{"id":27518,"date":"2014-01-22T14:55:27","date_gmt":"2014-01-22T20:55:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/?p=27518"},"modified":"2014-01-22T15:11:12","modified_gmt":"2014-01-22T21:11:12","slug":"remingtons-r51-9mm-pistol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/remingtons-r51-9mm-pistol\/27518\/","title":{"rendered":"Remington’s R51 9mm Pistol"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The

The new 9mm R51 with its Crimson Trace Laser Module.<\/p><\/div>\n

Remington Reinvents the Pocket Pistol!<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s been said that there are no ideas, but only reinventions of those that have gone before.\u00a0 While that statement is arguable there is some truth to it.<\/p>\n

Born in 1881, John D. Pedersen was to become one of the world\u2019s great firearms designers.\u00a0 Included among these were rifles and shotguns, such as the Remington Model 31 slide action shotgun and the T1 and T1E3 rifles in .276 Pedersen caliber, which almost won over John C. Garand\u2019s (M1) rifle and the .30-06 cartridge before World War II.\u00a0\u00a0 And of course there was the Pedersen Device designed to convert the 1903 Springfield into a high capacity semi-automatic rifle.<\/p>\n

However, in addition to Pedersen\u2019s shoulder arms was his Model 51 pistol, which he designed in 1917, and which was produced by Remington Arms in .32 ACP and .380 ACP calibers from 1918 to 1927.\u00a0 Being an advanced inside hammer, single action design, the Remington Model 51 pistol used a fixed barrel around which the recoil spring rode.\u00a0 It was of very high quality, making it relatively expensive.\u00a0 It had a thumb safety, a multi-purpose grip safety and used not a single screw in its assembly.\u00a0 The pistol, however, was and remains largely misunderstood pertaining to its unique system of operation.\u00a0 Long having been labeled a \u201cdelayed blowback,\u201d the Model 51\u2019s operation was officially labeled as \u201cHesitation Recoil,\u201d and while this description is closer to the truth, it by no means tells the whole story.<\/p>\n

\"The

The original Remington Model 51 pistol in .380 ACP caliber.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Model 51\u2019s slide incorporated a separate falling block type breechblock, the two being interdependent in operation.\u00a0 When the pistol was in battery the locked breech rested slightly forward of the locking shoulder in the frame.\u00a0 Upon\u00a0 firing, simple blowback occurred, driving the breechblock (and slide) to the rear for approximately 0.100\u201d a speed of roughly 25 fps where the breechblock stopped against the locking shoulder with the partially extracted casing.\u00a0 During this millisecond of dwell time, the bullet left the muzzle at about 1,000 fps where the pressure instantly dropped to a safe level.<\/p>\n

With the initial kinetic energy imparted to the slide by the breechblock during blowback, the slide continued to the rear for about another 0.125\u201d, camming the breechblock up, free of the locking shoulder and taking it and the spent cartridge case with it to be ejected from the gun.\u00a0 The hammer was cocked on the way until the front of the slide stopped against a collar on the recoil spring around the barrel.\u00a0 Under the pressure of the recoil spring, the slide and breechblock moved forward into battery, chambering a new round to complete the cycle.\u00a0 With this description of the Model 51\u2019s operation and the fact that it began with simple blowback, it might best be described as \u201cBlowback Hesitation Recoil,\u201d or \u201cBlowback Initiated Recoil.\u201d\u00a0 Imagine, a fixed barrel pistol that was recoil operated.\u00a0 There had never been anything like it before or since – Until now!
\nFollowing its acquisition by the Freedom Group, Remington Arms Company was unleashed to develop \u201cnew\u201d firearms, or should we say reintroduce firearms it had made a century or more before?\u00a0 The first of these was, of course, the Model of 1911 pistol, which Remington had not made since 1918, and it began producing a new 1911-A1 variation of it, the R1, in 2010.\u00a0 Then, in early 2013, Remington dusted off the drawings for John D. Pedersen\u2019s Remington Model 51.<\/p>\n

