soccerguy83 wrote:Yes it is a bit alarming, as well as the slide bite/safety bite.

This is less an issue for me. They could increase the depth of the backstrap so that it is not flush when engaged. In that case, the sides would not bite into your hand.

The assembly issue could require a redesign. Let's see what other users say about the reassembly consistency/difficulty.

Seems to me enough practice will resolve the issue with assembling the pistol correctly. However, I am worried about the slide bite during extensive range practices. And if I don't practice then I'm less inclined to carry.

R1V3R5 wrote:Seems to me enough practice will resolve the issue with assembling the pistol correctly. However, I am worried about the slide bite during extensive range practices. And if I don't practice then I'm less inclined to carry.

I have a R51 on order from my LGS and will just have to hold the gun to see how the slide could bite like that. After reading that review yesterday, I went to the range and shot over 300 rounds from three semi auto pistols. I spent a lot of time watching the slide and it never comes close to hitting the hand. Waiting anxiously for the first person to report back on this.

Is it harder to reassemble than the Ruger Mk series? No? Then I'm not concerned.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

lklawson wrote:Is it harder to reassemble than the Ruger Mk series? No? Then I'm not concerned.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

I have a MK III and am in total agreement !

Mk II here

I saw a video (linked to in the comments of the article) where a kid tore it down in 14 seconds and the reassembled it 20 some seconds.
I agree with some of the comments I scanned thru that the writer of the review already had the negative mindset towards Remington and the gun and review was doomed before he got his hands on it.
I am on the fence as to if I should get one of the first models of these and this review didn't push me in either direction. I will know when I can get one in my hands, hoping that can happen soon just like everyone else here.

KnoxTN wrote:Mk II here

On which, I broke the mainspring latch last night while trying to disassemble it.

Another video review. Explains how to disassemble/reassemble and why TTAG did it wrong.

http://youtu.be/cBeSJYBYzVE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IQEAKGXKt8

KnoxTn, that video you just put on is the best place to get honest information on the R51. It is from ramworks.net , Richard Mann's site. I read everything I could find on the R 51 when I first heard about it , but Mann's site was the best. I had just finished reading Nick Leghorns review of the R 51 where he said all kinds of great things about the gun & ended up bashing it.

Leghorn's video of field stripping it was a joke. He said that it was so hard to take down and Mann's son took it down in 17 seconds & put it back together in 29 seconds. Richard said it was done right too.

I have very bad wrists & when I first heard how easy it was to rack & softer recoil too, I was sold. I have been shooting for over 60 years & still enjoy it but racking a lot of guns is hard for me & this one looks like a winner. I ordered it from my dealer who is a great guy & very fair too.

gene51, welcome to the site! I agree that Nick's review seemed to have a bit of bias already introduced. I enjoyed seeing Mann's video on field stripping the R51 and found it to be much more informative than Nick's.

Please keep us up to date in the other thread if you hear anything about your new R51 making its way to the LGS!

soccer, Richard Mann said that it would be March when they would be at LGS. he probably knows more than most. I will surely post if I hear anything. I think I have spent 1/2 of my life waiting for new guns, from the Texan cap gun back in the 1930's to a Model 39 Smith to an H&K P7to I don't know how many PPK's ,and on & on to a Shield ( that was so hard to rack that I got rid of it right away).

I am really looking forward to the R 51 as I like single stack guns the best.

I have a Springfield XDm 4.5" in .40 and I can understand your issue with racking the slide.

I am introducing my wife to shooting. She attended her first class recently and she took my Ruger Mk II Target model. She had a blast and shot well enough to pass a carry class if it had been one. If she keeps at and wants something for herself, I don't think she will like my XDm at all or anything like it such as the XDs.

My hope is that the R51 does have softer recoil and more manageable slide so that she can have a 9mm instead of a .380 or smaller. I am also interested in the .40 version for a smaller carry piece for me.

Knox, For an older person or a lot of women having weaker wrists & strength is common. I think for any one with this problem it is more important to hit than have a larger caliber. I have shot pretty much every type of gun, but I haven't been this old. That is why the R 51 looks so good to me.

I asked Richard Mann about recoil & he said it is pretty much straight back & recommended Critical Defense or Federal ( I will have to check the post on Federal). Racking is a bigger problem than shooting with me, but extended shooting gets to me. I do have a PPK 32 which is easy & very accurate. PPK 380 is tough on slide rack & recoil.

The Ruger LC 380 s the softest shooting & easy racking 380 on the market, but it does have a long easy trigger which is not as accurate as a PPK. It is locked breech as are the 380 Mustang & Sig 238. The last 2 kick more than the Ruger because they are only 12 oz. A real good little 380 with a very good trigger is the Bersa 380. Much as I love the PPK's , the Bersa is really better in a lot of ways.

