Got my Remington R51 today

[Goju]

StrawHat - I checked over the contents and no mention of after market panels. But when I first became aware of this coming to market there was some noise about 3rd party accessories, specifically leather and grips, already being in the works. So I am anticipating availability in the near future for panels.

 

[barnbwt]

There's supposed to be a holster (Galco?), rosewood grips (Hogue?), and a Crimson Trace laser available out the gate --it's anyone's guess as to whether those other companies were able to roll out their stuff as fast as Remington, though. Threaded barrel coming soon, and I forget if the suppressor they showed as SHOT was a R51 specific thing or just a common 9mm mini-can.

TCB

 

[Gtscotty]

In looking forward to hearing yall's range reports on the R51. I'll probably wind up picking one up unless Remington pushes out the rumored RM380 follow up as quickly as they did the R51. I could see myself getting suckered into an even smaller, thinner .380 version.

 

[JRH6856]

Why not both? Then beg them for an R53 (.45ACP)

 

[Gtscotty]

Why not both? Then beg them for an R53 (.45ACP)

Well, I can't very well argue with that kind of logic, both it is.

 

[JRWhit]

Curious to see if it bites. I've seen two completely polar opposite reviews. One says it beats you up and bites your hand, the other saying it is the softest shooting slim line he's fired.

 

[Phantom Captain]

I'm going to try to get to the range today and do some breaking in! I'll let you all know if I do.

 

[stressed]

Is the R51 +P+ rated?

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

Felt recoil and how/if the gun beats one up is gonna be highly variable and subjective as well as dependent on quite a few individual characteristics including body size and weight, hand size, shooting technique, age and physical condition of the shooter, ammunition, etc.

Unfortunately there is no "one size fits all" in hand guns so I'll have to shoot it to see if it fits for me. I tend to not like "snappy" pistols that make rapid follow ups difficult and generally the smaller the 9mm the less likely I am to get along with it.

I'm dying to shoot one but until then I'm gonna watch you guys who get them very closely and evaluate video as it comes available to see if the R51 might suit me.

VooDoo

 

[hardluk1]

It is a +P rated pistol . Don't let dealers shaft you on the price I paid 357.28 at our general store. I have 228 rounds thru my wifes R51. I got to do the break in . The trigger to me is much more like a striker trigger but with a much shorter pull. Pre trave is about 3/6ths and very light with a 6lb + or- or 4oz with just under 1/8th" pull to fire. Good trigger that allows for accurate shoot quickly.

The receiver block is very well lubed on all but the first few out the doors so check closely before shooting. Looks to be a lithium grease . I cleaned it out and re greased with a PRO-GOLD grease with some of that and a lub mix on the rail before shooting. The mag fits very flush to the frame. It would be easy for some to not get the mag seated well so besure and do a thumb press in the center of the mag. I will add some rubber 1911 bumps to my wifes R51 to aid mag seating. It does drop free cleanly when released.

Comparing to a kahr cw9 from the grip to the end of the barrel there the same length. Height is almost the same with a longer grip shorter slide area on the R51, the extra length is all at the rear of the slide area and does not plat into how it holster. More like a smaller pistol. It word well short in my cw9 holster or a short 1911 holster. Width is also the same as most small 9mm's or my cw9.

Photo included with a cw9

200 rounds at 10 yards

 

[HexHead]

I got to check one out yesterday. Wow, what a disappointment. It's larger than I expected and looked like a water pistol I had as a kid. The trigger is crisp, though there's some creep and grit getting there. Feels like a really crapola 1911 trigger. The full length grip safety, hinged at the bottom, feels strange and clicks when you can fire. The slide is very easy to rack, though has no smoothness whatsoever. Feels like it's being dragged over a Picatinny rail.

It's 180 degrees from the build quality of the R1. I'm really glad I didn't wait to see this thing before ordering a G42.

 

[RUT]

>>Remington pushes out the rumored RM380 follow up as quickly as they did the R51.<<

Oh please, not another .380!!

