Figured it would be logical to make a new topic dedicated to this fine weapon, designed by John Pedersen, and manufactured from 1918-1926, IIRC.
Here's a repost of the NRA's example from their excellent National Firearms Museum.
Enjoy!
Adam
Remington 51 pistols - topic open to all
Remington 51 pistols - topic open to all
Guys, in my Model 10 post one of our own (kudos, DWalt!) shared another great Remington with us all, the fine Model 51 automatic pocket pistol.
Figured it would be logical to make a new topic dedicated to this fine weapon, designed by John Pedersen, and manufactured from 1918-1926, IIRC.
Here's a repost of the NRA's example from their excellent National Firearms Museum.
Enjoy!
Adam
Figured it would be logical to make a new topic dedicated to this fine weapon, designed by John Pedersen, and manufactured from 1918-1926, IIRC.
Here's a repost of the NRA's example from their excellent National Firearms Museum.
Enjoy!
Adam
I am a regular joe, consisting of 78% coffee, 12% hot air, 9% organizational abilities, and 1% luck.
Re: Remington 51 pistols - topic open to all
I'll post some additional pictures and some historical notes on the Model 51 when I get a chance to pull some information together. The Model 51 deserves to be better known than it is. And, aside from Remington's recent me-too clone of the .45 ACP Government Model (which I can't get excited about) and the WWI Rem-UMC version of the military Model 1911, it is the only autoloading pistol that Remington ever made and marketed - and by far the classiest.
Re: Remington 51 pistols - topic open to all
Agree. Look forward to your 51 info post.
Though defensive violence will always be “a sad necessity” in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men. - St. Augustine
Re: Remington 51 pistols - topic open to all
Mods,
let me know if this is ok. I'd like to put a "plug" here for Ed Buffaloe's "Unblinking Eye" website which provides a great deal of information regarding the Model 51 pistol.
so I don't break any bandwidth or hotlinking rules too badly, let me just mention this site - you guys can use your own google-fu to find it without the actual hotlink!
Ed's site is "unblinking eye dot com." go to his main "guns page", scroll down about halfway, and you'll find his Model 51 page link. He has many excellent reference photos, as well as tons of info about rare and pre-production Model 51's.
well worth the time searching for Ed's site - won't take long!
Adam
let me know if this is ok. I'd like to put a "plug" here for Ed Buffaloe's "Unblinking Eye" website which provides a great deal of information regarding the Model 51 pistol.
so I don't break any bandwidth or hotlinking rules too badly, let me just mention this site - you guys can use your own google-fu to find it without the actual hotlink!
Ed's site is "unblinking eye dot com." go to his main "guns page", scroll down about halfway, and you'll find his Model 51 page link. He has many excellent reference photos, as well as tons of info about rare and pre-production Model 51's.
well worth the time searching for Ed's site - won't take long!
Adam
I am a regular joe, consisting of 78% coffee, 12% hot air, 9% organizational abilities, and 1% luck.
Re: Remington 51 pistols - topic open to all
The Unblinking Eye is about as comprehensive a treatment of the Model 51 in one place as I have seen. A good part of the main text was adapted from the Donald Simmons article in the 1979 Gun Digest, but I had not seen much previously in print about the prototypes.
There was some mention about Model 51s in the Cargyle collection. Gus Cargyle is a gun show promoter out of Corpus Christi TX (Saxet Gun Shows), and is now quite advanced in years (assuming he is still alive). He is probably most noted for his collection of Colt .45 automatics, and in fact, if some Government Model was ever made by Colt (or any manufacturer) at any time, there is probably an example or two of it in his collection, along with numerous elaborately engraved .45s (some of which are rated XXX). He had the only .45 Mexican Obregon military pistol I have ever seen. It superficially resembles the Colt Government Model, but is mechanically much different. Few were made. Far fewer exist in the US. At one time, he would set up his own table at his gun shows to display parts of his Government Model collection, but I haven't seen that for the past 5 years or so.
