Hey guys. I stopped into a gun shop here in Vegas just to look at the new Remington RM380. After giving up on Remington over the demise of the miserably failed R51 (2 of them in my case), I immediately gave up on them again within 2 minutes of handling the RM380. The takedown pin slid out of position, jamming the slide about 1/4" out of battery, rendering it "locked-up", right there on the sales counter. My R51s had pin problems also.
"Remington, you've left me speechless... again!" "Go back to steel frames and forget about "lightweight" aluminums and other alloys.""Build again like you've built before." I'm referring to the Model 51 of 1917-1928 era. All steel, accurate, reliable, and a long-life pistol."

Rick 51/ R51 wrote:Hey guys. I stopped into a gun shop here in Vegas just to look at the new Remington RM380. After giving up on Remington over the demise of the miserably failed R51 (2 of them in my case), I immediately gave up on them again within 2 minutes of handling the RM380. The takedown pin slid out of position, jamming the slide about 1/4" out of battery, rendering it "locked-up", right there on the sales counter. My R51s had pin problems also.
"Remington, you've left me speechless... again!" "Go back to steel frames and forget about "lightweight" aluminums and other alloys.""Build again like you've built before." I'm referring to the Model 51 of 1917-1928 era. All steel, accurate, reliable, and a long-life pistol."

Under normal use this is a total non-issue. Just don't rack the slide with the gun tilted to the side (ejection side up). Or, use some grease on the pin. You are discounting a very nice reliable gun.

Have owned my RM380 for over a month now and have had no problems with the take down pin. Over 200 rounds through it now with only 2 light primer strikes on my hand loads with S&B primers.

The whole point is: If one of your defense pistols has an issue (other than ammunition related), it counts against "reliability". If I'm going to trust my pistol(s) to protect my life while facing an adversary, it will be a pistol with no history of failures. Remington has lacked in building a pistol I can trust in both R51 and RM380. That said, a range pistol is quite a different animal. It can fail, but only causes some disappointment, where-as, facing an adversary, that disappointment could result in your death. I own 8 pistols that I carry regularly. Only one is a wheel-gun (S&W Model 520 NYSP - 1980). The rest are Sig Sauer, Colt, Remington 1911s, Sig P938, and a 97 year old Remington Model 51 in .380 Built in 1919. I trust each and every one of those and I can load, shoot, relaod, and cycle them from any angle or position. And no, I don't rotate my pistol 'gangsta-style' for any reason. That's just stupid! The thing is, Remington hasn't earned the "Reliability" label for their last two pistol ventures like they did with the old Model 51 and their 1911s. My Remington 1911 R-1 and the old 51 are 100% so far and I've been shooting the old 51 for 60 years without a single hiccup. Can't beat that!

Leonardo wrote:
Under normal use this is a total non-issue. Just don't rack the slide with the gun tilted to the side (ejection side up). Or, use some grease on the pin. You are discounting a very nice reliable gun.

"Under normal use"?... "Total non-issue"?... Do specify those terms and in what capacity do you put your trust in a firearm when it could be your life at stake. PLUS... why would I buy 'grease' for only one of my 30-some-odd firearms when one bottle does all the rest? Properly retained pins don't walk!!! For the 'casual' range or pleasure shooter, I suppose you could live with those little 'failures', but in real life defense situations, those little insignificant "non-issue" things, (as you put it), WILL get you killed in short order. Even though, .380 is my primary 'bugout' or 'backup' caliber to my .45, .357Mag, or 9mm primary carry pieces, it still must maintain that high reliability mark. What if my life depends on it? What if YOUR life depends on it?

After reading this thread I took my RM380 to the range this morning to run 50 rounds through it holding the gun gangsta style with the ejection port up and did not have one failure. The take down pin stayed put. But it does fit snug as it takes a paper clip or other punch to get the pin to move. It will not come out just by lining up the holes and shaking it.

9026543 wrote:After reading this thread I took my RM380 to the range this morning to run 50 rounds through it holding the gun gangsta style with the ejection port up and did not have one failure. The take down pin stayed put. But it does fit snug as it takes a paper clip or other punch to get the pin to move. It will not come out just by lining up the holes and shaking it.

