Talked to Reminton CS today, 3 weeks ago they said they would buy my R51 back. I just was wondering when. I was told that it was going out in the next "BATCH'' of checks. About a week to 10 days. They have no idea on how to fix this gun, you might notice that it has been removed completely from their website. It just doesn't exist anymore.

I suggest if you have one at Remington that you call them and get your money back. Chances are that if you wait for a repair, that you will be able to collect your Social Security first.

mardetcv66 wrote:Talked to Reminton CS today, 3 weeks ago they said they would buy my R51 back. I just was wondering when. I was told that it was going out in the next "BATCH'' of checks. About a week to 10 days. They have no idea on how to fix this gun, you might notice that it has been removed completely from their website. It just doesn't exist anymore.

I suggest if you have one at Remington that you call them and get your money back. Chances are that if you wait for a repair, that you will be able to collect your Social Security first.

That is the impression I got as well, A damn shame, how does stuff like this happen ?

It is a shame, really is. Although I am rid of my R51 I am curious as to what lies ahead for this model, when will a fix be made, IF there is a fix. Will there be a second year production or scrap that idea? Etc Etc. It will be interesting for sure. As a side note, I was cruising through gunbroker I noticed not ONE R51 listed anywhere when a few months ago there was dozens going way over retail. The saga continues....

remmy wrote:It is a shame, really is. Although I am rid of my R51 I am curious as to what lies ahead for this model, when will a fix be made, IF there is a fix. Will there be a second year production or scrap that idea? Etc Etc. It will be interesting for sure. As a side note, I was cruising through gunbroker I noticed not ONE R51 listed anywhere when a few months ago there was dozens going way over retail. The saga continues....

So as a replacement I ordered a SIG P320 9mm from Bud's and did not get gouged with free shipping and they had one in stock, Yeah it's a new gun but when Hickok45 and Yankee Marshal give it a thumbs up and I can't find any negative reviews I believe it Funny how they both never reviewed the R51 No not really.

I requested a refund via email with no response. I am getting a 9mm M&P Shield to replace the R51.

draidt wrote:

remmy wrote:It is a shame, really is. Although I am rid of my R51 I am curious as to what lies ahead for this model, when will a fix be made, IF there is a fix. Will there be a second year production or scrap that idea? Etc Etc. It will be interesting for sure. As a side note, I was cruising through gunbroker I noticed not ONE R51 listed anywhere when a few months ago there was dozens going way over retail. The saga continues....

So as a replacement I ordered a SIG P320 9mm from Bud's and did not get gouged with free shipping and they had one in stock, Yeah it's a new gun but when Hickok45 and Yankee Marshal give it a thumbs up and I can't find any negative reviews I believe it Funny how they both never reviewed the R51 No not really.

Hickock said that "Remington definitely did not want him to review the R51"!

I too have requested a refund .... Although there are several single stack 9mm on the market to choose from .... I believe I am going to wait and see what the new Walther CCP is going to bring to the table. I have seen this at the NRA gun show over a month ago and I was impressed with it. I also must say I have the double stack version of that gun which is the Walther PPQ. I am in love with the PPQ.

So at for me, I am going to wait till I see some reviews and more press on the CCP. Its soft-coil and easy racking has me very intrigued. When you stop and think about it ... isn't the ease of racking and light recoil one of the major reasons for considering the R51 in the first place???

I feel if I jump in and buy something else that is already on the market, I won't be giving this new Walther a fair shake.

R1V3R5 wrote:I requested a refund via email with no response. I am getting a 9mm M&P Shield to replace the R51.

Traded my R51 for one, Best trade of my life. You will love the Shield, and I hear S&W CS is one of the best in this industry along with their warranty.

I received my buy back check from Remington today for my R51. They sent the full amount plus sales tax, which I did not expect.
They still need to make this available to all R51 owners who do not want to wait for a fix, whenever that happens.
Monday I'll go looking for a replacement for the R51.

Happy Shopping! Let us know what you get .......

Remington pays up topic merged with this already established thread.

