This is my Model 51. It's an heirloom given to my mother by her father. It was a pistol that he really adored and I feel bad that it wasn't taken care of as much as it could have been. I'm not willing to strip it as it's a bit of a complicated and peculiar gun. I'm also not willing to fire it - unless I get a hold of parts and an experience gunsmith. I just value this pistol too much.
The Model 51 uses hesitation locked action designed by John Pedersen Only the Model 51 and SIG MKMS were the only guns in production to ever use this mechanism. The barrel is stationary with a recoil spring surrounding it. I really love how the silhouette tapers as it reaches the end of the barrel. It has three safety mechanisms consisting of a dumb safety, a grip safety, and magazine disconnect.
The silhouette and safety features of the gun really stood out in the United States 1918-1927, but not enough to get the attention of the general public. It seemed that the gun never reached a big commercial success. It's a shame that it wasn't released in Europe where it might have done better, and been less affected by the stock market crash.
Regardless, different gun historians and enthusiast have taken note of the Remington Model 51. I honestly hope that Remington considers doing a vintage rerelease of this gun. You can find one in working condition online for under $450 if you're not interested in the original box. I do want to pick one up in the future to give it a ride. I hear it shoots well. It sure as hell feels like it was made for my hands.