Bits, burrs, and other machining tools DO wear out as the processes of production run day after day. Those machines need periodic readjustments and freshening of cutting tools. Not every gun is made with duplicate tolerances. A refreshed machine will produce tighter tolerances and yours is probably from a fresh machine. But what about the others that follow behind as they approach "time to refresh". Some things will be loose and other things like bores will be tight. Many Quality Control Divisions are lax and under-staffed in such productions and Remington has failed in that department, as was part of the problem in the R51 program when they started the mass mode of the R51. The first "Hand-Built" ones did ok, but the mass produced ones had a miserable track record of failures. Thus, they were halted. There are hundreds of consumers who are still waiting, after 2 years now, for their new & improved R51. I suppose most have gotten their refunds or took the trade for an even swap for the 1911R-1 in .45 ACP like I did with one of mine. I'm just not going through the brain damage with Remington again unless I hear of a successful program. There were a few R51s that people kept, but very few. The RM380 hasn't suffered the many different types of failures like the R51 did. If the takedown pin issue is all the RM380 suffers, then I'll say Remington did alright for casual shooting, but not for defensive carry. I certainly wouldn't want the pin on my mind to worry about "if" when I'm face-to-face with my adversary. The only "time" you have is from reaction to delivery to the aggressor. You have way too much going on in your brain, especially pumped with Adrenalin, to have to worry about your pistol malfunctioning, especially a known weakness like this pin. Time will tell the rest after the RM380 has been out for awhile. Yours may be fine, but no two are identical. Remember, Leonardo mentioned grease to secure the pin, yours seems ok, and the one I looked at, the pin jumped into the slide bore and locked it up from cycling. Pins really do need to be captive rather than free-floating. Agree?

500 rounds through mine with nary a problem. Of course, I hold a pistol the way it was meant to be held and not "gangsta" style. I'm also wondering how the OP's RM380 became "locked up". If the pin slid over far enough to jam the slide, couldn't you "jiggle" the slide enough to poke the pin back into place (or all the way out) with a punch?

Rick 51/ R51 wrote:

Leonardo wrote:
Under normal use this is a total non-issue. Just don't rack the slide with the gun tilted to the side (ejection side up). Or, use some grease on the pin. You are discounting a very nice reliable gun.

"Under normal use"?... "Total non-issue"?... Do specify those terms and in what capacity do you put your trust in a firearm when it could be your life at stake. PLUS... why would I buy 'grease' for only one of my 30-some-odd firearms when one bottle does all the rest? Properly retained pins don't walk!!! For the 'casual' range or pleasure shooter, I suppose you could live with those little 'failures', but in real life defense situations, those little insignificant "non-issue" things, (as you put it), WILL get you killed in short order. Even though, .380 is my primary 'bugout' or 'backup' caliber to my .45, .357Mag, or 9mm primary carry pieces, it still must maintain that high reliability mark. What if my life depends on it? What if YOUR life depends on it?

OK, my pin will fall out if I line it up and lightly shake the gun. Now, I just sat here and racked the slide for about 5 minutes...pin hole down.....not really all the fast. So, even under abnormal use it was a non-issue. So I can only conclude that under normal use it is a TOTAL non-ussue! Get another gun, I don't really care. It worked for Rhorbaugh, it will work for the RM380. I have put about a 1,000 rounds through the gun with ZERO failures. I am not one bit concerned about failures. Besides the odds of needing to use the weapon and then have it fail, well that's a pretty insignificant number.

Leonardo wrote:
OK, my pin will fall out if I line it up and lightly shake the gun. Now, I just sat here and racked the slide for about 5 minutes...pin hole down.....not really all the fast. So, even under abnormal use it was a non-issue. So I can only conclude that under normal use it is a TOTAL non-ussue! Get another gun, I don't really care. It worked for Rhorbaugh, it will work for the RM380. I have put about a 1,000 rounds through the gun with ZERO failures. I am not one bit concerned about failures. Besides the odds of needing to use the weapon and then have it fail, well that's a pretty insignificant number.

Leonardo, I can certainly appreciate your view about this characteristic, and if you are comfortable with it, so be it. Personally, I don't want the issue on my mind... ever! Some people, like my girlfriend, have some frailties that require them to get more grip on the slide to be able to rack it. The result for a right-handed person is that the pistol ends up on its left side during the stroke, thus enabling the pin to interfere and chance entry into the bore. I just got back from Vegas, went down to my local Gander Mountain to look at another one. First rack on its side, no shaking, the pin fell out onto the counter and I had slide in left hand and frame in right hand... Instant field strip! Sorry, I don't like it and that's just my view and opinion. You and I can rack pistols in their natural shooting position, many others struggle to rack even the lightest of racking forces. That said, the RM380 (Rhorbach-similar) is just not a viable option for choice of defense pistol for the "not-so-strong" in the hand & wrist department. I bought her the Sig Sauer P238 instead. She manages well with it as it stays together with her method of racking as there is NO CHANCE of a pin falling out of place. Aside from the 1911 R1s that Remington builds very well, I've lost confidence in them since the Freedom Group came along. In general, the R51 was a miserable failure, although a few, very few, made it to some peoples' safes and holsters. The redesign attempts have not yet been successful and I doubt it'll ever be back. The RM380 has much less variety of problems like the R51, but, it is still not a "GREAT" gun. For the low price, I guess it's an alright little gun for most. It has a good feel and seems to be well balanced, although, I haven't fired one and don't plan to. Time will tell the rest.

