Remington 597 HB (heavy barrel)

[AStone]

I fully agree, Frog, and couldn't have said it better.

Plus, I'm really enjoying getting to know this rifle this way right away, before I even shoot it. It's a fascinating machine.

 

[AStone]

Problem #1: wonky bolt hold open spring?

OK, so I got it reassembled. I'm happy to say that getting the guide rods reinstalled was way easier than I expected (after watching a couple of videos where there was a whole lot of fumbling going on). Probably helps that I have small hands.

BUT, there's a problem: even with mag inserted, the bolt will not hold open.

So, I did a quick search, and learned the cause is something wrong with the bolt hold open. (Several have reported a broken spring.) I found the parts in the parts list of the manual: the hold open, the pin and the spring (#13 - 15).

My spring is not broken, but it seems that something's odd about it -- sort of intuitively.

ETA: I answered my own question: yes, it's damaged. Took the pics down just to save space. See the next post for directions about how to replace the spring.

 

[AStone]

Well, I just found this video by my (now) 597 repair guru, Docv73, the same guy I mentioned last night. It's clear to me now that my spring is not right -- it's badly bent. And I suspect that's my fault -- the bolt hold open worked fine yesterday before I took it down. (I have no clue how I damaged it -- but again suspect I did it when putting the trigger housing back into the receiver. It took several tries to get it right -- kept hanging up on something, and I'll bet it was that spring.

Alternative hypothesis: it's also conceivable that I may have mindlessly extended the bolt hold open past it's normal stop, and bent the spring. That's the price you (I) pay for not knowing the parts well at the beginning.

OK, so I'll order a new spring from Midway. Lesson learned. I'll know to watch it from now on and be careful there.

At least I'm learning a lot about the insides.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

Always close the bolt before removing the trigger group.

I've had good luck bending the last shot hold open spring back into shape when I mangled one once.

 

[AStone]

Thanks for your advice, Caliper, esp re closing the bolt. I think, I did, I think I did, but can't remember for sure. I will next time.

I think I'm going to go ahead and order a new spring. This one is pretty mangled, and I want to start off this experiment with good parts. May go ahead and replace the extractor also.

 

[AStone]

Okey dokey, I just ordered from Midway a new hold open spring along with a couple of GrovTech sling swivel studs: one bolt w/ nut, one screw (for the rear). Won't put the latter in until November (I don't have a good shop area in my current location, but moving to the southeast coast for a few months in Nov), but glad I'll have them on hand.

I was planning to order the VQ extractor, but they're back ordered there. I'll try the stock one first, just to see, but will probably order a VQ later -- maybe once I get back east.

They're due in here Thursday, Friday latest. Hopefully, I'll be able to get to the range Friday afternoon. (The public range here is only open Thursday through Sunday.)

In the meantime, I put her back together sans spring, mainly to keep all the parts together, but also to continue fondling it, practice sighting with the scope. This is the first scope I've had on a rifle about ... (thinking back) .. maybe 30 years. I'm loving it. (I have a couple of questions about scopes, but plan to start a separate thread for that, since it doesn't just apply to the 597.)

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the bolt once again holds open, and releases just fine even without the spring. Of course, I won't fire it that way, but it's cool that it does. And I can now visualize why it does. Again, this has been a great learning experience, even with the goof.

AND I'm equally happy to report that the bolt is operating noticeably smoother than before I took it down, polished things a bit, and added just a trace of oil, mainly to the 4 points on the bolt that contact the guide rods. Super happy about that. Not that it was bad before, but now it's even smoother.

And again, I gotta say, I'm just loving this gun. Just the feel of it. Loving the heft of the barrel, and eager to see how it affects my shooting.

Now as long as I didn't get a lemon, it's all gonna be good.

 

[AStone]

My rifles.

 

[AStone]

Got the new hold open spring yesterday. Just dropped it in. Piece 'o cake. Works fine again.

I'll finally have a chance to shoot it late next week. I'll sight it in at an indoor range.
Longest lane is 75 feet, but that'll offer a chance to see how it shoots.

Got the sling swivel studs also, but will wait until after my move in November to install them. I've been briefly thinking about a bipod instead, but for now, I'll wait. I've never used one. Want to try it without one first.

Everyday, I pick it up 2 - 3 times for a few minutes, and practice just aiming with it, holding that heavy barrel steady on a distant target until muscle fatigue sets in. It's good practice for me for sight acquisition and training those muscle groups needed to keep it steady.

 

[AStone]

Range report

OK, I finally got it to the range yesterday, along with my brand new (day before yesterday) Ruger SR9c. I spent more time with the 9 than the 597 -- wasn't my choice -- I'd planned to spend about 2 hours with the .22, but some transportation issues came up and a frustrating confusing issue with the rifle (NOT its fault, but mine) that took me 45 minutes to solve, and learned a big lesson in the process. I'll save that story for later.

Anyway, I'll write a full report later in the weekend -- maybe tonight.

Briefly, for now, I shot about 100 rnds of 4 types of ammo (I had more, but lead bullets are not allowed at that range). About half of those were getting it sighted -- and it's still not perfect. If I'd had another hour --- and a longer range (this was an indoor range, 25 yds max) ...

Suffice to say, I'm extremely pleased with it so far. There were three ammo failures, all the same ammo : Winchester Varmint 26 gr -- rifle didn't seem to like it; it wouldn't reliably cycle; I had to manually eject three of ten (I only shot ten). All other rounds functioned flawlessly; no issues.

And I'm happy to say that I think I've got a very nice rifle. Tack driver? Time will tell, but I predict it will be. I think it's way more accurate than I am. [Note: this is the first rifle shooting I've done in almost 6 years --- yes, yes, I've been deprived; it's been a horribly tough five years; don't get me started.] So I'm way out of practice, and would value some instruction by some of you that are better, more experienced shooters than me. I'll post some questions in a later post.

Here's the second target, once I got sighting to a passable place. I'll explain more about it later. Oh, and the shots in the white area between black targets were purposeful, so I could see where I was hitting. (I didn't want to pull the target back because it takes too long to settle down and quit swinging on the mechanical travel thingee.)

Seems to me that it likes CCI Minimag pretty well. AE is American Eagle.

I was particularly pleased that I did so well with the free-hand (no bench rest) at the end -- the last magazine at the bottom. Yes, I was aiming at the printed material at the bottom, so I was far away from the other targets that were bench stuff. Not great, admittedly, but for a new rifle and being so out of practice, I was happy to have even that grouping.

Oh, all of this was at 4X on my Leupold VX-1 2x7x28mm. Next time, I'll dial it up to 7 for a try.