Did Remington Manufacture Model 51 Semi-auto pistols in Europe during the 1960’s

The side view of this slide are the same as original
Remington Model 51 slides, except for the markings. The top of
the German slide lacks the glare-reducing cross has marks
found on the Model 51. However, the 15 serrations, like those
of the later Remington Model 51s, are present on each side of
the German slide. With the exception of the markings, this JES
MER slide looks just like a Remington Model 51 slide. There is
no Remington identification anywhere on the German slide.

WHERE DID THS SLIDE COME FROM?

About 20 years ago, a Pennsylvania gun parts dealer
purchased a plastic bag of gun parts at a local gun show. It
appeared to contain Remington Model 51 parts. The fully
dismantled slide contains the barrel, spring and retaining ring,
the breech block assembly complete with firing pin and spring.
The parts dealer read about our Model 51 research efforts in the
last issue of the Remington Collector’s Journal and very
generously mailed the bag of parts to me, to study and return to
him, whenever I was finished with them. When dismantled, the
individual slide parts were compared to original Remington
Model 51 parts. They are inter-changeable.

Attaching the JES MER slide to a Remington Model
51 frame revealed a perfect fit. A loaded Remington Model 51
magazine was inserted. The cartridges fed into and were ejected
properly and smoothly.

This unique, newly discovered information certainly
requires additional research. There are many questions to be
answered:

• Who or what was JES MER?”
• How many of these knock-off Model 51s did they make?
• Is this German slide the top portion of a pilot model/prototype?
• Is there a European made frame out there somewhere?
• When, exactly, was this slide made?
• Where in Germany was it made?
• What market was it intended for?
• Were military sales intended? If so, to whom?
• How did this group of parts find its way to a Pennsylvania gun show?
• Was this manufacture sanctioned by Remington Arms Co.,Inc.?

  A web search was launched. Phone calls and E-mail
  inquiries went out. Present and former factory personnel were
  queried seeking information concerning Remington’s international
  activities. Roy Marcot responded, proving this information
  from Remington’s 1961 Annual Report (Pg 11):

  Remington Arms International G.m.b.H. was organized in Bremen, Germany as a wholly owned subsidiary primarily to warehouse, distribute and provide customer service on chain saws, parts and accessories for the European trade.

In the 1960s, Remington had affiliations in Canada,
Mexico, Brazil and in Europe. As this is written, no significant
revelation has surfaced concerning JES MER , nor has
any information about Model 51s having been made in
Germany. RSA has a Life Member, in Germany, and we are
waiting for response to our E-mail inquiry. If you have or
have seen a JES MER semi-auto pistol please let us know.

A brief, isolated comment concerning “U.S. Government
purchases of Remington Model 51s”
has been discovered in factory archive correspondence
files. When this can be validated it could possible answer a
lot of questions about government marked examples that
have ben found.

The number of Model 51 samples we now have on our
research spreadsheet has surpassed the 735 mark. Thanks
to all of you who are assisting in the effort. In addition, the
number of engraved Remington Model 51s reported is
growing. Detailed information has been promised, by some
of the owners. If you have any unreported Model 51(s)
please share the details with our group.

Bobby Prescott, friend and fellow RSA member and his
collection of 100+ Remington Model 51s may not be news.
But, rumor has it that his Tulsa Gun Show purchases
included another engraved 51 with blue finish. His sharing
of the detailed information and a picture or two is anxiously
awaited.

Some of the other engraved Model 51s we know of are those
in the Cargile collection posted by Ed Buffaloe on Wikipedia and
the beauty that adorned the 4th quarter 2008 cover of the
RSA Journal and previously reported ones in the Prescott
collection. A Texas RSA member has a few and promised research
data soon. Another is known of in Milwaukee and the owner has
been sent forms to fill in and submit.

Our Model 51 Research group is grateful for the tremendous
response to our requests for information. Please keep it up. David
Fagan, our RSA Web-site Manager has made it so easy for
individuals to report serial numbers and pertinent information. All
you have to do is to go to www.remingtonSociety.com and select
research, then Model 51.
Model 51 Survery
Fill out the electronic form, hit submit
and your response magically and automatically appears on my
laptop.

If you have photographs of your Model 51s or related
material you are willing to share for possible inclusion in future
publications, please send them to:

Bob Hatfield, P.O. Box 586, Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Now, I know that some of you still choose not to travel the
cyberspace highway. We provide a system to use snail-mail.
Simply call me (572) 365-4234, or drop me a note at the address
above. I’ll forward you sufficient forms to allow you to participate
in our Model 51 informational quest. Just fill out a form on
each of your Model 51s and send them to me at the address
printed on the sample form, printed on the following pages. You
are encouraged to photocopy them, fill them out, and mail or scan
them to me.