 

[bikemutt]

I got to check one out yesterday. Wow, what a disappointment. It's larger than I expected and looked like a water pistol I had as a kid. The trigger is crisp, though there's some creep and grit getting there. Feels like a really crapola 1911 trigger. The full length grip safety, hinged at the bottom, feels strange and clicks when you can fire. The slide is very easy to rack, though has no smoothness whatsoever. Feels like it's being dragged over a Picatinny rail.

It's 180 degrees from the build quality of the R1. I'm really glad I didn't wait to see this thing before ordering a G42.

You must have got hold of a pre-production sample, the one I shot yesterday is nothing like that. Yes to a small amount of take up (creep), zero grit, feels like a great SD trigger. The slide was fairly easy to rack and is not a smooth operation, but that's to be expected, it's not based on a typical semi-auto action. The build quality was excellent-plus on the one I shot, certainly it gives up nothing to the G42 I've handled, especially considering it costs about $75-$100 less than a G42.

From what I can tell, all the folks I've talked to about the R51 who have a visceral dislike for the gun are all based on SHOT show samples they got to handle.

 

[hardluk1]

The size of the R51 as longer on the rear of the slide frame area. Its the same length as my cw9 from the grip to the tip of the barrel and works well enough in the holsters I have for my kahrs. Some early models were not greased. The floating bolt has to be greased well not oiled. It does still feel different from other slides but it sure works well. Wife paid 357.28 for hers too.

 

[oss117]

Can you answer the long-running argument about whether the trigger pivots on a pin or slides like a 1911 or does some other gyration we haven't thought of yet?

I looked at one in a LGS today. It pivots on a pin.

 

[Phantom Captain]

Ok! I got to the range today and put 130 rounds through the new R51.

I love it.

Had no FTF or FTEs. Worked great! The recoil really is light. Doesn't feel snappy or unmanageable to me at all. The trigger is a bit heavier than a SA trigger but far lighter than DA. As hardluk1 said, it's like a striker fired pistol with a shorter pull. The grip safety was barely noticeable to me too. I just made sure that I always had a firm grip and it was good to go. I fired all of them at about 10 feet. Accuracy was very nice and widened out a bit as I got up past the 100 round mark as to be expected.

Recoil was surprisingly light as advertised. Not much jump or snap at all. Probably the lightest recoiling 9mm I've ever shot. After a hundred rounds or so you do start to feel it a bit in the web of your hand and the design of the back of the pistol does press down into the web of your hand by recoil. Nothing too painful by any means. I would compare it to putting a hundred rounds of .380 through the PPK/s. About what's to be expected from a full power 9mm of this size. Recoil seemed, really, almost less than the snappy PPK/s. I'm talking the .380 version here though and not the .32 which is lighter.

The sights are great and the gun points instinctually. I have some pics of my targets that I will put up shortly.

I'm very much loving it. It's definitely going to be my all time regular carry after I get another 300-400 rounds through it.

I put one magazine of HP through it without flaw, but unfortunately, I'm not sure what brand or weight they were as they are rounds I've had sitting around for awhile now. I was mainly shooting Remington 115gr FMJs. A heavier bullet may recoil and snap more but I doubt they would be that much more noticeable.

I know for a fact that my wife will completely love this pistol. She's already completely impressed with how easy it is to rack the slide compared to the PPK/s or the Mak. It's way easier. I know she will completely handle the recoil too. She isn't bothered at all by the .380 PPK/s or the Mak and I think she will think the Remington is even easier and smoother. I'm half afraid she is going to want to steal it from me.

Any other questions?? I'm completely happy with my purchase and this pistol is turning out to be exactly what I wanted and expected. It's really slim and carries completely as comfortable and small as the PPK/s or the Mak. It's actually thinner and more comfortable than the Mak if I had to make a comparison. Really really impressed here.

Next up is a nice IWB holster and I'm definitely going to upgrade with the wood grip panels as soon as they are available. I'm a fan!

