Reviving a silent thread w/ a question about Rem 597
I got to this party a bit late. I realize this thread has been silent since May, 2004, but I'm going to try to revive it rather than starting a new thread. Who knows, maybe things have changed in a year and a half.
{{{PS: just after posting this, I found several other threads offering opinions about the Remington 597, mostly negative. Most like the 10/22 or the Marlin 795. Still, I'll leave this one up. Ya never know.}}}
I've been looking for a good, all-round SHTF/small game/survival rifle to compliment a Remington 870 12 ga & a 9mm semi-auto pistol (Kahr K9) and perhaps a .357 revolver (yet to be decided).
I actually have
another thread going on about comparing .357 v .30-30 v 30-06 v .308, thinking I was most interested in those calibers. In the last week or so, I've even began looking at other calibers like .223 & .243, but keeping in mind I want something that is reasonably available, even for a while in a TEOTW scenario.
But in discussing those calibers with THR members, the more I thought about it, and what -
exactly - I would want a rifle for, the more I began to realize that perhaps it's not deer & elk that I want to take but smaller game, especially in a survival type situation where preservation of a large animal is less practical.
I've also been aware that my 870 12 ga will take deer at reasonable (< 100 yds) distances, so a .30 cal may be just redundant.
So tonight, I started reading threads on .22LR. I found about 6 or 7 dealing with its relevance for SHTF/TEOTWAWKI/survival type situations. Here's a particularly
relevant thread that really got my interest.
Many, many members in those threads recommended the .22LR as a very worthy caliber. In fact, many said if they could have only one in a SHTF/TEOTW situation, it'd be the .22LR. (Perhaps augmented by a .30, but see my comment about my 12 ga.)
So, the .22LR has my attention. Seems like a worthy addition to the arsenal. It's easily conceivable that I could wind up with both .22LR AND something in the .30 caliber realm, but the .22LR seems very worthy of consideration.
I've read this thread carefully, and looked at web sites for all the rifles mentioned: CZ, Ruger 10/22, Savage MKII, Marlin 39A, Remington 597.
I'll confess that: 1) I'm leaning towards semi-auto, and 2) I've got a fondness for Remington guns. My 870 is going to be a Remington, and I owned a .22 Remington semi-auto as a kid; loved it.
Yet, I found it interesting that only one person - Tropical Z - recommended the Remington 597.
I'd appreciate hearing any opinions on that gun, especially how it compares to the Savage 64's and the Ruger 10/22's.
And, of course, I'm open to any arguments or suggestions about why I should consider a bolt action like the CZ instead of a semi-auto. Price is not so much an issue here. I'm after quality, and in any case, I'm going to be spending less for a .22LR than I would for a .30-30, .30-06 or .308.
Thanks in advance for any recommendations.
Nem