Remington model 51 filed strip questions

[grumpa72]

I just acquired a near mint Rem. Model 51 .380 and it is fairly dirty from sitting for quite a while. Two different sources say to remove the barrel for field strip and don't remove it. Any experience out there? The source that says remove the barrel talks about a "shelf/recess" that the recoil spring bushing fits into in order to facilitate the barrel removal. Is that at the front end of the slide, is it visible, or just done by feel?

And to add, how does one clean the magazine. I did my usual - depress the guide piece, stick a thin screwdriver blade through the slot to capture the mag spring and then pull the bulle guide up. It will not pass the feed lips however.

Thank you. And, yes photos will be posted after cleanng.

 

[dogtown tom]

grumpa72: Two different sources say to remove the barrel for field strip and don't remove it.

This statement makes no sense. Do you mean one source says you can remove the barrel and a different source says you cannot? Any source that says the barrel on a 51 can't or should not be removed is completely and absolutely full of crap. I cannot imagine why anyone would post such nonsense.

The 51 is delightfully easy to field strip and that includes removing the barrel.
Here's a good guide:
http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Rem51/rem51.html

 

[grumpa72]

Dogtown,
That was the first website I found. His description makes it sound like a field strip is so easy but I can't seem to find out how to make the bushing catch and stay put. Thus the question. Everything is apart except for the barrel and slide. I can't figure out if the catch for the bushing is engaged by pulling the barrel fully forward and is tipping the barrel up tipping it up towards the top of the slide or up to the bottom of the slide. It all depends on how you hold it.

The one source didn't say "couldn't" but "shouldn't". Of course that is a YouTube video and I often take them with a grain of salt.

Grumpa

 

[grumpa72]

I found a reproduced owner's manual and it was much better at describing the tilt up function necessary to remove the barrel, bushing and spring. All is well.

 

[grumpa72]

Here are some decent daylight photos. Interesting to note is the bluing on the magazine release button (both sides) and the safety. I have read of fire bluing and I assume that this is what this is?

Ok, still working on the photo thing.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

What the heck does "self aiming" mean??? I love old gun literature. Those were different times.

 

[grumpa72]

More photos. Two small rust spots, one on the slide just above the magazine release and a really tiny dot on the right side of the slide. Love that fire blue too.

Oh, "self-aiming" I believe from my initial reading is that John Pederson spent an inordinate amount of time getting the grip angle and other ergonomic issues settled before he went too much farther. It does fit my hand nicely. Testing it out at the range tomorrow.

 

[mete]

One of the finest design of any gun I've owned ! I still kick myself for having to sell it !

 

[grumpa72]

Yes, it is truly elegant, isn't it. Fits my hand so well - let's see if it really is "self aiming" as their ad says. Weather permitting, it is going out to the range today for a little exercise.

The only issue so far is the trigger pull- guestimating that it is excess of 8-10 pounds. I will take my Colt Pocket Hammerless, also in .380, out with me.

I love it's condition and the fact that I have the original manual/instructions.

 

[8ySfxxBc]

For those of you out there struggling to get the barrel off (this seems to be the only discussion of it on the internet about this concerning the unique Model 51 and comes up as a first result on google), and the unblinkingeye guide isn't much help, this might help you (I just figured this out):

Pull barrel all the way forward, then grab the lug that the takedown pin threads through. Pull the lug up straight up, towards you (towards where the trigger guard assembly would be) and then slowly back. The bushing will catch on the invisible catch and with some nudging the barrel will clear the breech bolt area. It's not immediately obvious that you have hit the catch because the barrel tends to bond with the bushing and requires some force to dislodge the two. Additionally, the clearance to get the barrel out of the bushing is only a little more than 1mm, so this can be tricky to notice unless you play around with it.

I am aware that this thread is rather old but I still wanted to clear this up since this was discussed but not accurately described in this thread. Hope this helps other Remington 51 pistol owners out there!