I have a rm380 with over 600 to 700 rounds through it and have never had not one issue with my gun, "NOTHING" not one issue. The pin is not a problem at all and I never had the pin lock up anything on my gun. I love this pistol, it's one of the most reliable small guns I have ever owned. I once bought a Chevy vehicle for my family, it was a lemon nightmare. It was so bad I will never buy a GM product again, but many folks have had good luck with them and are faithful to GM products. I was so soured by this, that no matter what I would buy from GM I would find issue. My suggestion is buy something else, maybe that will work for you. Lots of small quality guns on the market today. I can say that Remington got this one absolutely right in fit, function, feel and ultimate reliability with every type of ammo out there. My guns a keeper!

I've put about 200 rounds through my RM380 and about the same over a number of years through my Rohrbaugh R9. Both guns share the same take-down pin design, and I've never had a single problem on either gun with the take down pin accidentally moving and locking the slide in a partially retracted position.

I did read the owner's manual that came with the RM380 and they discussed this and suggested if you don't want to pin to move, put a little oil or grease on it, and I did just that. I did that not only to keep the pin from moving but because that's a metal to metal wear point that I think should be lubricated anyway. A small plastic rod (like the spray extender from a WD-40 can) is all it takes to push the pin out when I want it to come out - otherwise it stays put even with a "gansta' style shake".

JR956678 wrote:I've put about 200 rounds through my RM380 and about the same over a number of years through my Rohrbaugh R9. Both guns share the same take-down pin design, and I've never had a single problem on either gun with the take down pin accidentally moving and locking the slide in a partially retracted position.

I did read the owner's manual that came with the RM380 and they discussed this and suggested if you don't want to pin to move, put a little oil or grease on it, and I did just that. I did that not only to keep the pin from moving but because that's a metal to metal wear point that I think should be lubricated anyway. A small plastic rod (like the spray extender from a WD-40 can) is all it takes to push the pin out when I want it to come out - otherwise it stays put even with a "gansta' style shake".

Totally agree with the above post.

I was burned by the Remington R51 debacle but wanted a softer shooting and easier to rack DAO 380. The RM380 has more than delivered for me. 300 rounds and counting, various brands of ammo, hollow points, and even steel cased ammo.....not one failure.

Rick 51/ R51 wrote:

Leonardo wrote:
OK, my pin will fall out if I line it up and lightly shake the gun. Now, I just sat here and racked the slide for about 5 minutes...pin hole down.....not really all the fast. So, even under abnormal use it was a non-issue. So I can only conclude that under normal use it is a TOTAL non-ussue! Get another gun, I don't really care. It worked for Rhorbaugh, it will work for the RM380. I have put about a 1,000 rounds through the gun with ZERO failures. I am not one bit concerned about failures. Besides the odds of needing to use the weapon and then have it fail, well that's a pretty insignificant number.

Leonardo, I can certainly appreciate your view about this characteristic, and if you are comfortable with it, so be it. Personally, I don't want the issue on my mind... ever! Some people, like my girlfriend, have some frailties that require them to get more grip on the slide to be able to rack it. The result for a right-handed person is that the pistol ends up on its left side during the stroke, thus enabling the pin to interfere and chance entry into the bore. I just got back from Vegas, went down to my local Gander Mountain to look at another one. First rack on its side, no shaking, the pin fell out onto the counter and I had slide in left hand and frame in right hand... Instant field strip! Sorry, I don't like it and that's just my view and opinion. You and I can rack pistols in their natural shooting position, many others struggle to rack even the lightest of racking forces. That said, the RM380 (Rhorbach-similar) is just not a viable option for choice of defense pistol for the "not-so-strong" in the hand & wrist department. I bought her the Sig Sauer P238 instead. She manages well with it as it stays together with her method of racking as there is NO CHANCE of a pin falling out of place. Aside from the 1911 R1s that Remington builds very well, I've lost confidence in them since the Freedom Group came along. In general, the R51 was a miserable failure, although a few, very few, made it to some peoples' safes and holsters. The redesign attempts have not yet been successful and I doubt it'll ever be back. The RM380 has much less variety of problems like the R51, but, it is still not a "GREAT" gun. For the low price, I guess it's an alright little gun for most. It has a good feel and seems to be well balanced, although, I haven't fired one and don't plan to. Time will tell the rest.

I might add one thing. In a life or death situation. You SHOULD have a round in the chamber. Please note that when you shoot the slide action is so fast that you can hardly see it. IF you unload the whole mag and need to stuff another, a quick tug and release and you have the same; to fast to matter, scenario. I go by my near 1,000 rounds of flawless shooting. The only problem with that is if I have a jam in a vital situation I will not be prepared to handle it. Fat chance. One I'm willing to accept, all things considered.

