Although I am a military brat, it wasn't until the 2020 riots/pandemic that I purchased my first 3 guns: Mini-14, Semi-auto 410 gauge and a Remington R-51. I was drawn to the R-51 because I inherited a Remington Model 12 22LR from my father. That rifle was also designed by John Pendersen. As an engineer, I was intrigued by the hesitation-locked action.
My initial experience with the R-51 was mixed. I encountered the "stove" piping that are documented on youtube, but after 5-600 rounds, the slide loosed up and the pistol began firing flawlessly. I have added the crimson trace red laserguard and custom grips.
Looks nice. Love the wood grips. I have those on both of mine. The contours fill the hand much better than the flat plastic ones. Did you modify your magazines to fix the stovepipe issues? Here's a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZBnEgdQvUU&t=170s
No changes to magazines. When I first got the pistol, the slide was difficult to rack. The more rounds I ran through it, the easier the slide became and the stove piping stopped. I don't think the smoother slide stopped the problem or if the gun just needs an extensive run in period. BTW, I posted a problem I have with my R-51. I would appreciate if you'd take a look.