The man in charge of this project was Adam Walker, a brilliant young designer far removed from the era of John Pedersen, but who has a keen sense and appreciation of what has gone before, especially when it has worked!\u00a0 The new pistol is called the R51 and is based surprisingly close to Pedersen\u2019s original design, but is arguably much better.\u00a0\u00a0 I was privileged to be part of a group to see and shoot a dozen pre-production Remington R51 pistols at a special showing at Gunsite Academy in Paulden, Arizona, in early December 2013.<\/p>\n

\"Gunsite\u2019s

Gunsite\u2019s Cory Trapp on the R51 with two rounds of brass in the air!<\/p><\/div>\n

Of the many surprises of the R51 perhaps the most noteworthy is that it is made for the 9x19mm cartridge with no plans to offer it in .380 ACP or .32 ACP, as this is written.\u00a0 In addition, while the only slightly larger R51 also uses a fixed barrel, inside single action hammer and a separate breechblock like the original Model 51, it has been simplified and improved in a number of ways.<\/p>\n

With its somewhat long trigger take-up, the R51 has no manual safety, but retains the grip safety, which when depressed in the hand, allows the gun to be fired.\u00a0 A conventional slide stop has been added on the left side of the frame in addition to a protected ambidextrous magazine release, and each grip panel is attached with screws.\u00a0 What\u2019s more, even though it is a tiny bit bigger than its 21 oz. predecessor, the R51 weighs only one ounce more, thanks to its 7075\/T6 alloy frame.<\/p>\n

\"The

The 9mm R51 \u2013 left side.<\/p><\/div>\n

Even with all the similarities between the Model 51 and the R51, the new pistol has a familiar, yet different look.\u00a0 The slides of the FNC finished stainless steel slide are sculptured and contoured, possibly to add mass and strength, and still be appealing to the eye.\u00a0 The frontstrap is machine checkered with the ideal 25 LPI and above this the well-proportioned trigger guard us deeply undercut to allow the handhold to be higher.\u00a0 The R51\u2019s grip angle is also designed for natural pointing qualities.<\/p>\n

Nine ergonomically designed slide grooves on both sides help insure excellent purchase when retracting the slide and five similar, but smaller grooves on both sides of the frame serve as an ideal location for the trigger finger when the gun is not on target.\u00a0 On the right side of the slide is roll stamped R51 and on the left side is the Remington name logo. The R51\u2019s 416 stainless barrel has a one-piece supported feed ramp and the ejection port is lowered, and flared for positive ejection of the longer 9x19mm case, or when clearing a loaded round.<\/p>\n

Subtle flutes on either side of the frame also aid in proper index finger placement when gripping the pistol.\u00a0\u00a0 Almost the entire exterior of the R51 is designed to be able to smoothly draw the gun from concealment and replace it without snagging, and that includes its sights.\u00a0 The front sight is subtly rounded on front with a combat angle on its rear edge, but the rear sight clearly claims the record for the no-snag sight of the year!<\/p>\n

Designed to perfectly match and continue the curvature of the upper rear of the slide, the R51\u2019s rear sight combined with the entire upper rear of the gun enhances fast presentation under the worst conditions.\u00a0 As you read this XS and Novak Sights will also be available for the pistol.<\/p>\n

\"The

The R51 field stripped.<\/p><\/div>\n

For cleaning purposes, disassembling the R51 without tools is snap.\u00a0 After removing the magazine and clearing the chamber, draw the slide rearward until the takedown notch on the left side lines up with the slide stop retaining tip and push out the slide stop from right to left and remove it.\u00a0 The slide and barrel group can then be removed off the front of the frame and the 3.4\u201d stainless steel barrel, recoil spring and breechbolt can then be removed from the underside of the slide.\u00a0 No further disassembly is necessary and reassembly is in reverse.<\/p>\n

