barnbwt
member
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2011
- Messages
- 7,340
Ah, but how much is a gen 1 R51 that works gonna run? It is looking more and more like the guns either work or they don't (which is more or less what I've been seeing/reading all along) based upon how tight the chamber was mis-cut (I say mis-cut because I have little reason to believe actual chamber reamers were being used based on my gun, but rather hand-ground endmills that left no leade and were prone to wobble/chatter/galling). Personally, I'm astonished that I haven't read of anyone checking, let alone finish reaming their chamber like I did, since my functional example was still way off of spec. I can only imagine what the too-tight ones having trouble chambering look like.
And if that is the fix to cure what ails most of the R51's (and I suspect it is) it is one heck of an easy job (like 20$, tops) there just may be a market to support such a tune up. Obviously the rest of the gun is still made poorly, which is something Remington is at least making noises about correcting (if such is the case, I'd consider purchasing second and making this one a test bed for barrels, carbine conversions, laser integration and other crazy ideas), but the failings elsewhere on the gun don't seem to be the primary drivers of inoperability.
Loose dovetails and many of the other nitpicks raised on the R51 are easy for neophytes on the web to complain about because they are readily understandable, but they hardly make a gun non-functional, nor are show-stoppers (just embarrassing). Chambers, which hardly anyone bothers to check for when buying, are an incredibly dangerous place to be cutting corners, and will cause everything from failures to feed to out of battery kabooms, and that's in any platform (a 1911 wouldn't bulge a case, but it would sure shear barrel/slide lugs if fired slightly out of battery and made to too loose tolerances)
TCB
And if that is the fix to cure what ails most of the R51's (and I suspect it is) it is one heck of an easy job (like 20$, tops) there just may be a market to support such a tune up. Obviously the rest of the gun is still made poorly, which is something Remington is at least making noises about correcting (if such is the case, I'd consider purchasing second and making this one a test bed for barrels, carbine conversions, laser integration and other crazy ideas), but the failings elsewhere on the gun don't seem to be the primary drivers of inoperability.
Loose dovetails and many of the other nitpicks raised on the R51 are easy for neophytes on the web to complain about because they are readily understandable, but they hardly make a gun non-functional, nor are show-stoppers (just embarrassing). Chambers, which hardly anyone bothers to check for when buying, are an incredibly dangerous place to be cutting corners, and will cause everything from failures to feed to out of battery kabooms, and that's in any platform (a 1911 wouldn't bulge a case, but it would sure shear barrel/slide lugs if fired slightly out of battery and made to too loose tolerances)
TCB