 

[Hometeached1]

Phantom Captain, thanks for the review. I really would like to shoot one, don't think I'll get one any time soon. The lack of a manual thumb safety and with the short trigger pull kind of put me off wanting one for carry....I know, just keep my finger off the bang switch. None the less I'm glad you like it and hope it runs well for you as long as you (or your wife) own it.

 

[Trey]

Finally an honest review! It sounds like it performs as advertised.

 

[Phantom Captain]

Here's my first target. First four mags at 10 feet. The first group was just settling in and seeing where and how it shot. 2nd group was the best I shot all day, slow and deliberate. 3rd and 4th I was starting to feel comfortable with how it shot to POA. There are three extra 4th mag shots in there unmarked. Needless to say, 3rd and 4th mag were all right in the ring and where I wanted them to be.



This was getting up to the 75-100 round mark. 1st mag on this target aimed at bull. The group on the left was the HP with the 8 as POA, group on the right was 8 as the POA and the bottom group was 9 (actually I think I was aiming at the white line just above the 9) as POA. The group on the top was when I was starting to pull them fast just to see how they followed up. I'm satisfied for sure.

 

[SPW1]

I picked up one I had pre-ordered today. My initial impression is that I like it but they didn't take to much care in manufacturing. Some serious burrs in a few places inside and out. Nothing that is a terribly difficult fix though. Ergonomics are almost as good as they looked liked they would be and the trigger is pretty good too. My biggest question after having one in hand is will the grip safety get gummed up with lint in daily carry and fail to function properly. That looks like it could be a distinct possibility with the gap that is necessarily present for the grip safety to work. Time will tell.

 

[rcmodel]

Colt 1911's, and the old Colt & FN pocket model grip safety's were never noted for getting gummed up with pocket lint, or anything else.

And the 1911 probably has much less spring pressure on it then anything else.

I doubt it will be a problem on the Remington either.

Rc

 

[SPW1]

Well I hope not, just noticed the gap and I know how lint gets behind everything in time with carry guns...

 

[JRH6856]

Just keep a can of compressed air on the dresser.

 

[bikemutt]

I picked mine up today, too late for the range.

Field strip is awkward but not impossible. Once gutted there's strange looking parts inside. Easy enough to put back together. Read the manual and use your gun-dar, you'll need it.

 

[burk]

Thanks for the report: We got a couple in at the Gander I work part time at today, so I appreciate the range report.

Compared to it's main competitors (Nano, Shield, LC9) it does feel a bit heavier as seems like it will shoot more comfortably. It pointed nice, it has a longer sight radius than the other guns.

Now the negatives of the samples we got:

Fit and finish was mediocre at best, the slide on one sample hung up noticeably at three areas almost like it was binding and both took far more effort then other three. The gap in grip safety was visible, but I think that had more to do with the length of the grip safety (almost the full length of the grip) and the barrel had several machine marks. IMO it wasn't necessarily poorly finished, considering it's competition is polymer, but it didn't stand out as being any better than it's competition.

I also thought the breakdown was the worse of any of it's class. It's way to easy to lose parts in the hold the slide upside down removal system. It also wasn't intuitive at all.

The grip safety concerns me, it is more of a squeeze safety than a grip safety, in fact it reminded me a lot of the HK P7 squeeze cocker. IMO holding it down was an extra decision over and above just naturally gripping the gun when firing. And if the safety wasn't 100% depressed it didn't activate.

The other issue I had was the trigger, I thought it should have been a little bit longer. All of the guys there agreed that it pinched the finger against the trigger guard uncomfortably, and would probably be uncomfortable shooting (for the record Glocks can do something similar with their trigger safeties).

In summation, its a good gun and may being a bit larger and heavier be the best range/ shooting gun in it's class if these reports hold true. But its not the perfect gun and like every gun in it's class it has some comprimises. I would certainly suggest trying one at a range and handling one a bit before committing.