Remington 522 Viper, thoughts?

[ThatGuyHank]

So I went into the LGS today and saw this gun sitting on the used rack. The pricetag read 125$. I couldnt leave without taking her home, unfortuneatly, today is Sunday and so I must wait to pick the Viper up. I looked at some videos and asked around. Most opinions are mixed but, I only got a small sampling.

I just wanted to hear your thoughts, opinions and experiences with the rifle. If the common problems arise in my rifle, what's the best way to fix it? Or should I take advantage of my LGS 30 day full refund?

 

[jimmyraythomason]

This from Wikipedia

History

The Viper replaced the Remington Nylon 66, a rifle beloved by many. Early reviews were generally positive, but enough people had problems that the Viper never really took off. Early production Vipers had a hefty steel magazine typically described as "bulletproof". Later production Vipers came with plastic magazines that were often problematic.[citation needed]

The Viper was succeeded by the Remington 597. Due to its short production history and mediocre acceptance by gun owners, a Viper accessory market never materialized.

Sad to say I am one of those dissatisfied customers. I bought mine the first year it was introduced(1993). It suffered so many failure ot feed and failure to fire events that I traded it off post haste. bad ammo? Bad magazine? I don't know and didn't take the time to find out. Others may have had different experiences.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I have one, it was my first .22, bought by a neighbor for me and kept at his house (I was 12, and that was a whole lot of lawns mowed). I don't know how many thousands of rounds it has fired, but it's always functioned as well as any other autoloading .22. I still have it and use it. I shortened the barrel to 16". It is one handy and light weight little rifle.

Never had a problem with the plastic magazines, but they do have an opening in the side, so clean the debris out from time to time.

 

[HueyThump]

I own a Viper that was a gift to me from my father when I was younger. Growing up as a kid in Alaska, I certainly spent time with that rifle in the cold. I have one of later versions with plastic mags and to be quite honest, I've never had an issue with the gun's functionality. I've read other forums on this rifle and heard many complaints of jamming and pieces breaking but it just never happened to me. Has it jammed before? Sure, but that was easily fixed by shooting better ammo (let's face it, .22LR in a semi-auto isn't the cleanest cartridge), by adjusting my grip on the rifle to not interfere with the magazine and by thoroughly cleaning it after use. Frankly, those three things should keep most any gun functioning just fine.

If I had one complaint about the Viper, it would be the placement of the magazine well. Unless you have longer arms, shooting this gun will be a little awkward because the balance point of the rifle (where you'd ideally want to put your support hand) is right under the magazine well and with the banana shaped magazine inserted, placing your hand there just won't happen. Hence, longer arms make it easier to reach past the magazine and grip the forend. Beyond that, the Viper shoots straight, feeds well and scratches an itch to chew on some paper or silhouttes!

 

[drsfmd]

I had one ages ago... I don't remember if it was a metal or plastic mag, but I do remember that the bolt was wearing a groove into the top of the reciever within a few hundred rounds. Remington sent a replacement, which was traded away to my then-LGS for a 10-22 without ever opening the box.

You paid about what the gun went for new 20 years ago...

 

[LANDMAN4389]

Too much plastic for my tastes but it may turn out to be the best shooting rifle you've ever owned. I reckon you can get a lemon in most anything.

 

[Kachok]

Owned one back in the late 90s, killed about a billion turtles with it, accurate enough to pop turtle heads out to 75yd but nowhere near as tight shooting as my MkII. Very dirty, had jamming issues after 150-200 or so rounds, that may seem like alot, but when cleaning out an infestation on a lake you burn through that in no time. Overall not bad, but I would take another 60 or MkII over the 522 anyday. BTW mine had plastic mags.

 

[tryshoot]

I have owned 2 of them. Both plastic mag. 1 very accur. 1 average. Only sold them to upgrage. Kept clean and never had a jam that wasn't ammo related.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

The one I had worked every time but it sure was clunky.

 

[GoF150xlt]

Viper

The trigger on mine is gritty, but overall my Viper is more reliable than my 10-22.