I checked back on the low recoil rounds that Richard Mann recommended & they were Hornady Critical Defense & Federal Guard Dog. Both of these were for lighter recoil. For a stronger round it was Remington Ultimate Defense, for short barrel guns. Has anyone heard any more about the release of the R 51 to dealers ?

No ETAs, he will call when it comes in.

I called my LGS and had the same answer, he would call when it comes in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

soccerguy83 wrote:Yes it is a bit alarming, as well as the slide bite/safety bite.

found one at gander mountain today. not so good...
1. appearance is really bland, finsih texture/color not anything like pics, drawings and advertisements
2. slide bite avoidance requires not a natural high grip, but a grip that does not cover any portion of the lower 'bob tail' (which doesn't actually exist). had no problem with proper grip myself, but can see why people are reporting slide bite
3. the grip safety is not the same as a 1911...at all. the safety is the full length of the back strap, and one must capture the pistol in the exact way required to fully depress the grip safety. noted the difficulty quickly as the grip i use for 1911, bersa, sig does not work. had to move the hand slightly to the left (right handed) in order to fully depress the safety. not a new skill i want to acquire when moving between different makes and calibres.
4. the slide was really gritty, and seemed to require a double pull to completly rack the pistol. may have been due to not enough customers playing with the new toy, but none of my other pistols had such slide resistance out of the box
5. the trigger pull is longer than a 1911, but shorter than any DA i have handled. clean break. reset is not easy to detect, so the trigger probably needs to come all the way back to reset, before making a follow-up pull.
6. the sights were the easiest/quickest to bring to bear of any pistol i own or have played with at the LGS. the smooth back and straight front are good for removing the pistol from concealment and using a watchband, belt or table to cock if the weak hand is disabled.
7 despite the 'double action' movement required to rack the slide, the effort was minimal, and i was able to hold the slide with one hand and push the grip with my index finger to fully rack the slide. clearing any jam should be very easy for everyone

did not take the pistol to a range; did not buy. the thing just did not feel like a piece that had a natural home in my hand.

cheers.

UPDATE: 04Mar14
returned to gander and found the pistol still in the case. HOWEVER, the slide was much better (guess about a thousand pulls had been done since my first visit). HOWEVER, nothing compared to MP9, Sig whatever, EMP 3.0. trigger did not improve. neither did the appearance (has no matte gloss highlights like the pictures; not a function thing, but appearance sells the unit, right?). just couldn't part with the $$ to find-out how the r-51 performs at the range. really wanted to grab it and go, but still not a natural fit for med hands.

cheers, ya'll

Thanks for the in store review.
I fear that my first impression assessment will be the same, but I am hopeful and wanting it. Mostly it has to impress the wife and how she feels with it tho.

waldengr wrote:4. the slide was really gritty, and seemed to require a double pull to completly rack the pistol. may have been due to not enough customers playing with the new toy, but none of my other pistols had such slide resistance out of the box

Probably not lubed at all; just the anti-rust jelly that Rem. ships it in.

5. the trigger pull is longer than a 1911, but shorter than any DA i have handled. clean break. reset is not easy to detect, so the trigger probably needs to come all the way back to reset, before making a follow-up pull.

On mine the trigger is a bit different than anything else. A fairly long slack/take-up. Maybe as much as 3/16" and then it hits a wall. No "stacking" per se, just suddenly stiff. Fairly heavy. I couldn't even guess but fairly heavy. But when people say "it breaks like glass" they were probably thinking of how the trigger on the R51 breaks. Slaaack... stiffff... BAM!

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

I'm sure people will be having trigger jobs done on the R51. It will be intresting to see if the trigger mechanism is similar to the 1911 or some other pistol.

ToneDeath wrote:I'm sure people will be having trigger jobs done on the R51.

I hope not. With the absence of any safety outside of the grip-safety, a heavy trigger pull is a good idea.

Besides, I kinda like the way the trigger feels and it really doesn't need to be particularly light. It's not a race gun or a competition target gun. It's a concealed carry gun.

It will be intresting to see if the trigger mechanism is similar to the 1911 or some other pistol.

I don't know. It does have a stirrup style horizontal horseshoe trigger bar which reminds me of a 1911 but the R51's trigger isn't a straight back pull so the similarity would have to be limited.

But what I don't know about 1911's fills volumes so I may not be the best person to draw comparisons and contrasts.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

I'm not saying to lighten the trigger up to a 2.5 lb pull like by Ruger target gun, but it wont hurt to have the rough spots polished up a bit.

lklawson wrote:

ToneDeath wrote:I'm sure people will be having trigger jobs done on the R51.

I hope not. With the absence of any safety outside of the grip-safety, a heavy trigger pull is a good idea.

A lot can be done to make a trigger better without making it lighter.