disconnect pin

[Nu2R51]

Hello folks, been a while since I checked in. I now have about 800 rounds through my R51. Shoots well will a few FTF, but those are mostly reloads.  Latest issue was that the firing pin would not reset. Took it to a local gunsmith who discovered that the disconnect was not being held in place. He made a new pin, longer so that it retains both the ejector and disconnect. All is well now. Read on the internet of this potential problem. Hope no one else has experienced this issue so consider it FYI.

Although I like shooting this weapon I am concerned with reliability as a CC. I have a S&W M&P Shield which has operated flawlessly. I 'm going to shoot some more rounds through it to see if the issues smooth out. One thing that I and the gunsmith noted was the lack of quality workmanship.

Well, need to go. Hope all is well with each of your. Be safe!

[1911SHOOTER]

Hello folks, been a while since I checked in. I now have about 800 rounds through my R51. Shoots well will a few FTF, but those are mostly reloads.  Latest issue was that the firing pin would not reset. Took it to a local gunsmith who discovered that the disconnect was not being held in place. He made a new pin, longer so that it retains both the ejector and disconnect. All is well now. Read on the internet of this potential problem. Hope no one else has experienced this issue so consider it FYI.

Although I like shooting this weapon I am concerned with reliability as a CC. I have a S&W M&P Shield which has operated flawlessly. I 'm going to shoot some more rounds through it to see if the issues smooth out. One thing that I and the gunsmith noted was the lack of quality workmanship.

Well, need to go. Hope all is well with each of your. Be safe!

Nu2,
     First time I have heard of this problem.   I shoot my R51 regularly,   and have no problems, but I intend to run about 20 or 30 boxes of ammo through it without a
problem before I carry it as my main weapon.   As of now, I keep it in my console in my expedition.  My main carry is my R1 1911.
Welcome back.
Blackie

[DUTCH Van Atlanta]

There was a video posted somewhere about this too short pin back when I was considering the purchase of the R51.  I doubt if I could find it now.

[1911SHOOTER]

There was a video posted somewhere about this too short pin back when I was considering the purchase of the R51.  I doubt if I could find it now.

Dutch,
Here it is.
Blackie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABiLeemLq5Q

[SCurmudgeon]

Yes, RyeOnHam was pretty much the first YouTube'r out there bashing the R51 after its reintroduction in 2016.

On one hand, the R51 probably deserved some of the bashing because of the magazine problems.

But RyeOnHam might have been piling on when he claimed the "half-sized, too-short" disconnector pin was a design flaw and posted a safety risk.

I also remember seeing another video that refuted RoH's statement and defended the design (it might have been from Remington or some blogger who was talking to a Remington rep, but I can't find now).  I think - if I recall - the video stated that it was not necessary for the pin to hold the ejector in place.

I don't know enough about handgun design to judge who was right or wrong, but let's just say that I ended up purchasing an R51 despite the protestations and vitriol from RoH.

[Zenshot]

It is certainly easy to check whether the pin seems too short or not, so I never considered it a serious issue.

[Ray R]

Real Guns wrote the most useful review of the R51 that I have ever read. It addressed why this pin is short (which has also been confirmed in a video by Remington presented on youtube) and clarified what was really going on. The review is in three parts. I recommend reading them in order from part #1 through part #3.

See:
Remington's Newly Released R51 9mm +P Part 1
©RGI Media, Inc - Published with permission | RealGuns.Com

The links to the second and third parts are at the end of each part of the review.

This review will help clear up a lot of the bogus information and falsely derived conclusions put out by people who are not as knowledgeable as they think they are about the R51. I feel every R51 owner should read it.

I particularly liked a point the author brought up about the skill level the shooter needs to be successful with this gun. He said this is not a gun for a novice shooter and delineates his reasons for this conclusion through out the review, which I found to be both accurate and insightful.

As a result of reading this article, I started to wear a thin shooting glove so I could maintain the high grip required without fear of getting sliced by the slide. This high grip is required for the gun to cycle without any problems.

My own experience with 1911's has demonstrated to me that using a high grip reduced FTF's AND FTE's. It appears the R51 is a little more sensitive to needing a high shooting grip, likely due to the combination of the force from the ammunition used used and the weight of the actions' mass.

[1911SHOOTER]

The only you tuber I trust is Hickock45.  Period.   These other so called "Experts",  give their selves
away with their amateur dialog.   some are even embarrassing to watch. Such as Rye on Ham.
About 1 out of fifty contributes to my knowledge.   I think too that the Real Guns guy was a little
full of himself too.  He assumes that if an R51 acts up,that the shooter is incompetent.

Blackie.

[Ray R]

Ref:1911shooter:

I agree that the author of the reviews I referenced clearly had an axe to grind with questionable information on the internet and sounded as self knowledgeable as those he railed against.

That does not take away from the value of the specifics he presented of the R51's shooting performance or the details of the minimal wear of the breech block supported with pictures, which was often pointed to as an other Remington design mistake by other reviewers.

His explanation of the "short pin", which is the focus of this thread, is one of two sources I have found that explains what is going on. Other reviewers act as if they have discovered another design error without any indication that they had contacted Remington to confirm if this was the case.

His explanation of the Pederson cycle was less than I need to fully understand it, but that doesn't mean its wrong. I'm just not the guy to confirm it.

His revelation of the mistakes he made in assembly match the mistakes that I had made the first time or two I reassembled the R51. I agree with his assessment of the difference between between the effort to learn the disassembly & assembly of the R51 compared to a 1911. The 1911 is a little easier, though I have inadvertently launched my share of recoil spring plugs.

All in all I feel the author did a competent job in his review as opposed to the incredulous, unsupported statements so many others have made.