It's Back!!!

[T3]

IT'S BACK: Remington Relaunches A Redesigned R51

Posted by Bob Owens on January 21, 2015 at 9:31 am in the BearingArms.com article

...when the doors opened for SHOT Show 2015, a revised R51 that reportedly addressed not only the mechanical reliability issues but some of the more common gripes, such as smoothing out the "hitch" in the Pedersen action and creating a discernible trigger reset point that was missing in the 2014 version...and hope to start seeing these showing up in the hands of reviewers soon.

Hey Guys,

Check out the article that Bob Owens wrote in the BearingArms.com about the new and improved R51.

The wait is almost over,
T3

[T3]

Hey Guys,

There are a lot of recent articles about the R51 Gen 2 (Google: Remington R51 latest news & Remington R51 at Shot Show 2015).  Guns America also just ran an article by Dave Higginbotham on January 26, 2015 about his conversation with the Remington reps in their booth at the Shot Show.  You may want to check them out.  It is interesting about some of the changes those guys are reporting.  The magazine has a new thicker rounded base plate that is slightly extended (resolving the weak base plate issue and the magazine seating issue), the Breech Block will have a plating to harden it (resolving the pressure wear issue), the trigger will have a noticeable trigger reset not felt before, and there is an added set screw in the sights (I am not a fan of that design and did not have a problem with the sights walking on my original R51, but some did report them as loose).  I think the problems with the sights was a fabrication issue with the dovetail tolerances that could have been resolved with tighter quality controls.  The hard Pelican case and two additional magazines are great and an added benefit, but the pistol working properly is the real issue.

If they get the functionality right on the R51, it will have been worth the wait,
T3

[T3]

Tue 05/12/2015 8:59 AM...this just in!

Good morning,
The R51s are in production and scheduled for release the latter part of June.
Best Regards,
Consumer Services

Thank you and best regards,
Remington Customer Services

...this response is similar to one recently posted on another forum. 

There is also the new RM380 that is supposed to hit the market at the same time.  It is a remake of the Rohrbaugh 380 (Remington Group purchased Rohrbaugh last year) with some changes to reduce recoil and reduce price.  Check out the new Remington 2015 catalog.  The first 1000 are supposed to have a Stainless Slide with the engraving of the  "commemorative 1st Alabama Inaugural Product model. This edition will have a black frame and stainless steel slide and barrel for a sharp two-tone look along with a black engraving on the forward section of the slide. The Alabama edition will come with a commemorative challenge coin and production will be limited to just 1000 pistols." - See more at: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/04/05/gun-review-new-remington-rm380/#sthash.iZYWLICH.dpuf

Patiently waiting to be the Gen 2 beta tester... still patiently waiting,
T3

[T3]

this just in...

Remington Support
Service Ticket Response

Mr. T3..............
We sincerely apologize for the extended delay in the manufacturing and shipping of the R51. With the move to the new facility in Huntsville, AL there were several delays in getting this new plant up and running, therefore causing another delay.
We have been told the R51 is going into production in August and hopefully will be shipping out late September.

Because of this additional delay Remington is offering to refund your money if you will send in your receipt.

Again, our sincerely apologies.
Best regards,
Consumer Services

Thank you and best regards,
Remington Customer Services

I responded that I have waited this long, what is another few months.

Anxiously waiting a few more months,
T3

[Watchlawyer]

This my first post here. I am in Washington State and have been very interested in the R51 ever since reading the article in Guns and Ammo. I hope they really are working to get it out in the next few months.

[T3]

I sent Remington a follow up to ask if the R51 was actually in production, as they had indicated it would be in August on their last correspondence.  I also asked about the production schedule for the RM380.  Below is their response. 

Remington Support
Service Ticket Response

Mr. T3...............We are being told the R51's are in production and should be shipping out end of Sept to the people who sent theirs in under the recall and mid-October to our wholesalers.
There is yet to be a release date for the RM380 as they are still in the testing phase.
Best regards,
Consumer Services

Thank you and best regards,
Remington Customer Services

It sounds like the wait is just about over.  I will let you know if they send a Tracking Number to let me know it has shipped.  Don't get your hopes up until them.  We have been told other dates that have long since passed.
T3

[T3]

Last week I posted an update from Remington Consumer Relations where they indicated again that they were told the R51 is in production and the new versions were scheduled to ship to those that had participated in the voluntarily recall sometime late September. My conclusion was to not get your hopes up until I reported back that I had received a delivery Tracking Number. Well, my conclusion was more right than I hoped it would be. This unsolicited email was just received at 5:02 yesterday:

Mr. T3.....I just wanted to give you an update from my previous email.
We were informed late today of the status of the R51. Currently we don't have a timeframe for the re-introduction of this firearm but our Huntsville R&D center is working to have it back on the market as soon as possible.
We appreciate your patience as we continue our efforts to re-launch this item. Please let us know if you would like to have your money refunded.

