Remington 597 .22 LR Rimfire Rifle
- Thread starter Lane7867
- Start date
Danny Creasy
New member
Don't.
Consider a Marlin 60 or Ruger 10/22.
Or better yet, keep saving and buy a rifle that is exceptionally accurate out of the box and only gets better with intelligent use and time.
And, that would be a CZ 452:
Consider a Marlin 60 or Ruger 10/22.
Or better yet, keep saving and buy a rifle that is exceptionally accurate out of the box and only gets better with intelligent use and time.
And, that would be a CZ 452:
Bought mine at Gander Mountain on a great sale.My Remington 597 is AWESOME- I love it!
I fully admit- you will probably need , and if not NEED, you DEFINITELY WANT, to spend $20 and $40 respectively, on the Volquartsen Edge Extractor and Target Hammer- The Extractor is basically NECESSARY as the 597's biggest most fatal flaw is extraction problems which lead to failures to feed/eject/etc. all sorts of problems- you put int his $20 part and it makes it the most reliable rimfire u've ever fired.
The Target Hammer reduces trigger pull by 50% and eliminates any and all trigger play, creep, dancing, et.c and just really increases your reliability and accuracy by that much more.
You do those two upgrades you've got an incredible autoloading rimfire rifle.
I have the Dick's Sporting Good's 597 combo- OD Green Synthetic Stock, 3-9x32mm scope, and it's perfect cause the scope is fine till u get something else and when you do the factory mount/rings are very fine to re-use, the stock is cool army green looking, matches the Rem 700 SPS tactical/varmint etc. rifles, and would be fine for spraypainting a camo tacticool combo later on (a scheme of mine I've yet to do)
The whole combo was $199 at Dick's, I'm extremely check that EXTREMELY happy with mine. The $20 and $40 Volquartsen part upgrades made the rifle so extremely awesome I went for a $200 scope, more magazines, had sling studs installed, slinged it, and just got a nice 9"-13" Sling stud bipod, it's such an awesome rifle and I'm so happy it's mine and not a 10/22 (sorry I ain't a part of the 10/22 cult)
I fully admit- you will probably need , and if not NEED, you DEFINITELY WANT, to spend $20 and $40 respectively, on the Volquartsen Edge Extractor and Target Hammer- The Extractor is basically NECESSARY as the 597's biggest most fatal flaw is extraction problems which lead to failures to feed/eject/etc. all sorts of problems- you put int his $20 part and it makes it the most reliable rimfire u've ever fired.
The Target Hammer reduces trigger pull by 50% and eliminates any and all trigger play, creep, dancing, et.c and just really increases your reliability and accuracy by that much more.
You do those two upgrades you've got an incredible autoloading rimfire rifle.
I have the Dick's Sporting Good's 597 combo- OD Green Synthetic Stock, 3-9x32mm scope, and it's perfect cause the scope is fine till u get something else and when you do the factory mount/rings are very fine to re-use, the stock is cool army green looking, matches the Rem 700 SPS tactical/varmint etc. rifles, and would be fine for spraypainting a camo tacticool combo later on (a scheme of mine I've yet to do)
The whole combo was $199 at Dick's, I'm extremely check that EXTREMELY happy with mine. The $20 and $40 Volquartsen part upgrades made the rifle so extremely awesome I went for a $200 scope, more magazines, had sling studs installed, slinged it, and just got a nice 9"-13" Sling stud bipod, it's such an awesome rifle and I'm so happy it's mine and not a 10/22 (sorry I ain't a part of the 10/22 cult)
Danny Creasy
New member
Britt, the 597 is nothing like your 581. The 581 is a classic bolt action sporter and probably one of the best designs to ever come from Remington. The 597 is a semi-automatic .22 sporter. Just google Remington 597 for pics.
597 fans, sorry if I seemed harsh on the 597 earlier but it is based on my experience of running .22 rimfire sporter fun matches at my local club for the past 20 years. The 597s that show up seem prone to jamming or in two rifles' cases, complete failure. One had a mysterious accidental discharge while under the control of an experienced shooter. I dqed him for the day per range rules but he still blames the rifle and sold it for half of what he paid for it before leaving the range that day. Some worked fine and some were fairly accurate. Glad you fellows' 597s work.
