There seem to be many $200 handguns on the market - SCCY, Taurus, Ruger, etc. There must be a  way for all of these companies to turn a profit somehow.

Remington still lists the R51 on their website as though it's a current model.  Either they are doing this because there's still a lot of new inventory in the market or they still aren't 100% sure about not making another production run.
I haven't heard any rumors of anything in the works to replace a concealed carry 9mm in Remington's product list.

How did the field strip and reassembly go?  The videos on the Remington website help. 

A couple of my magazines work with 7+1 and others do not.  When I load the magazines with 7, I can push the stack down farther in the ones that work. I can't determine why some magazines will compress more than others. Seems like the same spring and follower but something must be different.

Welcome to the forum!  The magazines can be difficult to seat properly if fully loaded with the slide closed. Glad that you like the unique design of the R51 and how easy it is to shoot accurately.  The smooth edges make concealed carry very easy as well.

I would not have expected the LC9s to have a softer felt recoil than the R51. I haven't tried a LC9s though.

We will see if it appears in the 2020 catalog later this year.  Dropping the R51 will leave a big gap in their lineup, since single stack 9mm concealed carry handguns are the hottest market segment.

Probably a good idea to purchase all the mags you think you will want for your R51 sooner rather than later.  Who knows how long the supply will last.

I think the mags from the Remington website are good and not old stock. Mine have come in full retail packaging.

Welcome Rick!  I say the R51 is a buy with one caveat.  Anyone who has lost too much strength and dexterity in their hands might struggle with field stripping and reassembly.  However there is a member here who makes a tool to solve that issue.

Welcome Ronnie from another native Texan. The action on the R51 works perfectly.  Magazines could use more design work though.

I emailed Remington about replacement recoil springs and the reply said Remington would sell them to me.  Maybe other parts are available too.

Welcome to the forum Victor!  Several of us here own more than one R51 also.

That's correct. They are the same except for the manufacturing stamp. It's still a good reason to get a 2nd one. That's how I can tell the two I have apart.

Welcome to the forum!  Let us know what you think about your R51.