Vex
Member
Looking at rimfire rifles. Everyone loves the 10/22, that's obvious. But what are the real thoughts on the Remington 597?
If I got one, it would be the synthetic stock .22WMR.
If I got one, it would be the synthetic stock .22WMR.
The real deal on the Remington 597?
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Vex
Member
The search I conducted before starting this thread did, indeed, lead to some interesting reviews.... but they were all different, and there was no general consensus. One thread would say "this is the only adult .22lr" and another would say "this isn't worth the aluminum is was made from"... 
rangerruck
Member
go to rimfirecentral.com and check out the remmy thread. it really boils down to this, you must get one built from 2005 on , ditto for the magazines.
cracked butt
Member
Save your money and buy the 10/22. There are too many people, including me, that have horrible regrets about buying the 597.
Technosavant
Member
I bought the cheapest 597 out there- the .22LR camo stock Wal Mart special for $140. It has the 3rd generation magazine.
It shoots and runs great. It is quite accurate, even with the cheapest bulk pack ammo I can get my hands on. Eventually it will get a scope fitted, and then I'll be able to see what it can really do.
Just make sure that, when you get it, you back the screws out on the guide rods. If they are in too tightly it can bow the rods, causing to bolt to bind. They should be just finger tight- don't torque them down.
All the research I did before purchasing led me to the following conclusions:
1) The 597 has a few more lemons out of the box than other rifles.
2) The 597 is pretty well the most accurate semiauto rimfire out of the box, even challenging some bolt actions. A 10/22 generally requires quite a few mods to get it as accurate as a bone stock 597.
3) 1st and 2nd generation magazines are stank, but 3rd gen (made since early 05) are great.
4) The 597 handles and points better than its competitors.
My personal experience is that 2, 3, and 4 are true. Mine is not a lemon, and I do not regret my purchase.
It shoots and runs great. It is quite accurate, even with the cheapest bulk pack ammo I can get my hands on. Eventually it will get a scope fitted, and then I'll be able to see what it can really do.
Just make sure that, when you get it, you back the screws out on the guide rods. If they are in too tightly it can bow the rods, causing to bolt to bind. They should be just finger tight- don't torque them down.
All the research I did before purchasing led me to the following conclusions:
1) The 597 has a few more lemons out of the box than other rifles.
2) The 597 is pretty well the most accurate semiauto rimfire out of the box, even challenging some bolt actions. A 10/22 generally requires quite a few mods to get it as accurate as a bone stock 597.
3) 1st and 2nd generation magazines are stank, but 3rd gen (made since early 05) are great.
4) The 597 handles and points better than its competitors.
My personal experience is that 2, 3, and 4 are true. Mine is not a lemon, and I do not regret my purchase.
My 597 shoots great. When you can actually get a round to chamber from the mag. It has never ran a full clip without jamming. That being said, mine is a second generation mag. And when I have looked at the new replacement mags, they look the same as mine. Not sure if their is something different, or if the stores I saw them were selling old stock. I contacted Remington about the problem, and they seemed absolutely shocked. Like this is a problem that never happens, or they have never heard of. They wanted me to pay to send them the gun, along with a $50 check to take a look at it. I informed them I would not be wasting any more money on this gun. If you decide to buy one, good luck, hopefully you get one that works. And yes, the 597 fits me better than a 10/22.
m0ntels
Member
Got a like-new 597 a year or so ago. Like the way it looked, and it fit well too. Put a decent scope on it, and it was damn accurate...when it fed. It would miss pulling rounds from the mag and it would eject shells properly and it would jam up every few rounds. So I figure maybe I should clean it better by popping it out of the stock. Man, that trigger setup is hard to figure out and get back together with less than 3 hands. After taking it apart and spending a few hours getting it back together and working correctly, I shot it a few more times, but it kept having the same issues. I found there are many aftermarket parts for it, but I couldnt see spending that much to make such a cheap rifle work properly. Ended up trading that and a horribly inaccurate Mosin towards my 41 mag, and went to a gunshow and got a $60 Marlin 99 (like a 60 but older) and the thing is great. Has some feed issues with certain brands, but otherwise groups just as good and I get through 15 or however many rounds without issue.
Brother has a 10/22 he got for $100 and he really enjoys it, but I'm still a Marlin rimfire guy.
Randy
Brother has a 10/22 he got for $100 and he really enjoys it, but I'm still a Marlin rimfire guy.
Randy
Technosavant
Member
jrdean, the internals of the 2nd and 3rd generation magazines are different. There is a comparison at www.rimfirecentral.com in the Remington section.
Thanks Technosavant!! I read an article on their and it told how to disassemble the magazine and to file the follower down. I just did it, and ran 30 rounds through my 597 without 1 jam!!!!! You just brought life back to this rifle. Thanks again!!
The 597 had some serious teething problems, but, they seem to offer far better accuracy than the 10/22 out of the stock barrels.
I purchased my 587 with the 2nd gen mag, and had to modify it [ Rem has since sent me a replacement 3rd gen ].
I picked it up dirt cheap, and swapped out the hammer and extractor with VQ parts. I also picked up a $19 boyd's "oops" thumbhole stock [ damned if I can find anything wrong with it ]. I freefloated the barrel, and got a real good capture on the front lug point.
For under $200, it's damn accurate with good ammo.. far better than most 10/22's I have ever shot [ including many customs ]
I purchased my 587 with the 2nd gen mag, and had to modify it [ Rem has since sent me a replacement 3rd gen ].