After using an R51 to test new Remington 9mm ammunition in gelatin it was time to put all the guns through their paces.\u00a0 For us to test the pre-production R51 pistols, Remington shipped 5,000 rounds of 9x19mm hollowpoint ammunition to Gunsite, and at the end of the day notified us that we had fired every round!\u00a0 We were told to expect malfunctions and to advise Remington personnel so they could inspect to evaluate the cause.\u00a0 Out of at least 200 rounds I fired from several guns, I had only two failures to feed the first round from\u00a0 fully loaded magazines, and I only heard a few other such reports.<\/p>\n

At times, the guns became so hot as to be uncomfortable to touch, not to mention them not being cleaned or lubricated throughout the shooting, but we all found the R51\u2019s comfortable to shoot and surprisingly easy to control, no doubt thanks to the gun\u2019s ergonomic design.\u00a0 With the vast majority of the shooting becoming fast and furious with informal competition against steel targets at 50 feet, there was some equally informal shooting for accuracy.<\/p>\n

From 10-yards while sitting with elbows on a table five shots were able to be kept in about 2-1\/2\u201d, and while standing modified Weaver, I could keep five hits in about 4-inches from 50-feet on a camouflaged paper target.\u00a0 This accuracy from a pocket pistol more than satisfies me, but I plan to do a lot more shooting when I can get a production R51, especially one with rubber grips, which with rosewood, will be optional.<\/p>\n

\"The

The R51 with suppressor attached.<\/p><\/div>\n

Other R51 options include a longer, threaded barrel for use with a sound suppressor and laser sight from Crimson Trace.\u00a0\u00a0 Designed exclusively for the R51, this sight will be factory mounted to the pistol\u2019s dust cover in front of the trigger guard with a remote pressure switch rounding the trigger guard to locate just below the undercut portion of the frame.\u00a0 This laser module mates perfectly with the R51 as a valuable no-snag sighting system in low light.\u00a0 I tested the sample brought to Gunsite and found it to my liking.<\/p>\n

Am I impressed with this little pocket pistol?\u00a0 You bet, especially at a MSRP of only $389.00!\u00a0 The R51 feels great in my hand and its 7+1 rounds of 9x19mm cartridge bring a lot of defensive muscle to the table.\u00a0 A caliber with a reputation that sometimes continues to suffer from 1970 vintage bullet technology, today\u2019s 9x19mm ammunition offers performance on a par with larger calibers.\u00a0 This is especially true when you consider the potential of faster, more accurate follow-up shots than when using a heavier caliber.\u00a0 And never forget; if you\u2019re in a gunfight with any handgun, the ability to make fast, accurate follow-up shots are what will save your life!\u00a0 Check out the R51.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be glad you did.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit Remington.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About the author:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"GaryPaulJohnstonbio\"Having fired his first shot at the age of 5 by killing a pig his uncle was going to butcher, Gary Paul Johnston began a lifelong interest in firearms, hunting and shooting.\u00a0 Beginning a 28-year in law enforcement in 1963, Gary worked every division, always favoring uniformed patrol where the action was.\u00a0 He began writing in 1976 with nearly 2,000 articles on firearms published to date, along with two books, Custer’s Horses<\/a> and co-authoring The World’s Assault Rifles<\/a>.\u00a0 Having attended more schools on shooting and tactics than he can count, Gary is still learning,\u00a0 He says that if he can pass on even a little to others of what he <\/em>has learned he will have achieved a worthy goal. Gary and his wife, Nancy, also a retired police officer, live in Colorado, are both Life Members of the NRA and strong 2nd Amendment advocates. Gary is also featured on MidwayUSA’s Gun Stories<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In early 2013, Remington dusted off the drawings for John D. Pedersen\u2019s Remington Model 51. The new R51 is based surprisingly close to Pedersen\u2019s original design, but is arguably much better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":27532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[116,1],"tags":[155,3262],"class_list":["post-27518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bloggers","category-featured","tag-remington","tag-remington-r51"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.downrange.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}