Remington 597

[MR.RED SNAPPER]

Hi Everybody,
I am thinking about getting a 22Lr rifle. I am leaning towards a Remington 597. I wanted to here a couple of review about this rifle from a coupe of owners before i make my decision. I am think also thinking about a Ruger 10/22.But i already understand how great the 10/22 is but i wanted to here some reviews about the 597.
Thank you
MR. Red Snapper

[justshootme]

I bought one from a member on the forum last year and I really like it. As long as you get the latest magazine style it seems to be very reliable and a lot less money than the 10/22. I have shot a couple hundred rounds from the Federal 550 value packs with absolutely zero problems.

[HandKBRad]

I’ve had my 597 in .22lr since 01. It is not as reliable as my 10/22 or Marlin 70. I’ve had two problems with my 597 failure to feed and firing out of battery. I’ve read on other forums that other (but not all) 597 owners have had the same problems.

There are 3 GENs of 10rd mags and I have mags from all 3 GENs. Now that Remington has come out with the III GEN mag my 597 feeds good. I also have a 30rd Remington mag and it seems to work good.

As far as I know there is no fix yet for the firing out of battery.

Although I haven’t put them head to head on paper. Accuracy seems to be equal between all three. The 597 is a good plinking rifle.

All in all it is a good rifle and I would buy it again.

[van7559]

I have had both the 597 & a 10/22 the only one I have left is the 10/22, there is no comparison in my opinion. Another model to look at would be the marlin model 60- its a tube fed field tested/proven design for decades. I have shot one on several occasions, and they are stupid accurate for the price, the only reason I went with the 10/22 is it has more aftermarket support than any onter rimfire. Good luck. Check out rimfirecentral.com great source of info for any small caliber rifle

[cowboykjohnson]

I had a 597.... had alot of FTF problems. It shot nice but I couldn't handle all the malfunctions anymore and sold it.

[cysoto]

I had a 597.... had alot of FTF problems. It shot nice but I couldn't handle all the malfunctions anymore and sold it.

FTF can be caused by the choice of ammo. The 597 can be somewhat particular about what type of ammo they like.

A common issue with this particular rifle (especially in older models) is extraction problems. Volquartsen makes an extractor claw which sells for about $20 and is very easy to install that will take care of this problem. BTW they also make a drop-in hammer that will reduce the trigger weight to about half of what it is set up in the factory. This is IMO a mandatory upgrade for this rifle; well worth the $35.