There are a few items unmentioned. I have seen references to the effect that the OSS during WWII bought some unknown quantity of Model 51s to arm OSS agents. As the Model 51 had been out of production since about 15 years before WWII, I have always questioned the truth of the legend. But I guess it could be true, even though I don't know what would have been the advantage. I've heard others say that there was some military adoption of the Model 51, but I have never seen any evidence of that. I have always considered that this "military adoption" story sprang from the U. S. Navy's interest in the .45 version of WWI (Model 53) that was never adopted, or possibly because of George Patton's ownership of a Model 51 (I wonder what happened to it?). No doubt some GIs may have carried their personal Model 51s off to the the battlefields of WWII, as personal sidearms were used by many in the military back then. I once had a guy try to sell a Model 51 to me as one which, according to him, was "bought by the Marines." His proof? The standard Remington factory "anchor" inspection stamp, and also that someone had engraved "USMC" on the slide. He was very upset and angry that I didn't believe him.
There is also the possibility, with some substantiation, that someone in Germany may once have manufactured a copy of the Model 51.
Regarding calibers, it was noted that the Model 51 was available in both .32 ACP and .380 ACP, which is true. But those in .32 ACP are quite unusual, and not many of them were made. It has been stated that the .32 version was intended mainly for the European market, where the .32 was more popular. The only real difference between the .32 and .380 pistols is the barrel and the magazine, so some Model 51s in .32 may have started life as .380s, with a later sex change operation performed.
One of my continuing regrets is that back about 40 years ago, I was offered a Model 51 in new, unfired, and in-the-box condition for $200. And I didn't buy it.
There was some mention about Model 51s in the Cargyle collection. Gus Cargyle is a gun show promoter out of Corpus Christi TX (Saxet Gun Shows), and is now quite advanced in years (assuming he is still alive). He is probably most noted for his collection of Colt .45 automatics, and in fact, if some Government Model was ever made by Colt (or any manufacturer) at any time, there is probably an example or two of it in his collection, along with numerous elaborately engraved .45s (some of which are rated XXX). He had the only .45 Mexican Obregon military pistol I have ever seen. It superficially resembles the Colt Government Model, but is mechanically much different. Few were made. Far fewer exist in the US. At one time, he would set up his own table at his gun shows to display parts of his Government Model collection, but I haven't seen that for the past 5 years or so.
There are a few items unmentioned. I have seen references to the effect that the OSS during WWII bought some unknown quantity of Model 51s to arm OSS agents. As the Model 51 had been out of production since about 15 years before WWII, I have always questioned the truth of the legend. But I guess it could be true, even though I don't know what would have been the advantage. I've heard others say that there was some military adoption of the Model 51, but I have never seen any evidence of that. I have always considered that this "military adoption" story sprang from the U. S. Navy's interest in the .45 version of WWI (Model 53) that was never adopted, or possibly because of George Patton's ownership of a Model 51 (I wonder what happened to it?). No doubt some GIs may have carried their personal Model 51s off to the the battlefields of WWII, as personal sidearms were used by many in the military back then. I once had a guy try to sell a Model 51 to me as one which, according to him, was "bought by the Marines." His proof? The standard Remington factory "anchor" inspection stamp, and also that someone had engraved "USMC" on the slide. He was very upset and angry that I didn't believe him.
There is also the possibility, with some substantiation, that someone in Germany may once have manufactured a copy of the Model 51.
Regarding calibers, it was noted that the Model 51 was available in both .32 ACP and .380 ACP, which is true. But those in .32 ACP are quite unusual, and not many of them were made. It has been stated that the .32 version was intended mainly for the European market, where the .32 was more popular. The only real difference between the .32 and .380 pistols is the barrel and the magazine, so some Model 51s in .32 may have started life as .380s, with a later sex change operation performed.
One of my continuing regrets is that back about 40 years ago, I was offered a Model 51 in new, unfired, and in-the-box condition for $200. And I didn't buy it.