Since its rollout at the outset of the year, many have argued that the Remington R51 was a lemon.
However, it wasn’t until today that Remington publicly addressed the issues and concerns that many purchasers were reportedly having with the pistol.
Here is what Remington had to say, according to Guns & Ammo:
“Earlier this year, we launched the innovative R51 subcompact pistol to critical acclaim. During testing, numerous experts found the pistol to function flawlessly. In fact, they found it to have lower felt recoil, lower muzzle rise and better accuracy and concealability than other products in its class.
However, after initial commercial sales, our loyal customers notified us that some R51 pistols had performance issues. We immediately ceased production to re-test the product. While we determined the pistols were safe, certain units did not meet Remington’s performance criteria. The performance problems resulted from complications during our transition from prototype to mass production. These problems have been identified and solutions are being implemented, with an expected production restart in October.
Anyone who purchased an R51 may return it and receive a new R51 pistol, along with two additional magazines and a custom Pelican case, by calling Remington at (800) 243-9700.
The new R51 will be of the same exceptional quality as our test pistols, which performed flawlessly.
We appreciate your patience and support.”
(Cover photo courtesy of Guns & Ammo)
I planned to buy one until a got my hands on one. All Remington had to do to have the BEST CONCEALED 9 MM on the MARKET is change the dementions of the original Model 51, (380 cal) pistol a little and increase the strength of the steel a little to accommodate the 9 MM cal. , put a larger safety button on it to make it easier to operate and Remington would then have the DAMM BEST Concealed Carry Pistol in the World. No the Engineers screwed up .
What more can a company do? They admit that the R51 had issues and have offered to replace the suspect product and in compensation for the customer’s inconvience are offering a pelican case and extra magazines. Give me a break!!
I’ll rtake Remington at their word. They had an issue; stopped production; and now are stating the problem is fixed. Good for them.
It is a complete falsehood that Remington has “owned up” to the problem. In fact, they did everything linguistically possible in their carefully crafted, 170 word statement to AVOID owning up to anything. They state “some” R51 had issues – seems to me that they almost ALL do. The state the gun is “safe” but it is not for several reasons, the least of which is that a gun oriented for self defense that is horribly unreliable is not safe by any stretch of the imagination. (and this is without getting into the signs of pressure issues in the gun and documented out of battery discharges) They offer to “replace” anyone’s R51 – no questions asked. That is a recall in my vocabulary. The stated out their “update” as a marketing sales pitch – with more than 60 words of the entire statements 171 being POSITIVE marketing BS that heaps accolades on the R51 and admits nothing – not the opposite.
It is a complete falsehood that Remington has “owned up” to the problem. In fact, they did everything linguistically possible in their carefully crafted, 170 word statement to AVOID owning up to anything. They state “some” R51 had issues – seems to me that they almost ALL do. The state the gun is “safe” but it is not for several reasons, the least of which is that a gun oriented for self defense that is horribly unreliable is not safe by any stretch of the imagination. (and this is without getting into the signs of pressure issues in the gun and documented out of battery discharges) They offer to “replace” anyone’s R51 – no questions asked. That is a recall in my vocabulary. The stated out their “update” as a marketing sales pitch – with more than 60 words of the entire statements 171 being POSITIVE marketing BS that heaps accolades on the R51 and admits nothing – not the opposite.
I think the best barometer as to whether Remington can adequately clean this horrific mess up is how they communicate with their customers – and its not starting off good. Many of the faulty R51s were already on the way back to Remington in MARCH. That would make it 4 months since the issue came to their attention – although I have no idea how the guns could have even made it out the door. By the time the expected “production restart” starts in October (and they didn’t say whether that was the 1st of October or the 31st) is it likely that anyone who’s been out a working gun will have one in hand in less than 7-9 months when considering shipping, etc? The compensation to the purchasers is a plastic box to replace the cardboard one that Remington shipping the gun in to begin with is Remington “making things right?” I don’t think so…
They’ve not done right by Marlin, the Model 700, and now this. Someone needs to tell corporate what Continuous Quality Improvement is. There’s really no excuse for ruining a perfectly good design through poor production methods.
That said, they’ve not yet forgot how to manufacture a good semiautomatic shotgun. Hopefully they won’t.
I have had several jam ups. I switched ammo and it improved, but didn’t completely fix the problem. I’m glad Remington is willing to replace the R51, when it shots, it’s a nice feeling pistol. I just wouldn’t depend on it in self defense situation, as it is.
I am glad to see that someone admits to a problem & is doing so much to fix it. I do want to purchase one as I do have one of the originals.
I know from experience that Remington backs up their products.
I bought a 7600 in .308 that was abused by UPS and I had to send it back 3x.
It really pissed me off and I was at the end of my rope.
They ended sending me a new rifle that they made sure wasn’t a lemon.
I now have a straight shooting hard hitter that I’m proud of.
I also like the R-51 and couldn’t wait to get one for CC until I saw all the problems all the 1st buyers were having.
I am now waiting for the kinks to get worked out.
They probably just need to fire some unreliable workers in production is all.
Great concept and design in my opinion.
I just want to say you can trust the company to do the right thing.
By the way, who doesn’t run the hell out of a firearm 1st before they rely on it?
I had a remington 597HMR, after seeing the way remington treated people stupid enough to buy their products, I will never purchase one of their products made since 1980.
When are they going to admit destroying Marlin and FIX it ?
After any “new/improved”firearm is announced, I will always wait at least one year before even considering purchasing a new firearm model. Beats being an unpaid beta-tester for a firearms company. Look at how long Rock River has been advertising their (to-date) non -existent polymer framed 1911 pistols. Far too long and they still haven’t released anything yet. Just more incompetence from the marketing folks, there must be a cohesion between the marketing side of firearms companies and the engineering side to restore faith in these companies. Remington screwed the pooch big time on the R51, and I would never consider getting a “new/improved” model now. they gambled with people’s lives, just like GM and a whole host of other companies. The sheeple buying these products must wake up. Love the Remington shotguns, but the R51 was an unmitigated disaster from its inception.
“playing with people’s lives”……. I agree! And Remington is not the only gun maker doing the same thing.
They didn’t say anything about the price. Will it’s new R51 cost the same?
I’ve never owned a Remington firearm, but I’m quite impressed with the company’s response to this issue. A Remington R51 may be in my future.
Good job, that’s all anyone could ask for, Make it right and take care of the customer.
I think Remington is doing the right thing. Admit fault and do what you can to make it right. I wish more companies would follow suit. It’s refreshing to see anyone in today’s world take responsibility for anything. I hope the relaunch is very successful. I’ve always been a fan of Remington firearms.
This is why a gun review based on a prototype is either useless or worse, in terms of the purchase decision.
It seems Remington is admitting guilt and instituting a plan to fix the problem. Most gun owners like straight shooters. If the results are good the gun may sell well. If not….OOPS!
I hope Remington is successful in reintroducing the R51. It’s an interesting concept, and the one I handled at the SHOT Show felt good in the hand. We’ll see.