Anyone have the 2nd generation Remington R51?

A friend has one. It shoots ok, the only malf I saw, he blamed on too long OAL ammo. He likes the idea but thinks it is cheaply executed. And has used his FBI badge to get in and tell Huntsville management so.
$200 sounds like a nice gift.

Reassembling the gun is a nightmare. I'd recommend anything but a R51.

I had a Gen2 R51 for a while and had no functional problems with the pistol.

The design is very intriguing for a carry gun due to its low bore axis, which allows for a longer grip than other guns of the same overall height. However, for a carry gun, I did not trust the polymer ball that is used instead of a spring to power the extractor.

Another factor to consider is the R51 appears to have been discontinued ... some time ago. The R51 was not listed in Remington's 2019 or 2020 catalogs.

Reassembly would not be a problem if people read the manual or watched Remington's video (just above the Overview section).

The R51 is a unique handgun, but I would highly recommend looking at other options.

I bought a 2nd Generation R51 in late 2017. Some things I found out real quick:

1. With the slide forward one cannot easily rack the slide with a full magazine inserted. The loaded magazine spring pushes the top round firmly against the slide so tight that manipulating the slide is very hard.
   
2. The gun would only reliably feed round nosed ammo. Standard FMJ loads worked reliably. Hollow point ammo was a different story. It would feed Remington Ultimate Defense and Golden Saber just fine (round nosed ammo) but SD ammo that had a conicle shape with abrupt edges at the hollow point would jam the gun with misfeed after misfeed.
3. Disassembly and reassembly were very challenging. Even after I had figured it out it was still a pain in the rear.

Firing the gun was fun. It was a fairly accurate pistol. Remington said that it was designed for 124 grain bullets. I found it was just as accurate with 115 grain loads. The gun is light so firing 124 gr NATO loads and 147 grain made for some lively recoil.

The first R51 I had went back to the factory 3 times for feeding and jamming problems. On the 3rd tour Remington offered to replace the gun. I accepted. What I received was a Charlotte manufactured Gen 1 R51 that had apparently been a factory return. It had a low serial number but looked brand new.

That new gun wouldn’t feed any better than the first one I bought. It was as just as accurate. As long as you locked the slide back then loaded a full magazine and then dropped the slide, as long as you fed it ammo it liked, it worked very well for over 400 rounds. I sold it real cheap.

For a range toy I would say the R51 is a fun little gun. I would not consider one for CCW or home protection. The gun is too finicky. The only safety is a grip safety and it operates a single action trigger pull. I felt too uncomfortable putting the gun into my holster with a loaded round. I could imagine one bump to the trigger while gripping the gun might be a bad thing.

I had a love hate relationship with my R51. I loved the 1918 design just because it was different. The gun was attractive and accurate enough. I just hated that it wasn’t reliable. I did not trust it, even after putting 400 rounds through the replacement gun.

If he studied engineering at all I think he will enjoy the R51. No, this isn't the end all carry gun or anything of the sort, but as a range gun and a novelty gun it's pretty cool. Looks super cool, feels great, is unique, shoots pretty good. I had trouble with my mags 'nose-diving' rounds causing feeding issues. At first I cut down the mag springs, that worked until the springs broke in they they were too weak. Called Remington and they sent new mags at no charge. Still had a few 'nose-diving' issues, but less and those have reduced further with time. The price is great and I think this makes a fine graduation gift.

I have the 2.0 version myself, having bought 1.0 and taken advantage of the recall. 1.0 version was short chambered and crude machining inside. The 2.0 version is much better.

For a gift, I'd say go with a tried and true design even if it costs a bit more. The 2.0 R51 I have is nice..... but I can't get past the reservations I have atleast as far as thinking of it as one I'd carry for self-defence.

Mine works well, and seems to like 147 gr HP, as well as the usual 124 ad 115 FMJs.

If I hadn't read all about it's production troubles, I wouldn't think twice about it.

Although, I do wish it were as accurate as the R51.

I'm going to assume this is price driven and you are not married to any choice. I'm going to list the 9x19mm Single Stacks that have been available to me in the $200-250 Range. Understand I have large hands and don't require a 1911 quality trigger to shoot so my list may not be the same as others.

1. Walther PPS M2
2. S&W Shield M1.0
3. Ruger EC9S

I would only consider the R51 a range toy.

I have one, haven’t had any problems but only have put about 150 rounds through it or so, mainly just to function test it. I bought it to keep for the design aspect of it. It feels really well built to me and I like the looks of it. I didn’t think it was that bad to disassemble.

I will say there is a little bit of chaffing to the web of my trigger hand from the sides of the grip safety, but nothing serious just noticeable.

Don’t think I would buy it for someone’s first gun, but for someone who enjoys guns of different designs it’s a great gift in my opinion.

I will echo what others have said: it's a fun range gun but I wouldn't rely on it for SD (I really wish I could, it's a fantastic design, poorly executed).

After some experimentation, I have determined that mine will fire flawlessly as long as you never insert a full magazine on a closed slide. If you do, it will jam every time. That's too finicky for a stressful situation if you have any other option, IMO.

If you have larger hands, the slide will bite you. A lot.

In spite of that, when it runs, it's a very compact 9mm that shoots like a much larger gun. It's accurate, relatively light, and without the heavy recoil normal to smaller guns. Again, I really wish I trusted it enough to carry.

Spring for a bit more money and get him a Sig 365 or a hellcat or a shield or ruger lc9. It's his life. There is no point in giving him a problem gun as his first gun. Besides it may fail him at a critical time.

I wanted one when they first came out, partly because I'm drawn to unique designs. Glad I passed at the time given the recall, but when I got an offer for a new 2nd gen R51 for $199 last year I jumped all over it. The only issue I had were with the mags; with 7 loaded it would not strip that top round. Nor could you top it back off to 7 after chambering. Easy fix though, shortened the legs of the mag followers by maybe 1/8 inch which made them both 100% at full capacity. I don't think I've had a single malfunction since doing that, and have at least 400 rounds through mine. Not much risk for $200 IMO, in fact I'm planning to pick up a second one before they are all gone. Very manageable to shoot even with +P and the rounded edges and slim profile make it conceal better than any other semi I've carried (other than a PA-63 in 9mm mak which my son has).

Yes reassembly is a bit of a pain at first, still not as easy as many although that isn't a huge factor in my book. Manual is pretty straightforward on that anyway. I had more issues with a Ruger MKII in that regard.

Ifishsum said:

The only issue I had were with the mags; with 7 loaded it would not strip that top round. Nor could you top it back off to 7 after chambering. Easy fix though, shortened the legs of the mag followers by maybe 1/8 inch which made them both 100% at full capacity. I don't think I've had a single malfunction since doing that, and have at least 400 rounds through mine.

Click to expand...

That matches my experience exactly, I'll have to try your solution. I've been meaning to stone down the very sharp corners at the back of the slide anyway, to see if that helps with the biting, might as well see if I can get it usable...