I picked it up dirt cheap, and swapped out the hammer and extractor with VQ parts. I also picked up a $19 boyd's "oops" thumbhole stock [ damned if I can find anything wrong with it ]. I freefloated the barrel, and got a real good capture on the front lug point.
For under $200, it's damn accurate with good ammo.. far better than most 10/22's I have ever shot [ including many customs ]
cracked butt
Member
You've probably never heard of rimfire semiautos made by Browning or TC
Technosavant
Member
jrdean, glad I could help.
Cracked Butt, well, those aren't all that populous. Like I said, that is just what I found in doing research on the net. Full o' the usual apocryphal and anecdotal information.
Cracked Butt, well, those aren't all that populous. Like I said, that is just what I found in doing research on the net. Full o' the usual apocryphal and anecdotal information.
Here' my $.02 on it.
Remington screwed up by releasing the 597 before they had all of the bugs worked out. 99% of the people who bad mouth the 597 are people with these early versions. The gen1 mags (plastic) sucked. The gen2 mags (metal) were better, were still not always 100% (but can be made to work 100%). I don't think I've seen anybody with the Gen3 mags complaining. The early models also came with a different ejector that wasn't very good but those were replaced 2-3 years ago.
Here's my opinion on it. Out of the box, a current manufactured 597 is the .22autoloader that the 10/22 wished it was. It has much better fit, balance, proportions, accuracy and trigger. There are a lot more accessories for the 10/22 then there are for the 597. The difference is, the 597 doesn't need all of that crap. My trigger is pretty damn nice right out of the box but for something really sweet, add a VQ or Jarvis hammer. Some people replace the extractor with the VQ version which is not a bad idea but not generally a "have to have".
I will say the 10/22 has a better receiver (because it's not as thin as the 597's) and I wish the 597 had an Aluminum trigger housing like the 10/22 but other then that, I think the 597 is better in every other way.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a rifle to play around with (tweak, modify, customize) the 10/22 is the better way to go as there is so much more available for it. I'm getting ready to buy my son his own .22 rifle and am seriously considering getting him a 10/22 for the customizing reason. I have a tweaked 10/22 and think he would enjoy doing the same thing and it's something we can do together when not actually shooting.
Remington screwed up by releasing the 597 before they had all of the bugs worked out. 99% of the people who bad mouth the 597 are people with these early versions. The gen1 mags (plastic) sucked. The gen2 mags (metal) were better, were still not always 100% (but can be made to work 100%). I don't think I've seen anybody with the Gen3 mags complaining. The early models also came with a different ejector that wasn't very good but those were replaced 2-3 years ago.
Here's my opinion on it. Out of the box, a current manufactured 597 is the .22autoloader that the 10/22 wished it was. It has much better fit, balance, proportions, accuracy and trigger. There are a lot more accessories for the 10/22 then there are for the 597. The difference is, the 597 doesn't need all of that crap. My trigger is pretty damn nice right out of the box but for something really sweet, add a VQ or Jarvis hammer. Some people replace the extractor with the VQ version which is not a bad idea but not generally a "have to have".
I will say the 10/22 has a better receiver (because it's not as thin as the 597's) and I wish the 597 had an Aluminum trigger housing like the 10/22 but other then that, I think the 597 is better in every other way.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a rifle to play around with (tweak, modify, customize) the 10/22 is the better way to go as there is so much more available for it. I'm getting ready to buy my son his own .22 rifle and am seriously considering getting him a 10/22 for the customizing reason. I have a tweaked 10/22 and think he would enjoy doing the same thing and it's something we can do together when not actually shooting.
loadedround
Member
Remington 597
All one can say(nicely) it is not a 10/22.
All one can say(nicely) it is not a 10/22.
Schleprok62
Member
+1 for the Rem 597
I have a current model and love it. Haven't had any of the known "early" issues. I have never owned a 10/22, but I have handled and fired a few. I like the feel of the 597 better. It's easily as accurate, if not more so out of the box, and the $$ saved will buy a good weekend of plinking at $6.86/500 rounds of Federal Champion.
I have a current model and love it. Haven't had any of the known "early" issues. I have never owned a 10/22, but I have handled and fired a few. I like the feel of the 597 better. It's easily as accurate, if not more so out of the box, and the $$ saved will buy a good weekend of plinking at $6.86/500 rounds of Federal Champion.
The 597 has grown-up stock dimensions. It is a better practice gun if you shoot centerfire rifles.
Ruger's little carbine is a handy little plinker for adults and fits older children very well, but it has a short length of pull and is generally a tad on the small side unless you get a more expensive version or an aftermarket stock.
The Remington 597 is generally a good deal. The LS HB model (laminated stock, heavy barrel) is a bargain at a street price of $250. And Volquartsen does make aftermarket stuff for the 597, too, including a drop-in hammer that's supposed to cut the trigger pull weight in half.
https://www.volquartsen.com/vc//pages/public/ListItems.jsp?id=16
Ruger's little carbine is a handy little plinker for adults and fits older children very well, but it has a short length of pull and is generally a tad on the small side unless you get a more expensive version or an aftermarket stock.
The Remington 597 is generally a good deal. The LS HB model (laminated stock, heavy barrel) is a bargain at a street price of $250. And Volquartsen does make aftermarket stuff for the 597, too, including a drop-in hammer that's supposed to cut the trigger pull weight in half.
https://www.volquartsen.com/vc//pages/public/ListItems.jsp?id=16
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