John Moses Browning told Major General Julian Hatcher that John Pedersen “was the greatest gun designer in the world.” Although his name might not be as well known as John Browning’s, Mr. Pedersen was essential to American firearms design. Guns like the Remington Model 17 shotgun still influence modern shotgun design. John Pedersen also designed the ingenious, graceful, and fantastic Remington Model 51.

The Model 51 premiered in 1918, and in that era, small guns like the Model 51 relied on a straight blowback principle. That was a simple and effective firearm design, but it was a bit crude and often imparted additional recoil. Small, locked breech pistols were not common, but that was the goal of the Remington Model 51. Remington and John Pedersen wanted a more refined compact pistol for daily carry.

The pistol features a smooth overall design that’s slim and flat. The corners are mostly melted, and it’s a snag-free draw. The gun has that old-world style we don’t see in a modern era of black polymer. The Model 51 gives us an art deco appeal that is a product of craftsmen rather than CNC machines and injection molding.

What Made the Model 51 Different

There is some dispute over what to call the Model 51’s operating system. The official name is a hesitation lock; the dispute is over the principle of the operating system. Remington firmly referred to it as a locked breech, and the breech remained locked until a bullet left the chamber.

In the years following, many firearms experts would refer to it as a delayed blowback design. The hesitation-locked system uses a breechblock that’s separate from the slide and frame. When the weapon fires, the slide naturally begins to move rearward; when it moves, it meets the breech block. The breech block remains against the cartridge’s rear as the slide reciprocates .083 inches.

The slide keeps moving, and as it does, the breech block is lifted upward and out of the way. At this point, it becomes part of the slide as the slide reciprocates, ejects the spent cartridge, and recocks the gun’s internal hammer. As the slide returns to battery, the breech block disconnects from the slide and returns to its proper position.

The benefit of this design was the ability to use a lighter slide and recoil spring, which created a lighter gun that was easier to manipulate. This wasn’t a huge concern with the .32 ACP version, but with the .380 ACP, it made a decent difference.

Remington’s Grip

An unusual locking system is just one of the fascinating features of this gun. Remington reportedly experimented with hundreds of grip molds and measurements to find the right sized grip. This is evident when you pick up an original Model 51. The grip design feels fantastic.

The effort was put into the gun’s grip design and how naturally it points. Advertisements called it “self-aiming” for how naturally it sits in your hand and points. Self-aiming is great because the early automatic pistols era had the tiniest sights.

The Remington Model 51 used a grip safety that performed several tasks. The safety locked the disconnector and the sear in the hammer notch. The grip safety only protruded from the gun when the weapon was cocked, so it was easy to know if the weapon was cocked and potentially loaded.

The grip safety will also lock the slide if you retract it against an empty magazine. It will also close the slide if you engage the grip safety after putting a fresh magazine in the gun. There is also a manual thumb safety. This thumb safety also locks the grip safety in the protruded position. Since we are on the subject of safety, there is also a magazine safety.

How The Model 51 Performed

My Model 51 is a .380 ACP variant, the most common design variant. The single stack magazine holds seven rounds of .380 ACP and one additional in the chamber. The grip design shouldn’t be understated. It’s absolutely fantastic and feels excellent in the hand. It’s the right length and width to be comfortable and flat.

The sights are extremely small. These are the types of sights that work fine when you have all the time in the world to align a micro-sized black front sight with a teeny notch in a rear sight. They don’t work quickly, and in a defensive situation, the gun better be self-aiming!

I tried both methods of shooting. Aligning the sights on a white target wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t fast. When aimed properly, the gun delivers impressive accuracy. At 15 yards, our groups were all inside of 3 inches with Remington 95 grain .380 ACP. Not bad for the tiny sights.

When I fired up the timer, I aimed to go from the low ready to one shot on target in less than one second at seven yards. That’s an easy task with any modern gun. My target was an IPSC A-zone. At first, I kept looking for the sights; this was muscle memory from modern firearms. Eventually, I just had to go on instinct and point and fire.

I could hit the A-zone, but the groups were more adequately described as patterns. There was seemingly no rhyme or reason to where I hit, but I hit the A-zone…Most of the time. I always hit the greater IPSC target, and it never left the C-zone.

Old Gun — Modern Performance

The Model 51 has an interesting recoil impulse. It’s a bit snappy but not uncomfortable or painful. If I choke up a little high, I get a graze of slide bite, but only barely. The recoil impulse is quickly recovered, and the gun and sights settle back on target.

If the gun had modern sights, it would be so fast and rapid to shoot that it would easily keep up with modern .380s. It’s without a doubt an easier and faster-shooting gun than guns like the Walther PP series or really any .380 ACP from that era. If it were remade today, it would be a very capable defensive pistol.

Of course, Remington did try to remake the Model 51 as the R51, but that was a total disaster. If a competent company produced the Model 51, it would be an excellent defensive pistol. Strap on some modern sights, and you’d be off to the races.

I didn’t torture test this gun, and firing a hundred rounds every few years will likely be its foreseeable future. In the latest hundred rounds, there were zero failures. The system runs without a problem and cycles FMJs with ease.

The Model 51 Today

Module 51 handguns are somewhat rare. There aren’t solid numbers on production runs, but approximately 65,000 were built between 1918 and 1926. Upon release, they cost $15.75 cents, making them a somewhat pricey option for 1918. Finding one today takes some searching, but it’s entirely possible.

If you’re a fan of old guns and turn-of-the-century pistols, the Model 51 belongs in your collection. It’s reliable, well made, fun to shoot, and a product of a more creative era in firearms design. While guns have functionally improved, the Model 51 represents a wonderful era in handgun design.