Rifleman Q&A: Remington Model 51

by
posted on April 8, 2016
model51.jpg

Q: I recently purchased a Remington Model 51 from a friend’s estate. Unfortunately, he never gave me any background info on this pistol, and his wife knew nothing about it. There is an anchor-shaped insignia stamped on the right front side of the trigger guard as well as on the bottom of the grip behind the magazine well. Stamped on the magazine is “.380 ACP” and on the bottom an insignia that looks like “TT.” 

Could you provide a manufacture date and maybe any history that may be available?

A: The Model 51 was a pocket pistol designed by John D. Pedersen, who is more famous for the U.S. Army’s Pedersen Device for the Model 1903 rifle and his competition with John Garand in developing the replacement for the Model 1903. Pedersen had already worked with Remington on other arms, and had actually begun work on the Model 51 prior to World War I, however, he didn’t complete that design until 1919. The .380 ACP-chambered pistol was put into production that year with the first being completed in September. 

The pistol was very well made but expensive at $36.30 each. Its design was actually ahead of its time. It was promoted as being “self-aiming” due to its advanced approach to ergonomics and its “hesitation lock” mechanism that lessened recoil and allowed a lighter slide to be used. But its complexity meant high production costs, and competition for the pocket pistol market was fierce. Price reductions and the introduction of a .32 ACP version in 1921 did not lead to commercial success, and the pistol was discontinued in 1926. Only 64,796 pistols were made during its seven years of production.

No government agency is known to have adopted the design for official use, although a few may have been purchased less formally. The anchor mark you mentioned has led some to believe they were U.S. Navy arms, but the mark appears to be only a factory proof, inspection or assembly mark, as were marks such as the “TT” that you described.

—Charles W. Pate

Latest

NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, Atlanta
NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, Atlanta

The Rifleman Report: New Developments

Our official coverage of new products for the current year is set for next month, but we included two substantial new developments in this issue that have the potential to make significant ripples in the firearm business even before then.

Arkansas To Begin Mandatory Gun Safety Lessons In Schools

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law requiring public and open enrollment public charter schools to provide age-appropriate firearm safety instruction beginning during the 2025-2026 school year.

Adams Arms Set To Relaunch

Alexandria Pro-Fab, a contract machine shop based in Minnesota, announced that it has purchased the assets of Adams Arms, along with all of the company’s intellectual property, and it plans to relaunch the company in the second quarter of 2025.

I Have This Old Gun: Bayard Auto Pistol

The Herstal, Belgium, firm of Anciens Etablissements Pieper was apparently expecting big things when, in 1908, it named its new semi-automatic pocket pistol “Bayard.”

The Armed Citizen® March 31, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

New For 2025: Benelli USA Nova 3 Tactical

This latest update to Benelli’s pump-action shotgun gives users a few upgrades over previous generations, making the new NOVA 3 the most exciting pump-gun yet to come from the Italian maker.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.