Rifleman Review: Remington R51

by
posted on September 30, 2020
Released back in 2014, the Remington R51 is a semi-automatic sub-compact handgun chambered in 9 mm that feeds from a single-stack magazine. The R51 is a modern adaptation of an older design produced by Remington, the Model 51. The Model 51 was produced from 1918 to 1927, chambered in either .380 ACP or .32 ACP.

The Model 51 was largely designed by John E. Pedersen, a renowned inventor in the first half of the 20th century who designed such items at the Pedersen Device for the M1903 Mark I and the Pedersen toggle-lock rifle that competed against the Garand rifle for U.S. adoption. Pedersen developed a hesitation-lock action that uses a breech block separate of the slide, which is normally a single piece in other semi-automatic handgun designs..


When fired, the breech block of the Pedersen hesitation-lock moves rearward with the slide before camping up and out of lock.
The Pedersen hesitation-lock allowed less material to be used in the slide of the Model 51, reducing weight and felt recoil. The design also allowed for a lower bore axis with a fixed barrel.


Pedersen also worked on designing and refining the ergonomic of the Model 51, some of which carried over into the R51.
The R51 uses the same Pedersen hesitation-lock design as the older Model 51. The R51 is comprised of an aluminum frame with a steel slide. It also uses a single-action trigger with a hammer hidden within the slide.


Safety features on the R51 include a passive firing-pin safety as well as a grip safety on the backstop of the pistol.
The R51 also comes with a three-dot sight system that can be removed and changed with aftermarket sights if so desired. Due to the use of the Pedersen hesitation-lock design, the R51 has a low bore axis with less moving mass.


The barrel itself does not move during the unlocking phase. While the R51 had reliability issues when first released in 2014, it was recalled and reworked by Remington, the issues were largely fixed on later production examples.

For more information on the R51 handgun chambered in 9 mm, visit remington.com.

To watch complete segments of past episodes of American Rifleman TV, go to americanrifleman.org/artv. For all-new episodes of ARTV, tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EST.

Latest

heavy machine gun crew with DShK on tripod pointing in air above trees
heavy machine gun crew with DShK on tripod pointing in air above trees

Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun

While the Browning .50-cal. M2 machine gun has been unequaled for a century, John Moses Browning’s genius design has had one significant 12.7 mm competitor: the Soviet DShK.

Support The NRA Youth Education Summit (YES) On Giving Tuesday

With more than 1,200 students having graduated from the program and over $700,000 in scholarships awarded since 1996, NRA's YES is an immersive leadership program for high school students eager to learn about the foundations of our nation, the importance of civic engagement and the role of the Second Amendment.

Rifleman Review: Remington 360 Buckhammer

Remington Ammunition's 360 Buckhammer is a straight-wall hunting cartridge that's designed to give deer hunters an ideal round for their Midwestern hunt.

New For 2025: EAA Girsan Witness2311 Brat, Match and MatchX

European American Armory Corp. (EAA) introduced an affordable variation of the double-stack 1911 design with their Girsan Witness2311 in 2023, continually adding additional chamberings and slide length options. New for 2025, the company is adding three new versions of the Witness2311 with the Match, MatchX and Brat models.

Review: Citadel Trakr

At less than 4 lbs., this repeating rifle is easy on the back while also being extraordinarily easy on the budget.

Freedom Munitions To Move Ammo Component Production To Idaho

Freedom Munitions has announced it will be consolidating its projectile component production from X-Treme Bullets out of Nevada into its Lewiston, Idaho, facilities.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.