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Remington R51 Generation2 Pleasant Surprise

5K views 42 replies 24 participants last post by  pgg00 
#1 ·
Okay, it's a given that I'm a little strange. I just can't walk away from a challenge sometimes.

Remember, I'm the guy that bought the Beretta Pico when it first came out, refused to send it back, and, through hard work and a lot of break-in, turned it in its unmodified state into a reliable pocket rocket.

Anyway, this R51 had been in the LGS case for over a year. I read all the bad things about it, but they made me an offer I couldn't refuse and it followed me home. Of course, the first thing I did was field strip it to clean and lubricate it. It took 10 minutes to figure out how to field strip it. It took 3 hours and 4 YouTube videos to get it back together. All my fingernails are broken and my arthritic thumbs are giving me hell, but I did it. (The secret was a battery clip. Thank you YouTube person.)

Today I took it to the range. I was told by one of the video gurus that the gun only liked 124 grain FMJ. All I had was 115 grain. What the hey...

The gun functioned flawlessly through 100 rounds of S&B brass-cased FMJ. And what a joy to shoot! The Pedersen hesitation system works well. Little muzzle flip, and the perceived recoil is non-existent compared to other 9mm pistols of this size. Mind you, it will NOT feed steel cased ammo reliably, but enjoyed all the brass I wanted to give it. It's small, light, and all metal, and I think I have a new carry gun.

If you're tempted to try this, keep one thing in mind. Field stripping is easy. Getting it back together is the challenge. But that's also the fun.

Watch the videos, including the one by Remington which is useless as far as reassembly is concerned but does show the gun apart and give you an idea where the parts go. (I think the main problem is that, when they solved the problems with generation 1, one of the solutions was to beef up the recoil spring, which made the designers reassembly techniques useless.) Pay special attention to the guy with the battery clip.

That's all I got. Time for more aspirin for my thumbs.
 
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#4 ·
Freedom Group is putting out good stuff. They had quality problems 8-10 years ago and once you get that reputation, it's difficult to shake. There was a similar positive post today for an 1894 44 mag.
 
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#13 ·
Good to know someone likes them. I am considering one despite the downsides, there just aren't that many single stack, metal frame, "single action" pistols out there. I only question the single action on the trigger because I haven't shot one yet, I find it improbable that Remington put a true SA in a gun with no manual safety other than a grip safety.
 
#15 ·
Compared to a proper 1911 trigger, I would describe most modern pistols as quasi single action. Too heavy and too much travel.
 
#16 ·
You sound like a man who loves to solve a problem. Maybe more than the love of the end product! Great that you get extreme satisfaction from the victory, maybe Remington should take you on as a trouble shooter. Glad it worked out for you, maybe you can make some extra money tuning in other R51's. I have a B I L who handled one of the gen 2's and said he would like to pick one up, I might have him search out a YouTube video from you, hint. Enjoy your project gun.
 
#23 ·
I will give Remington this. I purchased a 12 gauge Remington Competition Master shotgun a few years ago. The recoil pad deteriorated during storage. I sent R an e mail late last year, they sent me a new pad, n/c.
 
#26 ·
Truth be told, it is a fascinating little pistol. The aluminum frame, the Peterson hesitation system, the low recoil, the slim size, all make it a joy to shoot. If the original issue had worked, it would be a perfect pocket gun. But now with the much stronger recoil spring, reassembly is near impossible for a mere mortal.

By the way, cleaning it is a breeze. The breech block comes completely out. It's just that reassembly bit...getting the barrel back inside the collar, spring, and slide. Wow. Next chance I get, I'm going to run another hundred through it. I think, like the Pico, it will improve with use.

Again I say God Bless the dude on YouTube who found the battery clip trick.
Well I'm happy you made yours work, he has enough carry guns, I think I will try to put off getting the 51 for a while
 
#31 ·
I'm a glutton for punishment too, LOL. With just one small cut and a broken nail thusfar during my assembly experiences I find it to be an interesting design, with a shape only a Mother could love ;)

I like the flat on the front of the rear sight, making it possible to rack the slide one handed on your belt, a table, etc.
 
#32 ·
Most impressive thing to me is the amount of time you have,

I need an extra day a week just to keep up... but since that isn't possible...
 
#38 ·
Got bad magazines with my first one, last month.
Took about 3/16" off the legs of the mag followers, and haven't had a hiccup since!
Working so well, I just bought my second, but haven't tried it out as yet.

Oh, a third magazine from E-bay, seems to work just fine.

Eats any thing that I feed it, including steel cased junk and 65 grain Ruger ARX ammo, which I plan to carry 100 percent of the time.
I have ran from those 65 grain copper/polymer slugs through 124 grain, and think both I and the gun, prefer the lighter ones.

Worked on the 2 original magazines just before the 100 mark, and haven't had one default of any kind, since! Right now, we are just under the 500 mark. Still haven't cleaned the gun, I like to put about that 500 through them first.

Jug
 
#39 ·
Well, I am now carrying either, (or both), for SD!
Yep, working that well!

I do believe the gun/s need some break in, just as any other model/brand to wring them out, smooth up a bit. Just for confidence sake.

However, the only major problem seems to be the magazines. Stack height seems to be a problem with some, so what could be the cause of that????

Well, legs too long on the plasti follower for one thing.
Another is the hollow on the bottom of that same follower.

Trimming the legs solved the problems I was having with 2 out of 5 of my mags.
And I know another needs that recess on the bottom beveled at the least, or maybe even using a Dremel tool to enlarge it a bit for the top of the spring to fit inside it.
 
#41 ·
I have run a hundred rounds FMJ and 100 HP and only one malfunction and that was during the first 20 rounds. Anyone that was looking at this pistol and kinda put the idea on the shelf. In my opinion I would reconsider. Some people do not like the looks but I think it looks pretty unique and is what peeked my interest.
 
#42 ·
Glad it worked for the OP. I didn't go to youtube, maybe I should have. I watched the Remington reassembly video which is done by their pro shooter, think it was Travis Tomassi who has forearms like "Popeye".

Heavy spring pressure and sharp edges made reassembly a task I never ever wanted to repeat.

The bulk of my semi auto experience over the past 20 yrs or so has been Glock, Ruger SR9C and now a S&W M&P9 2.0 which require 1% of the effort and do not require "work arounds". I wanted to like the gun. It had a few malfunctions in the first time out but nothing to have kept me from keeping it but then my 2 SR9Cs and S&W have never had any malfunctions at any time.

R51 got sold, little money lost. Glad it's gone. Don
 
#43 ·
I have one i picked up during their rebate. Got it on sale as well so a little over $100 paid. No malfuctions at all. Only a couple hundred rounds through it so far though
 
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