http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/image_archive/2131315.jpg> Remington photo

News broke on January 2 about the new Remington pistol, the R51. By now, you've doubtless read posts on the new gun around the internet and have seen some video. For those who came in late, it's a renewal of the Remington Model 51. The original, produced from 1919 until 1926 in calibers .32 and .380 ACP, was a delayed blowback of a different design.

Instead of the conventional locked breech delayed blowback - in which the slide and barrel both move back post-ignition to allow time for pressure to dissipate before the barrel drops free - the Pedersen design has a fixed barrel. This gives some increased potential for accuracy but it also allows a lower bore axis.

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The lower the gun sits in the hand, the less muzzle flip and the less perceived recoil. The design also makes it easy to rack the slide. The trigger is single action that's fairly light and breaks clean. There is a grip safety and no manual safety lever. The grip frame is a bit longer than other guns in its class making it extremely comfortable to shoot.

To be supplied first in 9mm, the R51 has another pair of interesting qualities. One is the aluminum alloy frame. They didn't move to a polymer lower. The other is the ca. $400 retail price point.

Some have seen pictures of the new gun and said the rear sight appeared to be backwards. Look again. The sloping back keeps it snag free on the draw. The flat front may work to your advantage if you need to rack the slide one-handed. The magazine release is ambidextrous - a good thing.

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A number of us were at Gunsite in December 2013 and shot preproduction samples of the new guns. The interesting thing was the number of rounds consumed in comparative ease. This was not just any pint-sized 9mm; the R51 was simply easy to shoot. Recoil was in no way abusive - someone said we burned through 5,000 rounds but it didn't seem like nearly that much to me. I imagine I didn't fire any more than 120 rounds myself. That still left me with enough desire to shoot that I consume quite a bit of ammo at the Para range that had been set up before coming back to shoot the R51 again.

Stock panels can be changed, a thicker set for those with large hands, the capacity is 7 + 1 in 9mm, and aftermarket support is also underway. Look for lasers from Crimson Trace, LaserLyte and LaserMax, night sights from Trijicon, XS, and Novak as well as holsters from Comp-Tac, Crossbeed and Galco.

Guns should ship on or about February 1.

This is hardly the only big news from Remington - as well as other players in the industry - for 2014. Stay tuned for our expanded SHOT coverage next week. Our New Exhibitors Special Edition will issue later this week and all wire services combine next week into the following Monday - all in our effort to keep you posted.

-- Rich Grassi