So what was the reason the R51 went in the tank? The operating system? Damn, this sucks. When I held that gun, a few months ago in a LGS, I wanted it. Man, maybe they should just go with some standard recoil system, instead of a version of the Petersen system.

remingtontoter wrote:So what was the reason the R51 went in the tank? The operating system? Damn, this sucks. When I held that gun, a few months ago in a LGS, I wanted it. Man, maybe they should just go with some standard recoil system, instead of a version of the Petersen system.

Lordy !!! It is am impressive list of failures. I had one with the serial number in the low 2000's. I put 100 rounds through it and encountered numerous failure to feed, failure to fire, failure to fully battery the rounds. Additionally the slide was gritty and not smooth and easy to rack like the ones seen at the Remington booth at both the Shots show and the NRA show. The sights were loose and not set properly. In short it is a mess. I sent it back months ago and since then I have lost all confidence in Remington's ability to fix the problem.

Based on what I have seen, my conclusion is this. The guns shown at the Shots show and the NRA show are not the same as released. The ones released for sale were quite different. I think some bean counter at Remington was trying to make a cheaper version of what was shown at the shows.

I believe this is all about money. If this was simply a recalibration of the plant to fix the problems, or the manufacture of a single component, Remington would have done that by now. This is going to be total retooling IMO.

I have talked to a senior VP with Remington and based on that conversation, I am confident that the executives at Remington do not really know how to fix the problem. I am suspecting that we will see a total relaunch of this product ... probably with a different name or model number in an attempt to hide the embarrassing performance of the R51.

Either way I am very leery of Remington at this point. In fact my confidence level is so low I have asked for a refund. I would strongly suggest that all r51 owners who have sent their weapons into Remington do the exact same thing. I believe that a clear message needs to be sent to the company as to the feelings of the buying public. You can't show one thing to the buying public and deliver another. This goes much deeper that simply a manufacturing error.

On that note I was told that it could be as much as 6 weeks before the refund comes in. Seems excessive to me ... but hey, I could be wrong.

It is a pity that this had to happen, I was in such high hopes for the R51. That little gun was going to solve several issues for me as a concealed carry weapon. I am going to have to do a better job of research before I jump in and buy another untested handgun. I fully admit that this is my own fault. I should have waited till the design was out for awhile and any bugs worked out. Guess we all learn from our mistakes.

As a final irony to this post ... I just went to the Remington site. I cannot find any reference at all to the R51. Looks like the boys at Remington are running for cover and throwing the buying public under the bus!!!! WAY TO GO REMINGTON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mardetcv66 wrote:I received my buy back check from Remington today for my R51. They sent the full amount plus sales tax, which I did not expect.
They still need to make this available to all R51 owners who do not want to wait for a fix, whenever that happens.
Monday I'll go looking for a replacement for the R51.

Yes, happy shopping. While you're out shopping, get your hands on a Sig Sauer P938, if it's 9mm you prefer to stay with. I've had my P938 & R51 side-by-side at the range quite a few times. It is as much, and more than the R51. The Sig is smaller & a dream to carry. Easier to conceal than the R51 too. And... every bit as accurate and quick to get back on target. Plus, the night sights on the Sig are perfect. Of course, the Sig starts at about $300 more than the R51, but hey, the Sig shoots every time without falling apart. I just bought a P238 (.380 AUTO & same platform as the P938) for my sister yesterday. I'm taking her to the range tomorrow to see how she likes it. I wouldn't trade mine for anything else for a carry pistol.

SIG Sauer makes a quality firearm...

They can never bring the R51 back, the stench of failure and the fact that Remington never took control of the problem has left this gun DEAD. All the writers that praised this large POS should be ashamed of themselves. The "pre-production" guns that they fired were worked over by Remington techs, like an Hasidic diamond cutter over a 40ct stone. The industry does not send "off the line" guns out to writer for reviews. And the reviewer know this and they also know that industry ads pay their salary. Even Diogenes would not be able to find a truthful gun writer. Just my opinion, after 40+ years of reading gun rags!!!

