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

If you have any issues with your R51, on July 25th Remington has a resolution that we should all entertain:

http://www.remington.com/pages/news-and-resources/press-releases/2014/corporate/remingtonr51pistolproductupdate.aspx

Remington R51 Pistol Product Update

Earlier this year, we launched the innovative R51 subcompact pistol to critical acclaim.   During testing, numerous experts found the pistol to function flawlessly. In fact, they found it to have lower felt recoil, lower muzzle rise and better accuracy and concealability than other products in its class.

However, after initial commercial sales, our loyal customers notified us that R51some R51 pistols had performance issues. We immediately ceased production to re-test the product.  While we determined the pistols were safe, certain units did not meet Remington's performance criteria.  The performance problems resulted from complications during our transition from prototype to mass production.  These problems have been identified and solutions are being implemented, with an expected production restart in October.

Anyone who purchased an R51 may return it and receive a new R51 pistol, along with two additional magazines and a custom Pelican case, by calling Remington at (800) 243-9700.

The new R51 will be of the same exceptional quality as our test pistols, which performed flawlessly.

We appreciate your patience and support.

Yesterday, I called and was put on hold for a few minutes until an extremely helpful customer service rep, Carolyn, answered and listened to the my concerns.  She spent quite a while bringing up my past emails, going over every concern I had, and made the offer to send the return mailing info.  I told her I really did not want to return mine, but wanted to see if there were some repair parts that could be used to make the corrections.  I told her that I love mine and it is functioning great, the front sights had been tuned in, both sights are a tight fit, it feels and aims great, is smooth to rack, and it feel like it was made for my hands.  There have only been a few FTF and that was because of the cheap steel jacket Russian ammo I bought.  The major concerns I have are: 1) with the wear on the Breach Block Assembly starting to show on the rear sides and beginning to create "troughs" (for lack of a better description) on the frame where the BBA slides in front and behind the two ears on the Disconnector & Fire Control parts.  After ~750 rounds, mine is very easy to rack, and disassembly and re assembly are done with ease. 

I also like the fact that mine has the Serial No. 00037XXR51.  Carolyn said that if I returned it, the new and improved Generation 2 would have the current consecutive Serial Number stamped to date.  She also said she was going to discuss the issues documented in my emails and would call me back with their comments and we could discuss the options to help me make the best decision.  When she calls back, I will ask her about the changes to the magazines, to find out if the common complaint about the thin plastic base plate had been replaced with something more substantial. 

In addition, OpticsPlanet.com is now selling the new replacement grips in both the Rosewood and Rubber.  I have ordered the Rosewood online for $24.89 + S&H.  An hour late a representative called to kindly let me know there was a two delivery time on this item and asked if that was a problem they could cancel the order.  I expected that there would be some delay due to the handling and told them to ship the pair as soon as they could.  Whether I return mine for the new and improved version or not, the grips should be interchangeable.

I hope the best for you and your decisions as to how to resolve any issues with your R51.

T3

Last week I bought two boxes of Russian bullets from Academy Sports for $10.98 a box and went to the range. These were steel casings and the salesman at Academy said they had just arrived and he did not know anything about them.  He asked if I would give him a report after my experience.   After over 400 rounds without a single negative incident, I had the first FTF in my R51.  I actually had 8 failures to fire out of three magazines.  I went straight back to Academy from the range with a box and a half of that garbage.  They told me they did not normally give refunds on ammunition, but after hearing my description, they did refund for the unopened box.  Besides trashing a half of a box of ammo, the treatment used around the steel casings left a lot more burnt mess to clean.  I then bought a box of Winchester and Remington FMJ 115g and back to range I went...no issues whatsoever...not a single FFE or FTF!  Today, I purchased a 50 round box of Herter's (manufactured by Sellier & Bellot and made in Czech Republic) Select Grade Brass 115g from Cabela's for $13.98.  I went straight to the range and did not have the slightest problem.  While I was there, two new friends said they were also going to purchase an R51 after seeing mine and seeing how there was very little recoil.  They too had heard about the cleaning and lubing the pistol straight out of the box.  I told them how I had racked it a bunch to smooth out all of the "wrinkles" and assist the break-in period.

I noticed in an article recently published on the internet that an owner had returned his R51 for repairs.  Then he called Remington and was told they are going to be making a new Action Spring Bushing (something I was hoping for and stated on a previous post).  The Remington rep also said they were making some improvements to the Breech Block.  Another post stated the new grips were scheduled to be on the market in June or July.  These are all good things.  I hope to post some pictures soon of a pair of new grips I am making.

My R51 keeps getting better (but it doesn't like that Russian crap).
T3