Best regards,
Consumer Services

It seems every time there is a shred of vision that the once great Remington is going through a resurgence to turn their company around to become the real leader that they once were, they bash my expectations. There are six emails that I have received from them over the past year where they indicated or implied that the R51 was either getting ready to go into production and the delivery dates were on schedule or the R51 was already in production. Here are some of them that I have saved - 10/22/14 The R51's are in production and are scheduled to start shipping the end of October - first of November. , 10/30/14 I was informed after I sent you an email that the R51's are just now going into production....for shipment sometime the first of 2015. , 5/12/15 The R51s are in production and scheduled for release the latter part of June. , 7/8/15 We have been told the R51 is going into production in August and hopefully will be shipping out late September. , 8/17/15 We are being told the R51's are in production and should be shipping out end of Sept to the people who sent theirs in under the recall. , and now this last one yesterday.

I have always in the past tried to come up with some form of positive closure to my posts on this forum. Sorry. Cannot come up with one this time. I sent a letter to the R&D Engineer to see if someone there will be honest and let us know if there will actually be a generation 2. If I get a response I will let you know.
Respectfully,
T3

[JNaffke]

It looks like you've been more active at seeking status of the recall than I have. I bought mine right after Shot Show 2014 and paid a premium for it. What shooting I was able to do was great, I thought the performance was excellent and I love the design. Then the failure to feed and not going back into battery started after just a couple of sessions with it. I thought cleaning it would help and I probably should have had a gunsmith do it but after I cleaned it nothing changed. I truly hope they work the bugs out as those who received "good ones" have nothing but praise for them.

[T3]

This was the reply from R&D:

Mr. T3

I forwarded your email to my boss, who is a Sr. VP with Remington. She is in a much better position to understand and comment on Remington's current efforts in processing R51 replacements. Her response is below (BTW, LinkedIn would not allow me to include your original content in this response to you; too many characters):

Mr. T3,
"I am so glad your experience with the R51 pistol was positive. We have heard similar comments from others. 

Remington is committed to getting it right every time, and in the case of the R51, we're just not 100 percent there yet. In light of this, the most recent note from customer service is the best information I can pass along. If a more comprehensive update becomes available, I'll certainly let you know.

Thank you for your continued support and patience."

What do you think of this kind of response coming from their Sr. VP, after all of the other statements these past months from their Consumer Relations Dept. saying the R51 was already being fabricated?  I sincerely hope that this means that R is going to do everything in their power to assure each and every part of the Gen 2 functions flawlessly. ...and not that this is just another stall tactic before a public announcement.

Thoroughly Disgusted,
T3

[T3]

Guys,
It does not look like they are going to resolve the issues with the R51 design after all.   It is not even listed in the new 2016 catalog.   The Shot  Show is in a couple of weeks.  I am sure it will be a topic that someone will write about.  It sure seems like Remington has decided to take the RM380 design from Rohrbaugh and push that as the new EDC handgun.  It would not surprise me to see a new RM9 come next, like the Rohrbaugh R9 design.
Not hopeful for the next generation R51,
T3

[RED HORSE]

Guys,
It does not look like they are going to resolve the issues with the R51 design after all.   It is not even listed in the new 2016 catalog.   The Shot  Show is in a couple of weeks.  I am sure it will be a topic that someone will write about.  It sure seems like Remington has decided to take the RM380 design from Rohrbaugh and push that as the new EDC handgun.  It would not surprise me to see a new RM9 come next, like the Rohrbaugh R9 design.
Not hopeful for the next generation R51,
T3

May not be in the catalog but it is still on the website.  I just wish we would hear one way or another, I'm tired of all the BS and uncertainty.

[JNaffke]

Well that's not encouraging... I was hoping that maybe they were waiting for Shot Show to unveil the new R51. I'm about ready to concede and see what they are willing to do for me, after all they've have my R51 for well over a year now.

[printerman]

I called remington on friday.they said that they have produced 50 r51s.Quality control is testing them right now.As of now no flaws in the guns.Rep said hopefully released in 1st quarter this year.

[Terrier]

Well, that's somewhat encouraging, if true.  (I believe you....I'm just not sure I believe Remington).  It would be great if these 50 hold up and test out well.  I am still holding out for a R51 (to at least give it a try) before buying another model.  I have to think that after getting so much WRONG for so LONG, they've put in the sweat and effort and engineering to get it right at last.  In the mean time, if Remington does not radically re-think their P.R. and Communications personnel and practices, it won't matter anyway.  They have generated so much ill will for an American company that so many of us want to like and support through their reticence, bad information, misinformation, deception, and cryptic communication throughout the whole R51 release, apparent cover-up, recall, and then re-launch.  Let's get back on track, Remington.