Remington 51

[gaucho1]

I have been looking for a while at the 1903 and 1908 Colt
pocket pistols in .32 and .380.

They are pricey in any somewhat decent condition.

The whole time, the 51 was tickling the back of my mind.

That turned into a grab and I was able to find one for a bite
I could bear...........but this is not a Bear thread....

Please take a look and tell me about your 51 or experiences.

Specialty info. on extra mag. recommendations. Mine is a .380

 

[bigjohn4]

Love shooting mine, even with the tiny sights. Hate taking it apart though! Have an extra aftermarket magazine, might be a Triple K, not sure, but it works without a hitch. Now to look for another because I can't remember where it was purchased from. Which caliber did you pick up?

 

[ronnie gore]

rem 51

I have one in 380 cal. it worked great until the extractor broke, I looked for several years trying to find one without any luck. I made a couple but they kept breaking, finally I found some new made extractors from bob's gun parts and with minor fitting it worked great. neat little pistol.

 

[jmace57]

I agree with bigjohn - I dislike taking it apart, but it is one of the best looking pistols, and best ergonomically that I have ever shot.

 

[bc1023]

They are beautiful pistols. I've got one in the more rare 32ACP caliber with very minimal wear.

I've got a Colt 1903 as well. I think the Remington is a nicer gun.

 

[Drm50]

I have had a few over the years, all 32s. They all functioned very
smooth. To be honest only shot them a box or two at the most.
To me they were easier to shoot than the Colts & Brownings. The
Savages were also good shooters. I couldn't even guess how
many different makes of pocket sized autos I've owned. A lot of them were made well but didn't shoot worth a hoot. For some
reason most of them were 32s. A little tip, make sure you use
standard ammo in these older pocket guns. They were not
designed to fire this new hot PD ammo now on market.

 

[H Richard]

I just had to interject this one. I have a FN (Browning) 1910 in 380, which (to me) is very similar to the Remington 51. The slide/barrel and the grip angle are very similar, and the natural point-ability is similar. The "teeny" sights are nearly worthless, but you can keep all the shots on a 8X10" piece of paper very easily. There is just a natural fit to both of them.

 

[gregintenn]

Although they were designed by John Pederson, they appear to have a certain Rube Goldberg flair about them. To me, they feel and point better than any handgun ever devised. They also conceal well due to their flat shape. A great shooting and great looking handgun. There's no telling how much it would cost to recreate them today, the disaster of the M51 notwithstanding.

 

[gaucho1]

I just had to interject this one. I have a FN (Browning) 1910 in 380, which (to me) is very similar to the Remington 51. The slide/barrel and the grip angle are very similar, and the natural point-ability is similar. The "teeny" sights are nearly worthless, but you can keep all the shots on a 8X10" piece of paper very easily. There is just a natural fit to both of them.

Yes.......... this is the other one that looks great to my eye.

Old fashion modern...slick and beautiful........Deco

Very nice.

 

[30-30remchester]

Although they were designed by John Pederson, they appear to have a certain Rube Goldberg flair about them. To me, they feel and point better than any handgun ever devised. They also conceal well due to their flat shape. A great shooting and great looking handgun. There's no telling how much it would cost to recreate them today, the disaster of the M51 notwithstanding.

Very true about cost to reproduce. Those were the years Remington cared about what they produced. Not like today. Being an antique knife collector, I have to ask about the folder you show. Can you enlighten the forum?

 

[mudcat100]

I have one that has a nickle finish. I know Remington did not make these in nickle but it looks to be professionally done. Paid $280.00 at a local pawn shop so I think it was a fair deal. Has anyone read or heard if Remington has done anything with the new M51's yet?

 

[gregintenn]

Very true about cost to reproduce. Those were the years Remington cared about what they produced. Not like today. Being an antique knife collector, I have to ask about the folder you show. Can you enlighten the forum?

I had to dig it out and look. It is a 4 line Camillus Sword Brand. I should have put a Remington knife in that pic, huh?

The watch is a Waltham with white gold case.

 

[Marshwheeling]

After reading so much about this gun in these pages, I came across one in the local Cabela's gun library. I handled it, but without shooting it, I guess I was unable to appreciate the 51's highly regarded ergos.

In any event, Cabela's seemed to be pretty proud of it, and I didn't have much free cash, so I did not try to buy it. Who is to say what might have happened if I had been carrying a few $100 notes to handel with.

 

[Pencil Barrel]

My all time favorite classic American Pocket Pistol. Own a number of American APP's, including the Browning 1910, couple of Colt 1903, a few Savages in each model, etc.

In other words, I've had them all. I still have several 51's in both .32 and .380. And I have shot the living pee out of one of them.

Best natural pointing pistol ever made. So easy to simply point-shoot. That's the whole reason the PP was devised. Don't worry about the teeny tiny sights. Those complaining about the sights simply don't get it.

You might consider getting the original factory instructions, available as a repro document on Ebay or GB from Rediscovered Shooting Treasures. If you ever need to take it apart past the typical slide and grip plate removal, believe me, you will need them. Read the instructions before doing anything on these guns, including slide and grip plate removal. They're different and they are a little complicated in terms of figuring them out than the usual JMB or Savage designs.

You did good. Enjoy it. It will never, ever, be made again.

 

[robertrwalsh]

I have both the Colt and the Remington in .380 (also Colt in .32). The Remington is possibly the best pointing pistol I have ever held in my hand. However, as noted by several people above, field stripping it is a pain in the butt.

 

[KEN L]

A design WAY ahead of its time. A note on original .380 mags. If you find one, buy it. They're scarcer than the guns they go in. I've never seen one for sale. I've seen a few of the .32 mags over the years though. I do have one aftermarket mag of unknown make that works flawlessly. I picked it up off a now forgotten classified board several years ago. Anyway, enjoy your Model 51. As the man said, "It will never, ever, be made again". They are a sweet shooting gun and probably one of the best pocket pistols ever designed. Thank you Mr. Pederson!

 

[alwslate]

After reading the typical praise heaped on the Rem 51 by some gun
writers I bought one many years ago. I didn't find it all that great as
far as the handling and pointing qualities and traded it off at a gun
show not long after I bought it. The 51 and Browning 1910 may have
a similar look to some eyes but they are very different pistols. The
1910 is a very simple design with very few parts but no one has ever
said that about the 51. The best all steel classic .380 is the Beretta
1934 IMO. Magazines and parts are readily available but the simple
and rugged 1934 isn't likely to need parts often.

 

[gaucho1]

Funny how taste is different for everyone.

At this point, I can only say I like the look of the 51.

Because I bought it for that reason.....any other aspect
that is positive will be a bonus to me.

Most of my guns are close to that evaluation for myself.

But then again, I think AKs are on par with 1911s as far as looks go........and 1911s are as good as it gets in some ways.

BTW....I have never seen or held a 51 in person...

 

[Walter Rego]

The Remington PA51 is one of my favorite pocket autos. As others mentioned, they are easy to shoot and have great pointabilty. Interestingly enough, the .32 ACP versions are much more scarce than the .380 ACP versions which is exactly opposite from production numbers in both calibers from Colt and Savage but most sellers don't seem to know that. Here's an interesting comparison shot of what you could have purchased from a well stocked gun or hardware store in the early 1920's.

 

[italiansport]

I own examples of all three. The Remington by far is the best shooter and for years before the advent of new guns was one of the primary backup choices of law enforcement. The gun is very slim and readily concealable.
The biggest problem is the convoluted take down method even for routine maintenance.
Jim