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!

Haven't seen this one. Does look familiar but with smoother lines. I like it.

Thanks for all the replies fellas. I'll keep trying. If you have an interest in seeing the pictures, please be patient, I'm trying to do this and a whole lot of other stuff. (Not complaining)  It may just be a few days before I have the time to work on it. Thanks again.

If you will recall I posted a while back about what I believed to be damage to my R51. I have taken photos and edited them with arrows and dialogue, but for the life of me, I can't get them to post. Yes, I have  read Robert's instructions at least 20 times. Any suggestions?

Just a verbal update. The suspected damage was where the ejector pin rides. There is a notch cut into the piece it rides on. It seems this notch is to allow the pin to ride level. When first observed it looked like wear, but after close examination it appears to have by cut by a file, Definitely not precision machining or even precision filing. I wonder if there is some hand fitting of these parts?

The other damage is to the barrel, particularly the outside edges of the breach. They are quite rough and you can feel the roughness with your finger. It appears something is hitting against the edge. I don't see any corresponding damage on other parts. The areas noted are the outer edge of each side. Anyone notice such things with your barrel? 

Soon as I figure out how to post, I try again. FYI, I am using Adobe Photoshop Elements to edit and selecting from the file. I have reduced the size. What is the recommended size?  What type of file should it be, gif, jpeg etc?

Thanks, always enjoy reading the posts.

Just to add to what Kirk said, if you go to a good gun shop that handles reloading supplies someone there will probably be able to ID the powder and bullet. There are Reloading data books that give a breakdown of bullet manufacturer, bullet type, caliber and grain, along with recommended grains of powder, minimum and maximum as well as the coal. If they can't help I am sure they can recommend someone who may even reload for you.

Another suggestion would be to contact your friends wife or relatives who may allow you to check his reloading data. Most, if not all reloaders keep a log of the bullets they have reloaded. Who knows you might get lucky and find your bullets recorded.

Hello all;

Anyone know where I can get a schematic for the R51. I'm trying to educate myself about this pistol. After the last day at the range I stripped it down for cleaning and noticed what I think might be some internal damage. I've taken some pics that I plan on posting with some questions and want to at least appear like I know what I'm talking about.lol.Thanks in advance.

GB

Hello Kirk,

Thanks for the reply. Gloves would certainly do the trick. I haven't decided how to proceed yet. I really like the R51 and plan on shooting it often, so I thought why not come up with a permanent solution. Did any of the guys that worked over their R51 report back any satisfaction in what they did? I'd like to chat with them. I'll try a search to see if there is anything on this site. It seems that just a little file and polishing work would do the trick. Of course, you're right, I definitely can't afford to bugger up my new gun.  Have a great day!

Hello Blackie;

Thank you for the reply. I am considering the glove solution, but was wondering if there is another solution such as smoothing the sharp edges. The safety leading edge is already rounded somewhat. It appears to me that the edge causing the irritation is not the safety but the underside of the frame. When the pistol is gripped the safety becomes flush with the frame and the only sharp edge exposed is the rear edge on the underside of the frame. Probably not using proper nomenclature, please forgive me. anyone have any ideas, please feel free to let me know,

Regarding "Beaver tail" I looked it up on the web and am petty sure I know what it is.

Thanks

Hello all,

I made it out to the range today to try out my new R51. I am somewhat pleased with it although I definitely need to put more rounds through it, only 100 today. I started with a full mag and weapon locked open. Released the slide and it slammed home a round. First mag was flawless. I really appreciate the natural position in my hand and point of aim. It was right on target and relatively small group(at least for me) 2nd mag fired well too. Reloaded the mag and thought I'd try putting a fully loaded mag in the weapon with the slide closed and racking a round in, no problem at all. I was sort of expecting a problem based on the posts I've read, Fired the entire box of Blazer 115 gr FMJ without any issues. By this time I noticed something I don't care for, the web of my right hand was getting sore and red. Needless to say I thought I needed a tighter grip. Web was still irritated.. Repositioned hand just below beavertail. Before the beavertail was resting on the web. Shot some rounds and of course, no irritation.. The issue is that it doesn't feel and secure in my hand. So I have a question. Has anyone had this issue and what action did you take to correct it? .Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I did have one nose down event when racking the slide on a full mag. I removed the mag and hit the heel of my hand with it to slam the bullets to the rear, inserted mag and racked it again with no problem. Something I'm going to watch as more rounds are fired through it. I did read the Owner's manual and the threads about the weapon being designed to be loaded with the slide open, mag inserted and slide released.

I have a Glock 22 40 and a S&W M&P Shield 9mm, I don't have this issue with either. I understand the beavertail on the R51 is deeper. At any rate, I like the weapon and how it shoots, but, silly me, I don't want to wear a hole in the web of my hand, I want to be comfortable. Ok, enough with the whine.

I like the S&W but I do notice that the R51 fits my hand better. I can get three fingers on the grip. With the S&W its a little crowded.

Thanks for any and all input.

Hello to all,

I recently purchased an R51 and then discovered this site. After having read many posts which had some great information I decided to join.Haven't shot the R51 yet due to bad weather, but am anticipating it will do well. A big thanks to those who have posted their experience and knowledge of this weapon.