I am not a 10/22 cult member either (I have never owned one) but they seem to be serviceable from the box. The Marlin 60s are generally the most accurate from the box of the three semi-autos discussed here but they are not magic and I have witnessed tons of infuriating jams from both the 10/22 and the Marlin 60 in our rapidfire rimfire matches.
My most reliable .22 semi-autos are my Remington Nylon 66, a Remington 552, and last but not least a recently acquired Winchester 190.
Good luck with the click clacks folks but frankly I'm a bolt action rimfire fan.
597 fans, sorry if I seemed harsh on the 597 earlier but it is based on my experience of running .22 rimfire sporter fun matches at my local club for the past 20 years. The 597s that show up seem prone to jamming or in two rifles' cases, complete failure. One had a mysterious accidental discharge while under the control of an experienced shooter. I dqed him for the day per range rules but he still blames the rifle and sold it for half of what he paid for it before leaving the range that day. Some worked fine and some were fairly accurate. Glad you fellows' 597s work.
I am not a 10/22 cult member either (I have never owned one) but they seem to be serviceable from the box. The Marlin 60s are generally the most accurate from the box of the three semi-autos discussed here but they are not magic and I have witnessed tons of infuriating jams from both the 10/22 and the Marlin 60 in our rapidfire rimfire matches.
My most reliable .22 semi-autos are my Remington Nylon 66, a Remington 552, and last but not least a recently acquired Winchester 190.
Good luck with the click clacks folks but frankly I'm a bolt action rimfire fan.
Heres mine.The generic original version.
http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/rimfire/model-597/model-597.aspx
http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/rimfire/model-597/model-597.aspx
Technosavant
New member
Early 597s were rather problematic, mostly due to the magazines. They revised them a couple times, and current 597s with the 3rd gen mag tend to do just fine. Out of the box, I'm not sure that there's another semiauto .22 that can keep up with it in accuracy at anywhere close to the price.
They do not, however, have the same rep for quality and reliability of the competition from Ruger and Marlin. Some are great, some are problematic.
They do not, however, have the same rep for quality and reliability of the competition from Ruger and Marlin. Some are great, some are problematic.
BlackJackID
New member
I had a 597 a few years ago and had nothing but failures with it, though like others have said, the problems have been addressed and its gaining popularity. I know Wal-mart stocks it regularly, with spare magazines..But if my opinion counts at all...the 10-22 is the most reliable .22 Semi on the market, with the widest available abount of accessories, if your into that.
Technosavant
New member
BlackJackID said:
I'd say that's not opinion, that's cold hard fact. The list of available items for the 597 is pretty short, but then, it can also be argued that the 10/22 needs a longer list in order to obtain the same accuracy. About all that's out for the 597 are some stocks, the extractor and hammer from Volquartsen, and Jarvis is making barrels for it. Beyond that, there just isn't much else.
Marquezj16
New member
Most sports stores (Dick's/Academy) or hunting stores (Cabelas, Bass Pro Shops, Gander Mountain) have them in stock. If you don't live in any of those locations where they are available, look online (Cheaper Than Dirt, MIdwest Hunters, etc. Just google it and it will give you tons of options for shopping. If you buy online, it has to be shipped to a FFL usually a local gun shop and even some pawn shops.
The cheaper price ones usually do not have scopes. The more expensive ones are the VTR (tactical look) and heavy target barrel. They are no longer just the plain black or green stock either. They come in blaze orange camo, pink camo, digital flex camo, etc. Good luck with your shopping.
Yes their trigger could be improved, yes there are more accurate rifles out there, and no there is not much of an aftermarket for parts. However, from my experience, 597s are plenty accurate, reliable and easy to shoot. Just my two cents.
The cheaper price ones usually do not have scopes. The more expensive ones are the VTR (tactical look) and heavy target barrel. They are no longer just the plain black or green stock either. They come in blaze orange camo, pink camo, digital flex camo, etc. Good luck with your shopping.
Yes their trigger could be improved, yes there are more accurate rifles out there, and no there is not much of an aftermarket for parts. However, from my experience, 597s are plenty accurate, reliable and easy to shoot. Just my two cents.