get any better than that these days.
Remington sucks with the exception of a few guns 760 7600 870 700 they have definitely fell off the gun Wagon I am more than unsatisfied with their products!!! As of lately
Remington needs a management overhaul. They continue to make terrible marketing decisions over and over. I have given up on them after waiting way too long for 30 Rem AR brass!
I think they got some girly designer to puts some curvy lines on it, Remington also has forgotten basic principles of Quality Assurance: when you change a process, you likely change the product. Automation typically removes people from the line to save money- when those people should be repurposed to monitor the process with gages, SPC charts, and attribute charts when necessary and applied in the most economical manner. Metal grinders don’t understand the variables of injection molding. Purchasing thinks that the material specs guarantee supplier to supplier consistency. Stick with one, and demand statistical date with each lot. But first of all consult with consumer groups. Designers and engineers tend to think they know everything and just love to change things without considering all the consequences. Quality is poor in the entire industry and Remington’s in danger of becoming the Chrysler of the gun industry. – Quality Engineer, injection molding, metal stamping, machining, gun enthusiast.
You sound like Dr, Deming.
Concur with the Deming comment, which I intend as a compliment. Excellent points. I have an originial M51. And I absolutely love it. Far ahead of it’s time which superior features when compared with Colt 1903 and Browning 1955 (I don’t have the previous Browning model). I don’t like the ‘ogee’ curve by the ejection port and the barrel. Prefer the straight line and the long, flat aim lane on the original M51. I do like the adjustable sights though. Probably not going to get a new one.
I had some of the same thoughts. I’m a relative nube to guns and have no military experience but I do have a background in manufacturing Quality Assurance, mostly automotive. Has Remington never developed a design and transitioned from prototype to production? I would find that hard to believe, yet we see the results of their first iteration of the R51. When we bought a Ruger LCP for my wife, I was beginning to wonder about their methods. The slide was very hard to rack and the slide lock action was binding and nearly impossible to engage. I worked with it a couple months but finally sent it back to Ruger. They repaired it and sent it back in about 2 weeks. It was then more like what I had expected out of the box. Incidently, I bought a Glock 17 for myself and have had zero issues, going on two and a half years now. My point is, these other companies have been around a long time but they don’t seem to have continuity in their methods, from product to product. I expect much better from firearm manufacturers.
I got mine last year at a Big Box Store. No glaring issues, then the “reports” started coming up on-line and print; and the world knows that something is wrong- possibly very wrong with Remington’s IPO of this R51. And you never (still don’t) hear anything of real substance about what was wrong. I accepted their voluntary recall and initially opted for a replacement. When I returned it in September, Rem advised that it would be at least November before I would see the replacement. Heard nothing in November and in December I contacted them, asking “when” I would see the replacement or “when” I would hear anything from them. Finally got a reply that the replacement would be shipped to me “sometime in 2015”, know date certain. They then advised I could be refunded my purchase price or a 1911 .45 in replacement. This entire process was worse than any root canal that I ever had. Customer Service or whoever it was that I tried communicating with gave only terse, one-line responses and was of little or no help. I would have been perfectly satisfied with the original R51 were there no questions raised, or a real effort on their part to reach out and keep in contact with others that purchased the pistol. As it is, I’m now a very dissatisfied former customer; trying to let others know what they can expect from a former leader in this industry. Best of luck.
Bill, don’t burn the bridge.
If they know your not going to be a faithful customer, you may be treated poorly. (why should they invest in that?)
I had an ongoing problem with Remington .308 rifle I bought.
I sent it back 3 times (there’s your root canal).
I explained to them I was from a family of loyal customers that go back 3 generations of owning their products.
My last words to them was that I just wanted what they promised to deliver and am waiting faithfully for that to happen.
That got the attention of the heads of the company, and they ended in shipping me a new rifle that was thoroughly inspected.
I now own a real accurate and ass kicking 308. I love it, and will always own it. (7600 pump that many people have problems with)
I took a long time, and I know what your going through, but what’s the alternative? Burn a bridge, and get screwed?
That’s why I’m waiting now before get the R-51.
I think Remington literally crewed the pooch big time, in their blatant mishandling of the recall and the disastrous rollout of the “new” R51, originally. I personally have no problems burning bridges, especially when a firearms company, like Remington, fully expected their customers to become unpaid beta testers for a POS, which they did not adequately test at all.
Marketing hype, should never drive management decisions. Alas, at Remington it still does. I’ll wait a very long time before I ever buy another Remington firearm again. However, their Golden Saber line of ammunition (called by their marketing department something else of course) is superb in real defense and officer involved shootings, that product I will continue to carry and buy.
It was researched and tested well, before allowing the marketing mopes to get near it.
