Remington 51 .380

J

joe-lumber

New member
I purchased a Remington 51 in .380 a couple of weeks ago. Cleaned the pistol very well and only had 1 magazine with it. Purchased on Ebay two magazines for the 51 and when they arrived they were really Triple K knock offs that fit the Remington but the spring inside the magazine feels very weak compared to the original magazine when loading them. Well the original magazine has no malfunction at all but the weak spring Triple K magazines have malfunction after malfunction. Questions?
1. Can the springs be replaced in the Triple K magazines to match the original without destroying them?
2. Just try to order another magazine that states it is original from Ebay?

I like the pistol but it is hard to clean and take apart. That may have been one of the problems when they were first introduced as they were not as successful as the Colt 1903 and 1908, .380.
 
All I can think of to do is to try a magazine spring from something similar.
Maybe a Colt .380 mag spring would work.
https://www.gunsprings.com/COLT/190...AMMERLESS <BR> .32 & .380 ACP/cID1/mID1/dID71

A spare Remington magazine would be nice to have. Probably expensive, even on ebay.

I think one reason the Remington did not compete well against Colt was that it was a good deal more expensive. It cost money for Mr Pedersen and Remington to work around the very comprehensive Browning/Colt patents.
 
magazine

I took apart the original Rem. magazine and found the spring had 19 ends to the spring. It was also stronger than the Triple K spring that only had 12 links. It was noticed the shells were much easier to insert into the Triple K magazine and if I had known the they were from that company I would not have ordered them. Price was much lower than an older original and I guess I should have known not to purchase the Triple K.
 
I inherited my wife's grandpa's model 51 years ago. He carried it here in Texas all during the 1920s through the 1940s - wearing all the slide finish off.

It shot very well for me the few times it went to a range. The ergonomics on this little .380 are very comfortable for my hand. Never have tried to field strip it, just cleaned it best as possible.
About 20 years ago I saw an original magazine at a gun show for $60 :eek:

2-4-11snowguns002.jpg
 
The ergonomics on this little .380 are very comfortable for my hand.
Click to expand...

Mr Pedersen is said to have molded modeling clay around a magazine to get to as comfortable a grip as possible for a pocket pistol.
I would like to see and feel his big gun, the Model 53 Navy .45.
 
At the time they came out, the Remingtons were said to have the easiest recoil of any of those pocket pistols. The field stripping and re-assembly, however, is difficult and a PITA even for one who knows the procedure well. Full dis-assembly is not (IMHO) recommended. With non-corrosive ammo, I would advise that owners not even field strip, just run a patch through the barrel, lube a little, and call it square.

Pedersen was rightfully considered the country's second greatest gun designer, but he failed the simplicity test, at least partly due to JMB (and various patent attorneys) turning out solid and reliable designs he had to work around.

Jim
 
Bill, I have an R 51 and I doubt seriously the magazines will interchange, hey sorry about the spelling of your name on the Spanish pistol forum.:D
 
Remington 51

I am speaking of the original Remington 51 and not the 51R. I have a 51R -2 and it fires very will for me. Easy to carry also and very accurate for me.
 
Mikey- sorry, I was thinking of the NEW Remington, not the old one.
I don't recall a misspelling, but I'm sure I have been called worse!
 
I believe I'd bite the bullet and pay more (probably absurdly more) for the factory mag. But who knows, maybe the K mags will work. Good luck and let us know!
 
At the risk of boring everyone, PLEASE note that the original Model 51 has hard rubber grips, very brittle by this time. Do NOT attempt to remove them unless you know how to do so or you can break them. Some replacements are OK but others are not so it is best to keep the originals intact.

Jim
 
Remington 51

I took the Remington 51 out to the range yesterday and the weak spring Triple K mags (2) fired great. Maybe the old pistol is loosening up and firing like it should. I did order magazine springs from Wolff Springs that are 18 coils and since the magazine is the same size as the Colt 1903-1908 they should fit properly. Wolff said they didn't have Remington 51 magazine springs I told asked if they had the Colt 1908 .380 springs and that is what they are shipping. I will then replace the weak springs with the new Wolff springs and I am hoping it will be okay.
 
Remington 51 mag springs

I installed Wolff springs that would fit a Colt 1903 magazine into my Triple K, .380 Remington sub magazine. I haven't fired it yet but it loaded wonderfully into battery and later I will fire it to make sure it really works. The original 51 magazine has 19 coils and what Wolff sent was 18 coils which shouldn't make a big difference. The $34/ cost of the Triple K magazine vs Ebay cost of an original 51 magazine of $150 used makes sense to me even adding the spring cost of about $8/ spring is great. Will let every one know if it really works.
 
aftermarket

The aftermarket mags were working okay but when I first tried them they didn't after receiving them. The second box of 50 they did work but I could tell the springs were weaker than original magazines. When I took apart the original magazine I found they had 19 coils and the Triple K had only 12 coils. I will find out in the next range day if the 18 coils of Wolff springs work well and then I will replace the second Triple K with the 18 coil spring.
 
I have desperately wanted a Remington 51 in either .380 or (preferably) .32 ACP for many years.

Every time I think I have an angle on one, the deal falls apart.
 
Remington 51

This is my 3rd one and the only one that has really worked well. The first one was a parts gun that I took to a gunsmith that said he could fix it and he replaced a broken hammer. It would shoot 2 shots and then stop extracting the spent shell. The second one was whole I am assuming and would do the same thing. Now I believe the real problem was the magazine. Both pistols had reproduction magazines.
Now I have more knowledge in taking the pistols apart and cleaning them better and using a devised tool to push the spring forward I have made with a 1/2 PVC with the end cut 1/2 back about 3/4" so it makes a lip to go around the spring bushing. Moving the spring forward by bare hand is tough and this is easier to take it apart and lift the barrel and breech bolt out.
It is a great little gun but tough to clean after every range shoot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top