A 597 is the best rimfire out there, change my mind

[Hitzy]

First time I ever saw a brand new gun STB on the very first mag was a 597 22mag, one of the guide rods broke.
I've passed on them since that. I'm not a huge fan of semi 22's, reliability is usually not there, neither is durability.
I do have 1 10/22 as they seem to be the most durable outfit going, factory mags are quite reliable. The Rem Speedmaster or whatever it's called is pretty decent, but tube mags aren't popular these days.

 

[45CAT]

Remington Speedmaster 552

 

[ScottMisfits]

What kind of bolt work can be done to improve it? I'm curious now.

Polishing all contact point on the bolt, as well as the feed ramp for one. Another is to take a couple thousands of an inch of the face of the bolt. This will help square the bolt face to the fron5 of the barrel better, and will also tighten the headspace from 0.046” down to around 0.042-43”. The heaviest rim I measured in the stuff I have is 0.041”.

 

[BlazinDayz]

Surprisingly mine likes the cheap stuff.

 

[#1bcshooter]

Both of mine work great . LR & Magnum

 

[BlazinDayz]

Both of mine work great . LR & Magnum

Nice! Which ones more accurate?

 

[#1bcshooter]

Nice! Which ones more accurate?

Never really sat down & compared the 2 side by side .
Will have to do that when the weather warms up

 

[R.Henning]

...

 

[Alon]

Shooting a CZ 45x will change your mind about that

 

[weasel1]

It's no secret that I love mine. 597VTR. I shot at a Mapleseed event last year with it. Got my Rifleman badge ( 2 out of 3 targets were good enough ) and my best target I scored 245/250. It really likes CCI SV and performs that little bit better with the Green Tags.

 

[CaptainHook]

It's no secret that I love mine. 597VTR. I shot at a Mapleseed event last year with it. Got my Rifleman badge ( 2 out of 3 targets were good enough ) and my best target I scored 245/250. It really likes CCI SV and performs that little bit better with the Green Tags.

Oftopic, but we have Mappleseed events in Ottawa? Is it at EOSC?

 

[Travis Bickle]

Surprisingly mine likes the cheap stuff.

Mine does too.
The 555 packs from wal mart shoot incredibly tight groups out of mine.
Also the cheap blazer lead projo stuff.
It's never had a single issue with any ammo actually.

 

[B]

597 was hands down the worst gun I ever owned. I spent much more time and energy trying to get it to run than I should have.

 

[woofer2609]

Not the best rimfire, I don't think, but the best semi .22 I would say. I liked mine MUCH better than my 10/22's. As others have said, polish the rails and retighten the screws properly and you're gtg. The 30 round mags worked great for me if loaded to 25 rounds.
As for the best rimfire? Maybe a Savage MkII BV for the cheap, or a CZ 452 for a little more money.

 

[nomad 68]

Mine has been stellar. Not one single issue. Although I should add that it was a warranty replacement as the first one had crooked sights. I believe it's a 2012 or 2013 model.

 

[a j cave]

I had the Yellowjacket model and loved it. Replaced the extractor and hammer. Shot very well. Sold it when I got a VQ 10/22.

 

[super7]

They are pretty accurate, reliable and inexpensive. Imho the 16 inch barrel version is an excellent little rig for the price.

 

[weasel1]

Oftopic, but we have Mappleseed events in Ottawa? Is it at EOSC?

No idea. Course are all over the place. The one I went to was at the Cornwall Handgun Club. Would have to go to their website and check the schedule. Highly recommend it!

 

[AlbertaJohn]

Picked up a 597 a few years ago and shortly there after I sold my 10/22 as the 597 was a much better rimfire in all aspects.

 

[JGE]

I sold mine long ago, was a jamming machine. Double feeds, stovepipes, extraction issues. Was rare to get through a mag without an issue. Probably more of a terrible mag design than rifle design as no mag I ever used worked very well. Bought a 10/22, miles more reliable for me.