Burn the bridges, sometimes, in fact in this case with Remington, it IS the only message to send to the “management” of that company.(and no, I don’t work for a competitor or any firearms industry entity).
The only problem left is it still looks like something Marvin the Martian would be packing.
LOL 2A, — (“where’s the Kaboom, there was supposed to be an earth shattering Kaboom?”)
I like that look.
Kind of reminds me of a Walther or CZ.
More like 007 would have it tucked away.
It’s the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator. LOL
I guess it kinda grows on me a bit after I soak it in. However, if the darn thing doesn’t work reliably, and I’m on the fence with the aesthetics to begin with, that’s Fail / Fail with me. Hopefully they will get it sorted out for everyone who already invested in it, and create a long-term “cult following” for the folks who like it.
Regards
I’m a fan and can’t wait for the new R51 to hit the stores. Yes, even though it looks like “something Marvin the Martian would be packing”. What!!!!????? I think they did a beautiful job holding true to the original M51. The R51 looks like it does because it is a REDESIGN of an OLD favorite.
Have you never seen the original? I guess you also expected the Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro to look nothing like their ancestors too??
I wish them well. I like the look of this pistol, I like that it’s all metal, and I like the idea of resurrecting a pistol design that dates back to 1917. If they can make it work, I’ll consider buying one.
I have to chuckle about the comment of “..transfer the process from hand built to machine work…” In other words, modernize their methods from the way it was done in 1917 to the way it’s done now. Until the last few years, even the major builders had competent gunsmiths handling the complex and precise parts of making “Insert name” ‘s firearms for general sale to the public. A few makers still do this, but most makers (like Ruger) require that their products be assembled by people “who were making washing machines or cutting lawns a few weeks ago” and still expect their products to work.
So I spend $1800.00 on a pistol that is hand made… It’s something that will outlast me and probably my grandchildren. And its accurate.
Yes, you can save money by mechanizing the whole process and letting the gunsmiths collect unemployment (not), and most people won’t know what they’re missing. So what if it rattles when you shake it? It goes boom most of the time and hits reasonably close to where it’s pointed. What else could you want for $49.95?
KMacK, do you feel better about yourself, now that you have expressed your insufferable elitism?
I myself have not spent $1800 on a handmade pistol. Yes, I buy factory made guns. None have been quite as well-priced as you suggest, though. With names like Sig, Beretta, Walther, Tanfoglio, (and a side trip to a Turkish beast named Sarsilmaz), and yes, the pedestrian-staffed Ruger, I have found that my guns don’t rattle, do go boom consistently, and hit where their less-than-perfect operator points them.
I can only hope your ability to look down a barrel is half as refined as your ability to look down your nose at the rest of us, my good fellow.
Funny you should say this. My Rugers are the most accurate guns I own. In fact my cheapest Ruger is the most accurate gun I own.
$1800 what is a matter with you. Theres 100s of guns under $600-$700 that i bet i can shoot better than your $1800 gun. 99% of us can’t afford to get a custom gun made not to mention its pointless.
P.S Have you ever heard of Glock, M&P, Xd, Ruger I could go on for hours!!!
Go Remington I’m buying one soon.
I wanted 1 of the old ones, than i read reviews. I will wait and see. See if i cant find it on sale.
I’m in the same boat as you.
I really want one when they work out all the bugs
I like the design and shape, and ease of use.
Remington fully backs their products, and that’s another plus.
This is their baby, and I know they’ll get it right.
Until then, sadly, this guy shares my view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ8yMrgDv0c&feature=player_detailpage&x-yt-cl=84838260&x-yt-ts=1422327029
I have one of the 1st Gen R51’s. I sent it back and am waiting for the NEW R51 to be shipped to me. They are offering a standard R1 for those who can’t wait or don’t trust the re-work. I had a hard time deciding what to do. I can get a $600 gun and buy another R51 if/when they come out or I can wait. I decided to wait. I really like the R51.
I bought one of the “old” ones, it worked perfectly **when assembled correctly** but I got so scared of all the BS that I sold it to a guy, who is still happy with it.
I ACTUALLY READ the manual and it showed reassembly making sure a tiny tab on the slide lock went into a small slot. I assembled it once with the small tab NOT in the slot and LO and BEHOLD it jammed, the slide was tough to move, OH MY>
Seems like there was MASS STUPIDITY going on.
and what about the Self adjusting sights? is that the users fault too?
this gun was a MESS!
Mine never had that, I’d bet money it’s retards who can’t shoot blaming the sights. Shooting a tiny gun like it is not easy to make tight groups for bad shooters.
My front sight drifted all the way off the gun. The barrel set in the slide crooked side to side by .103″. Breech block was cracked, poor machining all together.