^^One of the many reasons I view many different sources when looking at a particular model...^^

I've found Gun Tests to be a reasonable source, as they do not accept manufacturer ads and money, and have multiple testers use the firearm being reviewed under a variety of conditions. But even then... their "opinions" can be skewed because each tester will rate the firearm based on his/her established tastes and preferences.

It can be a crap shoot when buying a firearm anymore...even from established manufacturers with a long history of making quality firearms.

Made in the USA used to mean something at one time...

SHOOTER13 wrote:^^One of the many reasons I view many different sources when looking at a particular model...^^

I've found Gun Tests to be a reasonable source, as they do not accept manufacturer ads and money, and have multiple testers use the firearm being reviewed under a variety of conditions. But even then... their "opinions" can be skewed because each tester will rate the firearm based on his/her established tastes and preferences.

It can be a crap shoot when buying a firearm anymore...even from established manufacturers with a long history of making quality firearms.

Made in the USA used to mean something at one time...

This is true Gun Tests is the one mag that comes the closest to telling the truth about a firearm!

mardetcv66 wrote:They can never bring the R51 back, the stench of failure and the fact that Remington never took control of the problem has left this gun DEAD. All the writers that praised this large POS should be ashamed of themselves. The "pre-production" guns that they fired were worked over by Remington techs, like an Hasidic diamond cutter over a 40ct stone. The industry does not send "off the line" guns out to writer for reviews. And the reviewer know this and they also know that industry ads pay their salary. Even Diogenes would not be able to find a truthful gun writer. Just my opinion, after 40+ years of reading gun rags!!!

^THIS

This R51 debacle just doesn't get any better, does it?

Sheesh.

Hi-Point is a better gun that what Remington can produce right now and that is saying a LOT.

(I actually have a lot of respect for Hi-Point having run across them quite a bit and they plain damn work like designed)

I got this E-Mail from Remington today

Remington Support
Service Ticket Response

Good morning, Mr. Raidt,


Thank you for the information. Your refund is in processing.




Thank you and best regards,
Remington Customer Services

remingtontoter wrote:So what was the reason the R51 went in the tank? The operating system? Damn, this sucks. When I held that gun, a few months ago in a LGS, I wanted it. Man, maybe they should just go with some standard recoil system, instead of a version of the Petersen system.

Actually, the Pederson action is quite reliable in a well fitted assembly. This action won't function reliably in a "Loose Goose" multi-material manner like the R51. As proven in the reliability & accuracy arenas, look at the original Model 51 from the 1917 to early 20's production (predecessor of the R51). It is all steel and those steel parts blend beautifully to produce a long-life, reliable, and accurate pistol. I, for one can attest to that as I've shot mine for almost 60 years without a hiccup. Lands are almost invisible now due to wear but still shoots the tight group it was noted for. And, it's a very safe pistol for concealed carry. But, it's just a .380. When (if) Remington revises a new R51 with "ALL-STEEL" frame, slide, and block, and tightens up the tolerances, and rebores the barrel for proper cartridge spacing, it WILL be the pistol that it claimed to be from the very beginning. A little heavier & pricier would be no issue if it performs as a reliable piece. Not to mention it would make a nice piece in the popular .40 and .45ACP calibers as well.

Just another note on my R51 (00024XXR51), first of 2 that I bought. My son (a previous Army armorer) has that R51 running pretty smoothly and almost faultless. Not sure what all he did to get it running right, but the only thing left is building a different magazine for it. I have read reports where some R51 owners have had absolutely perfect running R51s right out of the box. Imagine that!!!???

I'm still waiting on Remington. Maybe I have too much patience, but I'm in no hurry. I have my other guns to keep me busy and satisfied.

Glad to hear that you are keeping your R51's. Mine is much better as time goes by and I also plan to keep mine at least through this year. Only a real safety recall from Remington, unlikely, or a number of incidents will cause me to return mine.

Yes, it'll be interesting to see where Remington takes it. I'll wait it out. In the meantime, my R51 hangs on the wall as it makes for good conversation that leads to many real-world issues involving "modern day people". Glad I won't be around to see what the next generation or two destroys by ignorance & arrogance.