January is “new gun intro” season in the firearms industry, with the major trade show mid-month being the stage:  SHOT, the Shooting and Hunting Outdoor Trade Show.  I won’t be there this year (trial schedule conflict) but will try to keep you apprised of what I can find out remotely.

Some new introductions will be window dressing, such as Mossberg’s series of “Duck Commander” motif firearms, mostly shotguns with a couple of ARs thrown in.  (Exactly what AR15s have to do with ducks escapes me, unless it’s suitability to amphibious operation, but…)

Remington-R-51

Some will be radical for their kind.  Consider the Remington R51, a sleek 7+1-shot 9mm pistol with some elements of that company’s famous old Model 51 design, including flat super-thin profile.  There are profound differences, of course: the new one is locked breech in design, and built for 9mm Luger +P, while the original was a .380.  Pundits who’ve seen it are divided as to whether the design is “retro” or “ultra-modern.”  I see it as some of both.  The swooping, sculptured lines and overall shape remind me of what “futurists” who touched on guns half a century ago predicted pistols might look like today. (An interesting taste of that can be found here , though Asimov didn’t touch on firearms.) Price point is remarkably low, and I for one am looking forward to putting one of these new Remington pistols through its paces.

Since December, I’ve been working with a couple of guns I can’t talk about yet.  The manufacturer is so serious about the “media embargo” going through to January 6 that I’ve had to have everyone on my test team sign non-disclosure agreements from the company.  One is an especially interesting departure for the manufacturer in question, while the other is much more evolution than revolution, and all of us who are shooting them like them but can only hold our hands over our mouths and mutter, “Mmmff.  Mmmff!”  Will have more to say on these next week when the embargo lifts.

So far, advance press releases to us gun writers indicate a lot of minor and often cosmetic changes, but there’s always something that represents at least a small step forward, if not a giant leap.  We’ll talk about the new stuff more this month as all of it unfolds.

1 COMMENT

  2. Looking forward to the R51, especially at that price point. If good it will be going into my collection.

  4. Mas,
    Pavlov knew. By the time we can savor your take on the new gear my Duck Dynasty tee shirt will be soaked.

  5. Well Mas, most “new” things in the firearms community seem to hindered by Federal concerns of “Safety”, and “Securuty”, which make them the preverbial “mole hill” after it has been built to “Government Standards”.

    Mostly, I don’t think a weapon, or cartridge, is trustworthy enough to “bet your life on”, until it’s at least fifty years old, and been trough a couple of wars, and ben used, and misused, by not only the competent persons, but survived even the dumbest soldier, hand loader, and idiot, that could possibly screw them up, or destroy them, and has still “come up ticking”, as the old watch advertizement used to say.

    I am sure my point of view will generate a whole lot of flack, disagreement, consternation, among some, but I’ll stick by it, until someone can come up with something better (ie. The M1 Garand, in 30-06, Paton’s Queen of Battle, and the Model 1911 .45 cal. pistol).

  6. Hi Mas! The Remington R51 looks a lot like a Whitney Wolverine to me. Also similar to a pistol issued by South Africa; and the Marine service pistol in the movie “Aliens”.

  7. The Remington 51 looks a bit like a plastic toy pistol I had about 1969. It would shoot plastic flying discs, looked great, and was comfortable in the hand.

    It’s wonderful to live in a country which offers such a bewildering array of choices. I often think of American Indians eating just the food that could be found in their area of the country. I eat food from all over the world!

    On the other hand, standardization has some advantages too. In World War I, all the major participants had bolt-action rifles, all in different, but similar, calibers. If they limited their choices to one or two types of rifles, it would be easier to supply the armies in the field. If our military used AK-47s, we could steal ammuntion from the enemy and use it against them. Politically, it’s interesting to note that technological breakthroughs seem to come mostly from free countries. It’s nice to live in the Golden Age of Technology.

  8. The new Remington R51 moves the bar up with all the features and differences it has. I also like the fact it can shoot 9mm+p. This pistol will be something I will be adding to my collection.

  9. Add me to the chorus of those enthusiastic about the R51. While not nearly as close to the original Remington Model 51 as some in the press seem to think, I like it for several reasons. Plus P loads will help terminal ballistics from such a short barrel. Single action triggers remain the best choice for accurate shot placement. Will I need this at contact distance or across a restaurant a la Luby’s? And as long as tolerances don’t allow pocket junk to work its way into the mechanism, I’m happy the grip safety was included. The minimalist dimensions of this and similar Pocket Nines leave me with fewer and fewer reasons to continue packing a 5-shot J-frame when I can’t carry a “real gun.” I’m also surprisingly drawn to the funky lines of the R51. Finally, the price point is amazing. I’m ordering one ASAP.

  10. Just want to say I agree with Paul Edward’s point of view, especially when it comes to guns used for self-defense. It must go “bang!”, not “click.” I’m so old-fashioned and low-tech that I actually have a hard time trusting and understanding semi-automatic actions. I prefer manually operated actions. Yes, yes I know, I wouldn’t want to use a bolt-action rifle for CQB, but I can take it apart and clean it without looking at the directions. I also realize even manual actions sometimes fail (like short-stroking a pump-action). But I love the KISS principle, and I think simple is beautiful. While I would feel comfortable going into combat with a semi-auto rifle, shotgun or handgun, I’d want to carry a revolver as a back-up gun. But I should mention that one of my revolver’s ejection rod loosened up, so the cylinder would revolve, but not swing out. I could fire all five rounds, but then I could not reload. Nothing’s perfect.

  11. Old Fezzywig:

    Glad to find another who thinks KISS, and “Soldider Proof” is the way to go.

    I can remember when you could buy any S&W revolver, and right out the box, it came with an action (double & single) that could be used to shoot any PPC course, without taking it in for a professional action job first.

    Later, I also remember when S&W started cutting corners, trying to save $$$, and you were lucky if an out of the box revolver could even be relied upon to fire reliabley, without repairs, or a professional action job first.

  12. Am I clicking on the wrong links for a list of local dealers? I can’t find anything about the R51 at remington.com. Looks like what I have been shopping for.

  13. One review of the new Remington R51 that I read, said that a .40 S&W version of the pistol is already on Remington’s planning for this pistol?