I bought my 597 just before Christmas, love it. At least as accurate if not more than any of the many 10-22's that I've shot, plus the stock fits me better. It does not like the cheap bulk pack Rem "Golden Bullets", but does thrive on Win. or Fed. Everywhere around here, the 597 is cheaper than the 10-22 by at least $20.
Disassembly is easy, but fitting those springs and rods back together is a bit of a pain, the first time I did it, I launched one across the room. It does get a lot easier/faster with practice.
I'm not sure if it is still going on, but a store was recently displaying a $20 rebate coupon from Rem. Check their website. They had that deal going when I bought mine, final cost after rebate was only about $110. Yeah, 10-22's are nice, and high-cap mags are available if you want to double your investment in the gun (why didn't I buy about a 1000 of them for $10 a pop to sell now at $50+). All of the other parts are a little ridiculous also, why put $500 + into a $150 rifle for plinkin? Competition, of course would be another story.
just my 2cents
bergie