Here is a nice Model 51 .380 ACP made in 1919 that remains in very good condition. Mechanically it is just fine. It shows a few marks from its long life. On the right side there are a few scratches to the frame above the trigger. These look much worse in the photos than in hand. The left side of the slide and part of the frame have several spots of light pitting, none of which is serious. In fact, you have to hold the pistol to the light to get a reflection before you see it much at all. There's not much of what I would call holster wear, but you can see slight rubs on the sharp edges near the muzzle. The front and rear of the grip frame retain most of the original blue. Really, the only detraction from the original blue is the pitting I mentioned and the slight high edge wear.

The face of the trigger shows no loss of blue. The left side of the trigger is virtually perfect, and the right side shows only slight rubs where it contacts the frame.

The barrel is bright and shiny with strong, sharp rifling. There is a wee bit of darkening in the groves. There are no pits. It's a very good barrel.

Under bright light you can see that the grip panels have slightly different shades. The right is black while the left shows some brownish grey. This is far more apparent in the photos than in hand. It raises the question of whether one of the panels is a replacement. Of course I have no idea. They both are original Remington grip panels. I have seen Model 51 pistols with various shades of the Bakelite plastic they used. I can say with confidence that these grip panels have been on this pistol for decades at least. I know this because when I disassembled the pistol there was accumulated hard congealed oil between the frame and grip panel on both sides. It takes a long time for old oil to harden like that. Happily, both grip panels are nearly perfect condition without scratches, chips, or cracks.

I have stripped, inspected, cleaned, and properly lubricated this pistol. It is ready for another 93 years. I had it to the range on October 7, 2012 and fired two magazine loads through it. It functioned flawlessly, and it reminded me of how much I enjoy shooting a Remington 51. It has been too long since the last time I had one out.

~ $675.00 ~ SOLD!

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