Remington Model 51 & Astra Constable

[Checkman]

Picked these two up at auction last week. After it was all said and done (fees and sales tax) I paid $650 for both of them. The Remington was made in 1919, and the Astra hails from the Seventies. They're both chambered for .380 and are in very good condition. They are both longtime itches that I finally decided to scratch. Neither will see a lot of shooting since they have been out of production for many decades, but they're in my safe now. Just something about well-made mouse guns.

 

[ACORN]

Nice score! Nice price!
Both of those are on my want list.

 

[DWalt]

Patton owned a Rem 51.

 

[alwslate]

Those two do not belong in the "mouse gun" category. More like full or standard size .380s. I bought a Remington 51 many years ago after reading articles about what a great design it was. My take after using it for a short time was the design wasn't so great so I passed it on and never looked back.

 

[Checkman]

I bought a Remington 51 many years ago after reading articles about what a great design it was. My take after using it for a short time was the design wasn't so great so I passed it on and never looked back.

I got them "just because". They're not intended to be CCW pieces. Safe queens and the occasional weekend foray to the range. I like old guns for their own sake.

 

[DWalt]

I got them "just because". They're not intended to be CCW pieces. Safe queens and the occasional weekend foray to the range. I like old guns for their own sake.

The original Rem 51 was somewhat unique in its lockup design, and that degree of mechanical sophistication was not really essential for use with the low powered .380 cartridge (the 51 was also made in .32 ACP). The much more recent Remington R51 used the same lockup design, but made in 9mm. It did not work out very well in the marketplace. During WWI, Remington made a few pistols of a similar design but in .45ACP for use by the Navy. But the Navy never adopted it. There was a total of four different variations of the Rem 51. I have all of them.

 

[walnutred]

Good prices. I had a 32 ACP 51 briefly in the 80's. But in the 80's I owned most firearms "briefly". I presently have an Astra Constable that I pick up at a pawn shop for a little less than $200 two years ago. I thought it was a great price. I've found the pistol to be very particular about what ammo it likes. It defiantly prefers stiffer loads. My current load is 2.7 gns of Bullseye and the 100 gns Berrys flat nose bullet.

 

[erikpolcrack]

Both those pistols were on my 'gotta have it' list for quite some time. I managed to get both eventually and am quite pleased with them both. The M51 is a unique piece of firearms history and looks, handles, and shoots great. The Constable is one of my very favorite mid-size 380s.

 

[desi2358]

I have owned a couple of the Remingtons, in 380 and 32. I liked shooting them, very natural pointers (which was one of their designed features) and very reliable and accurate. Found the takedown to be a bit of a pain and eventually sold them off. Kind of regret it at times, not averse to picking up another one if the price is right.

As to the Astra, while I've owned a number of different Astra models (and still have several) I've never had one of the Constables. Just never ran across one at the right price I guess. If I ever do I would certainly be happy to add it to the collection.

 

[Echo40]

The Astra Constable and Remington R51 — the ill-fated 9x19 revamp of the M51 — were two pistols I had strongly considered for a carry gun about a decade ago, but ultimately I chose the Walther PPK/S because it was more available than the the Constable and more reliable than the R51.

Nevertheless, both are absolutely excellent firearms, congratulations!

 

[Puller]

I have a Remington 51 in .380 and it is one of the most natural pointing guns held in the hand. The sights are smallish by modern standards and the safety is not very convenient to operate, but mine has been very accurate and reliable. I believe John Pedersen designed it.