Exploding Mags on Remington 597....

jerm24x1

jerm24x1

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So I have had an unusual problem with my Rem 597.

Shooting at the range the other day and some kind of backblast occurred, which caused the 30 round plastic magazine to explode apart.

After inspection there appeared to be nothing wrong with the weapon, so we continued to fire. Short time later, the same backblast occurred but this time, it blew apart a 10 round metal mag.

Closer inspection of the spent casings showed some kind of rupture out the back of the casing.

Three things stood out on:
1) there was the bite above and to the right of the primer strike
2) then the obvious holes to the right and below.
3) finally the primer imprint is way deeper than the norm

Ammo was .22 LR 36 gr "Winchester 555 Rounds" brand....

Any thoughts or suggestions on the cause? I have seen plenty of issues with the mag feed, but not too many

Image of casings:
Blowback.jpg


Also, the effect was similar to what this guy had, but the rounds were not stuck in the pipe like his was in the end......:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7kTyaP-FUE&feature=BFa&list=HL1310962564&index=6
 
additonal info....

Should also add that the mag parts were spread out over a 2m area....

Another look at the holes in the back of the casings:

rounds.jpg


And the blown apart mag:

badmag.jpg
 
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The best sell I ever made was getting rid of my 597... Sold it for next to nothing because I didn't want the poor f**k that picked it up to feel ripped off
 
the gun is probley designed to 'vent' through the mag well when a round goes off out of battery. the energy is just taking the path of least resistance, blasting a mag out is better than having the receiver kaboom. Ruger 10/22's also do this, i had the exact same thing happen with some blaser ammo except the mag just blew out, and didnt break. my cartridge cases would fail where the rim meets the body. just check the gun over and make sure you still have an extractor, it should be fine.
 
I've never had this problem with my 597. I have shot many different brands of .22s. I would put my round count at 5-6000. Maybe there was something wrong with the brass?
 
Well, it happened Friday night, the first call Monday AM will be to Remington.
Round count is maybe 2,000. After the first time, it continued to feed and extract another 100 rounds or so, quit playing after the second mag blew.

And if that is a safety feature to blow apart the mags, it seems pretty dumb to me. What would prevent any of the following rounds from going off as well?!?!?!
 
Both of the blown cases are way to similar in failure (orientation, size & shape of blowout & other damage to the brass) for me to call them both "flukes" ... the blown out holes are nearly identical ... this would have me looking much closer at the gun as the cause for these failures ... with no experience with a 597 though, I can't point you in any direction.

I'd take the casings & your details (story) to a local gunsmith and ask them to inspect the firearm for you.
 
it sure looks like a 22 that's been dry-fired too much and got a burr in the chamber- but that's not supposed to happen anymore- i had the same thing happen to my ithica 49, and it was an aluminum receiver on a steel barrel-
 
wait wait wait........

After a 30 round mag exploded out of your "weapon" you continued to shoot?

Now, I don't mean to call you into question, but if a mag blows out the bottom of my rifle, spreading parts across a 2m area, thats God telling me to cease shooting for the day until I can fully check my rifle, or if need be, send to a gunsmith to identify the problem.

If it is operating out of battery, I would also suggest checking your guide rods
to ensure there is no binding. Hell, I would pull the whole thing apart.


jerm24x1 said:
So I have had an unusual problem with my Rem 597.

Shooting at the range the other day and some kind of backblast occurred, which caused the 30 round plastic magazine to explode apart.

After inspection there appeared to be nothing wrong with the weapon, so we continued to fire. Short time later, the same backblast occurred but this time, it blew apart a 10 round metal mag.
Click to expand...
 
I had the basic 597 and the so called target model and sold them both pretty quickly due to various problems .Not a good product at all. I have had numerous 10/22s and still have a target model that shoots really nice groups at 100yds and have NEVER had any problems apart from the usual FTE which I have always solved with the Volqaurtson ejector. These are my personal experiences with both makes and this posting is not intended to start any of the usual `which is best` arguments.
 
Update:

The trigger assembly is shot, so it will be a replacement firearm of some other
type.

Looks like Rem will no longer be making the 597 VTR. So no replacement for me.

:-(

Off to pick another bang stick.....
 
597 problem

One thing missing in this equation is HOW were you firing the rifle at the time? Were you deliberately slow firing, or were you just pouring the ammo through the magazine as fast as you could?

One of the biggest problems with the Remington 597 is the shooter. There are two guide rods that align and support the bolt. These are held into place by two screws in the back of the receiver, and the Remington manual suggests tightening these screws to 10 INCH POUNDS. This is 8/10 of a FOOT POUND, and if you overtighten them, they will put too much pressure on the guide rods, and put a bow in the rods. This will bind and slow up the bolt and can allow the rifle to be fired out of battery if it is being fired very rapidly.

The solution to this is to put the screws in FINGER TIGHT, then back them off about 1/8 turn, as this will not put pressure on the guide rods.

Another cause is dirt and crud in the action. This can build up, and get to the point that it does not allow the bolt to fully close. It is also not uncommon to havel a rim burst from defective manufacture of ammunition, but these two casings are similar, so I would suspect that this is not the cause.

The 597 Remington is one of those rifles that should be be lubricated sparingly, with a good GUN oil. GUN OILS are formulated for the purpose of lubricating firearms, and the use of the general purpose, 3 in 1 type oils can cause operating problems. Improper lubrication can cause dirt and fouling build up in the rifle.

There is also a thing known as "bolt bounce." When the bolt picks up the cartridge from the magazine, and the springs push the bolt and cartridge forward, the bolt slams into the rear of the barrel. It does not immediately stop but hits and bounces back slightly from the impact, then the pressure of the springs push it forward into battery fully. If the rifle is being fired rapidly, it is possible that the trigger was pulled and the firing pin hit the cartridge as the bolt was coming back very slightly from the result of "bolt bounce", and thus an excess headspace situation was created.

From the looks of your fired cartridge cases, my first impression is that this rifle has been fired in an out-of-battery condition, with the head not fully supported, and the blow out of the case was in the area of the ejector slot.There is a circular mark where the firing pin area is, quite visible on one case. Indeed, the firing pin imprints are deeper, which suggests that the trigger was pulled before the bolt was fully closed and the hammer did not fall and hit the firing pin as normal, but "rode" the bolt as the bolt was closing.

Discounting a broken part as the rifle was fired normally after the incidents, there are two possible causes of the hammer falling as the bolt was closing. The first is pulling the trigger as fast as possible, trying to shoot as fast as possible. The second is some crud or something on the hammer notch or sear, which released the hammer too early.

I am quite familiar with the Remington 597 system. If used properly, they can be one of the most accurate .22 rimfire semi automatic rifles available, but if not used as intended, can be a real problem. A combination of overly tight guide rods, too much or too little lubrication, and Rambo Junior slapping a large capacity magazine into one and trying to make it operate like a mini machine gun is a recipe for disaster.
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