Wow! The R51 did a job on you for sure... I call BS on the pin just falling out without any intentional manipulation by you at all... We get it that you are not a fan. Making up claims of pins falling out of everyone that you lay your hands on is just a crock. Buy something else, but don't try to rag on my choice. I've been buying and carrying fort 25+ years and I know a good handgun when I see one. IMO, the RM380 is a darn good pistol period.

Sounds like sour grapes caused by the R51 failure and trying to manipulate the RM380 pin to move on everyone he picks up. I guess if one tries hard enough you can get anything to screw up.

Pin is undersized- i know for a fact , they should have used a slightly over sized pin ,mostly referred to a dowel pin one side larger that the other.

got mine back from Marks outdoor, trigger bar issue- now seems ok.

After I got it back went to the range several times the pin walked as I was chambering a round- It was probably- No (I know there was no grease on pin after I got it back from the service center)

never an issue when in full battery , but upon a reload that is when you can encounter a problem.
need to get this handled before confidence in this

I like it a lot and want this for my summer carry/dress atire

Welcome to the Remington Owners Forum dman1 !!

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Enjoy the forum.

dman1 wrote:Pin is undersized- i know for a fact , they should have used a slightly over sized pin ,mostly referred to a dowel pin one side larger that the other.

got mine back from Marks outdoor, trigger bar issue- now seems ok.

After I got it back went to the range several times the pin walked as I was chambering a round- It was probably- No (I know there was no grease on pin after I got it back from the service center)

never an issue when in full battery , but upon a reload that is when you can encounter a problem.
need to get this handled before confidence in this

I like it a lot and want this for my summer carry/dress atire

You can get a slightly larger diameter one from Williams Gun Sight. I'ts the one for the Rohrbaugh R9

I have had mine since May and put around 350 rounds thru it, the takedown pin falling out on its own is a non issue, I've shot several magazines with gun turned on left side and racked slide same way numerous times just to see if I can get pin to jam side or fall out and it never has. (I wipe pin dry when putting back in frame) you have to get barrel and slide to line up at same time for pin to come out.
When I hold gun and line both up I can shake gun and it will fall out, but I don't see it ever doing on its own as it will always have some pressure from barrel to hold in place under usage.

I believe Hickok45 had an issue with the first RM380 that was sent to him with the pin maybe falling out or the slide locking up, I don't recall exactly what it was. Have to watch the video for yourselves to see. If I found a new one cheap enough I would maybe buy it to fart around with but I cant see it being my main CCW given their is probably better options on the market.

I guess that I am a internet dummy. I went to Williams website but couldn't find the Rohrobugh R9 take down pin.

remmy wrote:I believe Hickok45 had an issue with the first RM380 that was sent to him with the pin maybe falling out or the slide locking up, I don't recall exactly what it was. Have to watch the video for yourselves to see. If I found a new one cheap enough I would maybe buy it to fart around with but I cant see it being my main CCW given their is probably better options on the market.

One of his friends was racking slide and it jammed, from what he said it wasn't in rails, I don't think the pin had anything to do with it.

For those that might want to replace their take down pin. I haven't tried these myself yet.

NO LINKS TO EBAY...please read the rules

Rick 51/ R51 wrote:The whole point is: If one of your defense pistols has an issue (other than ammunition related), it counts against "reliability". If I'm going to trust my pistol(s) to protect my life while facing an adversary, it will be a pistol with no history of failures. Remington has lacked in building a pistol I can trust in both R51 and RM380. That said, a range pistol is quite a different animal. It can fail, but only causes some disappointment, where-as, facing an adversary, that disappointment could result in your death. I own 8 pistols that I carry regularly. Only one is a wheel-gun (S&W Model 520 NYSP - 1980). The rest are Sig Sauer, Colt, Remington 1911s, Sig P938, and a 97 year old Remington Model 51 in .380 Built in 1919. I trust each and every one of those and I can load, shoot, relaod, and cycle them from any angle or position. And no, I don't rotate my pistol 'gangsta-style' for any reason. That's just stupid! The thing is, Remington hasn't earned the "Reliability" label for their last two pistol ventures like they did with the old Model 51 and their 1911s. My Remington 1911 R-1 and the old 51 are 100% so far and I've been shooting the old 51 for 60 years without a single hiccup. Can't beat that!

Rick,
I agree with you. I have 2 Ruger SR9 pistols and 1 SR9s pistol. They also have take down pins,
forward of the trigger guard. But, they have a "take down plate". You have to
snap it down and then the take down pin will fall out. My Remington R1 1911 must be pretty
good, my grandson carries it on the job!
Blackie