Remington 51 .380

The semi locked breech (Retarded blowback I believe they call it) is a very pretty piece of engineering. As far as I know no one else used the system, and all I really remember is that it impressed me, I'll have to take one of mine down again and go over it again to see exactly how it works. I think the slide moves back about .100" and momentarily stops, then it's fully released. Now that I think of that I believe I've heard called a hesitation lock.
 
It is really a neat system.
The initial setback of the internal breechblock is the thickness of the .380 casehead, no loss of sidewall support under pressure.
That Pedersen fellow was a smart cookie, working around Browning patents assigned to Colt and FN and designing a system that would handle a variety of loads. I wish the Model 53 Navy .45 had made a go of it.

During the automatic rifle trials, he was criticized for being a high paid expert while Mr Garand labored away at Springfield on a civil service salary.

But John Browning called him the best firearms designer in the business.
 
It is a bit hard to compare Pedersen with Garand, since Garand basically spent his career on one design - a great one but only variations of a rifle design. Pedersen, on the other hand, designed rifles, shotguns, and pistols, as well as the famous Pedersen device, a semi-auto bolt for the M1903 rifle.

So I have to consider Pedersen a greater designer than Garand, though the latter had a knack of being able to simplify and refine a design, something Pedersen did not seem to be able to do (though Garand had plenty of time, something Pedersen didn't always have).

Jim
 
Just curious, is the take down procedure of the 51 all that different than the R51?
After a little practice, and a few colorful phrases, I learned to strip my R51 pretty much as easily as anything else.
 
had a knack of being able to simplify and refine a design
Click to expand...

I have seen it said that Mr Garand's experience at Brown and Sharpe familiarized him with the latest manufacturing and gauging tools of the day. This helped him come up with a design that not only worked, but could be manufactured in quantity to outfit an army.
 
Take down

I have an easier time taking down the R51 than the older 51. Maybe it is because the parts are larger on the R51 and after all of these years Remington made it easier. On the R51 I just have to remember to place the magazine release under the spring. I will also say the R51 Series 2, I have not had a problems with it and I am very accurate with it. Because of previous 51's that I have had and had problems with them firing over 3 shots until it jammed there is not as much confidence in it and I hate the safety on the older 51. But I also missed bidding last week on a 51 on Broker as I had to be away from my computer that went for about $376.00 that I missed out on. I see others on Broker that are in the price range of $700-$1300 each.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top