R51--The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Tried one out at my range the other day. And I completely echo the analysis above. Shoots great and very accurate. Love the low bore axis. Cycles well and points well. Like the weight and the design in most things.

Point of interest: there is no reset on the trigger. You have to bring your finger almost all the way off the trigger in order for it to reset. No audible or tactile reset in the feel of the trigger. In that sense it is like a revolver. But the trigger is light and smooth. I actually really liked the trigger a lot. Not too heavy or light but just right and some travel, which you want in a carry gun, but not too much. It's what I would consider to be the perfect balance for a carry gun trigger.

Deal killer: What prevents me from buying this gun is the grip safety. You had to grip the gun very high and pretty firmly to disengage the safety. Anything less than a perfect grip failed to disengage the grip safety. That is unacceptable for a carry gun. In the panic of an attack or a fight, it is very likely the draw from holster one might get a less than perfect grip of the gun. If that happens with this gun ..... No bang. Unacceptable.

Other cons: pain in the behind to field strip. Tendency to give slide bite. Neither of these are deal killers. But the grip safety is a deal killer for me. Too bad. I like the gun.
 
Radny97, The more i fire the R 51 the depressing of the safety has become an unconscious act and i have not had situations where it caused me to not fire. Early on i was more concerned with that issue and i believe as a result caused my own problems. I would rarher the pistol did not have the grip safety but now i am less concerned it is an issue that would cause injury because one did not grip correctly.
 
I agree that there are a number of less than perfect features that many guns have that can be overcome with appropriate training. Sounds like this grip safety issue can be dealt with in training as well.
 
Back
Top