Now I'm going to preface this by saying "It's cool if you're excited by this. I'm not calling you stupid for liking this pistol."
But honestly? I had an immediate and visceral dislike for this gun the moment I laid eyes upon it, and the last time I felt that strongly about something on first glance it was 2009 and it had been announced that Matt Smith was replacing David Tennant as the Doctor.
What’s weird, though, is that many folks think a Glock is ugly, while I appreciate that aesthetic. It’s not a pretty gun, mind you; but it looks functional and dangerous in that Teutonic way, so my brain goes “Looks like gun. Is gun. Is good.”
The R-51, though, looks too much like a toy for my tastes. I think it looks like a Makarov roofied a Walther PPK and this is their fugly, retarded spawn. So yes, I hate this gun.
Look, I'm sure that it will operate just fine; Remington is a reliable brand. And the price point of $389 is more than affordable. But it's an ugly gun with a low magazine capacity (7+1), and these flaws aren't redeemed by a low price tag.
In short, it seems like it's a 9mm built expressly for people who want to carry .380 sized pistols. And I suppose I can get behind that -- if all you can carry is a small .380, you want the most powerful round you can find, and so why not find a way to cram a 9mm into a .380 frame?
Of course, knowing how painfully snappy a lot of .380s are due to their size, I have to wonder how pleasant it would be to fire a larger cartridge through a similarly-sized gun. I suppose it being of all-metal construction will help mitigate the snap somewhat.
There really isn't any purpose to this post other than to act as a counterpoint to all the gunnies who seem to think this is awesome.
Meh. Bah humbug. Phooey!
PDF
Well, the frame is supposedly aluminum, so Airweight. That snappy recoil will be *really* snappy.
ReplyDeleteI am in because: Pederson Delayed Blowback!
ReplyDeleteAnd I am encouraged that someone doesn't like it, that means less demand so the street price will stay at or below the MSRP.
By the way, a Makarov doing a PPK would be incest since the Mak is derived from the Walther. So it'd be inbred fugly retarded spawn.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a terribly ugly gun. Having said that, if I get the chance to shoot it at SHOT show, I'm going to.
ReplyDeleteMy question on a gun isn't "How does it look?", but "How does it feel in my hand when I fire it?"
ReplyDeleteI don't care if a gun looks like a cross-breed between Worfette Obama and Cthulu; will it put holes where I want them when I want them there? Then it's good. If not, then back to the drawing board whilst I buy another gun.
It's an aluminum frame subcompact that, for self-defense, would likely be shooting 115gr +P ammo.
ReplyDeleteHow does it feel when you fire it? I'm going to go with "Ow".
Oh, absolutely. The only gun I wouldn't fire if given the chance would be an Obrez.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it depends on where my pinky sits. If I can get a decent grip, then it won't be bad. If my pinky doesn't have a good place to sit on the grip, then "Ow" would be the correct statement.
ReplyDeleteAny interest I had in this was eclipsed when I learned that Boberg has a prototype of their tiny tiny guns in 45acp.
ReplyDelete(That is how I *solve* the problem of 9mm pistols in 380 pocket gun size. Go with 45 instead!)
Though the R51 is interesting in that they went into the big book of old gun actions and went with Pederson Blowback delay.
Hater
ReplyDeleteSo a PPK copy chambered in 9x18Mak is just kinky?
ReplyDeleteLOL! Good rant. Although, I must admit that I think the R-51 is cool at first glance.
ReplyDeleteMy own opinion, and I'm just some stranger on the Internets, is that it shouldn't be any worse than my CCW, a Kahr CW9. It's a polymer-framed single-stack DAO 7+1 9mm that weighs around fifteen ounces empty. It's got some snap to it, yes, but practice makes perfect, and after putting about a thousand rounds through it, I have figured out how to hold it and how to manipulate the trigger to get the hits with it. When it's so light, and so thin, and there's an 8 pound DAO trigger, it gets a bit more complex than "front sight, press."
ReplyDelete