There is a reason why American Rifleman's print edition does not review guns until they are fully in production. Often manufacturers give us the first look at any new firearm. We are invited to seminars and range events where such guns make their debut. But as a matter of policy we do not put guns into the magazine until they are fully in production.
I see no reason to tell 2.2 million readers in detail about a firearm that cannot even be ordered. The Remington R51 pistol was introduced earlier this year. It is a very interesting pistol that utilizes the original John D. Pedersen hesitation lock from the Model 51 of the last century. A group of writers including Feld Editor Wiley Clapp attended an event at Gunsite where they encountered few issues with the gun. All in all, the pre-production R51 pistols worked very well, about as well as you would expect for any new design. The problem came as the gun went from small pre-production to mass production. There are number of reports from consumers and evaluators about issues with the full production version of the gun.
Today Remington announced that R51 pistols that are out there can be sent back for a replacement from new production slated to start in a couple of months.
The R51, according to Remington, will enter production again in October. Those who have an R51 can send it back to Remington and will be supplied with a new R51, two magazines and a Pelican case for their trouble.
The full text of Remington's announcement is as follows:
"Earlier this year, we launched the innovative R51 subcompact pistol to critical acclaim. During testing, numerous experts found the pistol to function flawlessly. In fact, they found it to have lower felt recoil, lower muzzle rise and better accuracy and concealability than other products in its class.
However, after initial commercial sales, our loyal customers notified us that some R51 pistols had performance issues. We immediately ceased production to re-test the product. While we determined the pistols were safe, certain units did not meet Remington’s performance criteria. The performance problems resulted from complications during our transition from prototype to mass production. These problems have been identified and solutions are being implemented, with an expected production restart in October.
Anyone who purchased an R51 may return it and receive a new R51 pistol, along with two additional magazines and a custom Pelican case, by calling Remington at (800) 243-9700.
The new R51 will be of the same exceptional quality as our test pistols, which performed flawlessly.
We appreciate your patience and support."
