Side by side 597, 10/22, Model 60

[jmorris]

The recent thread got me thinking that I had never had all three at the same place at the same time.

The 597 I have is as it came from Remington and is my "farm" .22 so I always have something down there, brought it back yesterday.

The Model 60 is my "shop" rifle and normally is without optics but I didn't think it would be fair to compair it to the 597 with optics and the 597 has no iron sights, so I mounted one to the Marlin to be fair.

I already had a stock 10/22 with a 3-9x on it, my "up stairs" rifle.

None of them get shot much, generally if they are being fired something is dying.

For the "test" I gave them a few foulers then walked down the 60 yards to swap the target and ran 3 consecutive 5 shot groups with 3 different types of ammunition, 40gn HP, 36gn HP and a 40gn solid.

The 597 had the highest average velocity, the 10/22 the lowest but the average difference was only 22 fps, with the Marlin closer to the 597 than the 10/22.

The Marlin and the 597 liked the 40gn "rifle match" solid the best. The 597 shot .990" while the Marlins best was 1.097". The 10/22 liked the 40gn HP slightly better than the solid with 1.110".

Averaging the 3 groups together the 10/22 was 1.259", 1.318" for the 597 and 1.684 for the Model 60. So kind of odd that the "least accurate" rifle was on average the most accurate.

It should be noted that the best groups out of any of them with the ammunition they liked were better that groups with others, with ammunition they didn't favor. So unless you spend the time to test various brands and styles of ammunition your not going to get the most out of any of them.

Not to mention in "real world" use they might as well be considered identical. Except the 597's trigger is so bad I had to double check that I removed the safety, twice! The Marlin is quite a bit better and the Ruger slightly better than the Marlin.

The 597 and 60 both have last shot bold hold open. The 597 you load the mag and pull back on the charging handle and go, the Marlin has to be loaded, then drop the bolt to get a round in position, then cycle the bolt to chamber the round. No hold open on the 10/22, load the mag, insert and cycle the bolt.



After seeing that they all seemed to like the Aguila rifle match ammo I decided to get out what my wife calls the "cheater" gun, my Clark Custom 10/22 and shot one of the best groups I ever did out of it, .275". So I decided it was time to quit.

 

[bannockburn]

jmorris

Good test write-up.

My experiences with an older Model 597 were so horrendous I have spent the better part of the last few years trying to block it from my memory. Feel much better talking about my 38 year old Model 10/22 and the phenomenal accuracy I get from it. First time out with it I knew that the accuracy potential was so great that I had to mount a scope on it to get the best results, though I did do surprisingly well with the original factory irons.

Tried all of the different .22 target ammo I could find (numerous Eley and RWS offerings, CCI Green Tag, and Federal Gold Medal Target), and found at the time CCI Mini-Mags gave the best accuracy. This was later surpassed by Wolf Match Target being the current preferred ammo of choice in my 10/22.

 

[jmr40]

Thanks for putting real numbers up. Too many times people simply want to claim "mine is better than yours" with no data to prove it. After shooting a lot of different rifles over the years I've never noted a huge difference overall between most of the popular semi-auto 22's. I've had individual 10-22's that shot poorly, others that shot great. Same with Marlin and others I've owned or shot.

I've not lost a lot of sleep over the cheap bulk 22 loads that are no longer available. The ammo available over the last few years has been better quality and I'd probably not go back to buying 500 rounds for $15 even if it became available again. I've grown accustomed to shooting sub 1" 50 yard groups with most any 22 anymore.

 

[danez71]

Thanks for posting that.

Its nice to see more than 'xyz is always more accurate out of the box' comments.

Averaging the 3 groups together the 10/22 was 1.259", 1.318" for the 597 and 1.684 for the Model 60. So kind of odd that the "least accurate" rifle was on average the most accurate.

.

Oh no you di'int

You done released the flood gates of rimfire rifle fury.

 

[jmorris]

You done released the flood gates of rimfire rifle fury.

Wasn't my intention. Seemed to be getting personal in the other thread. As you can clearly see I am happy if you own any of them as long as you are happy with yours too, that's all that matters. The accuracy difference between them is inconsequential.

I also understand that my "test sample" leaves a lot to be desired (3 out of how many?) and would be interested in others side by side results if they have them.

 

[Snowdog]

I have a lot of love for the Marlin 60, having had 3 over my life and being my first rifle.

I had a 597 a few years ago, but in .22WMR. The magazines at the time were about as flimsy as an item could be made and not actually fall apart in the hand. I hope they improved on that. It was quite accurate though.

I plan on a 10/22 someday.

Thanks for the review.

 

[Hpi_jeep]

thank you. I've always enjoyed reading your posts and certainly watching your videos.

 

[ECVMatt]

Thank you for the great post! I have always felt that rifles are very personal things and if a person likes a certain rifle they will shoot it better than one they perceive to be inferior or ill fitting. I think you did a great job of showing us that the real difference between these rifles is NO difference.

Thanks again,

Matt

 

[danez71]

Wasn't my intention. Seemed to be getting personal in the other thread. As you can clearly see I am happy if you own any of them as long as you are happy with yours too, that's all that matters. The accuracy difference between them is inconsequential.
.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Personally, I chuckle as to how personal those threads get.

It's a 22lr for goodness sake. Of you're truly going after accuracy, none of them are the right choice.

If you're plinkin and shooting rabbits and rodents, any of them can do it.

Imo, of course.

 

[LoonWulf]

Nice shooting and good post. MUCH more constructive.
About 5 years ago, i could have done a sister comparison to this one, but the only gun i still own is the 10/22 and its not a .22 anymore.
My recollection is that the 597 was more accurate than the 10/22, and the m60, was less. Again tho 3 guns out of how many? I also didnt have any kind of ammo selection, i shot blasers, blasers, and more blasers. Kinda makes the case that ammo selection maters.

 

[mstreddy]

JMorris,

Nice test and write-up.
Now, you're making me think -- hmm, I have samples of those three in my safe. I once shot a quarter size 10 shot group at 25 yards with the 597. I'll have to give some serious consideration and test them out as you did.
I'll only be able to test them at 25 yards for now, but let's see how they do.