Is the Remington 597 really that bad?

Onewarmguy

Onewarmguy

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Folks, I was down at well known Markham dealer this morning wanting to look at a Remington 597 FLX that they had. Much to my surprise, the counter guy wouldn't even take it off the rack, instead he said it was garbage and offered to show me a Ruger 10/22 or Marlin 795. I've never seen a salesman diss a product that much before. I thought Remington had largely corrected most of the 597's major issues, was I wrong?
Call me confused.
onewarmguy
 
I have one of the first year of 597 and it has no mods. Gun has been flawless I have no complaints. I have a new one as well and have yet to use it. If it's anything like my first 597 than it should be a great gun
 
I like my 597. Thousands of rounds through it and it'll works flawlessly. Like any .22 semi auto it must be kept clean. If you don't over tighten the action guide rod screws they work great.
 
Got mine brand new for under 200$ Quite accurate and has never jammed once. The stock sights are very good on these too.
 
I've had three:

#1 was one of the early ones and functioned flawlessly. Accuracy was very good with most ammo, keeping it clean was necessary. A nice gun that I should have kept.

#2 was a .22mag that functioned well but accuracy was poor. I tried most available loads and couldn't get better than about 2.5MOA. Traded off without regret.

#3 was a .17HMR, a cartridge that I greatly enjoy. Thought that a nice semi in that chambering would be great. Got constant FTF's and FTE's. Terrible accuracy, and I tried literally every available loading (there weren't many). Traded it off, and I believe I heard a few months later that Remington recalled all the .17HMR 597's?

One good specimen out of three doesn't impress me as a reason to try yet another one.
 
johnnyc14 said:
I like my 597. Thousands of rounds through it and it'll works flawlessly. Like any .22 semi auto it must be kept clean. If you don't over tighten the action guide rod screws they work great.
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10-22's dont need to be kept clean although it is better to keep any gun clean. When I was young I used to put 10's of thousands through my fathers old 10-22 without cleaning and it rarely ever misfired. And, although the 597 is an ok gun it is no where near the gun the 10-22 is. The 10-22 is the far better buy for the money. This is not just my opinion. Do a poll or run a search if you dont believe me.
 
I have a 597 and when I first got it it was a horrible gun. The accuracy, well there was no accuracy. Targets looked more like shotgun patterns. I tried every kind of ammo I could get my hands on, floated the barrel, cleaned and oiled it to no end. I finally gave up on it really and just used it for shooting close range, 10 - 20 yards, at reactive targets. I also stopped cleaning it except for the action when it started jamming. I have over 2000 rounds through it since the last time it saw a patch and brush down the bore and it shoots pretty decently now. Don't think I will clean the barrel until bullets start falling out of the end or getting stuck. Many people swear that .22s shoot better dirty, I believe that now.

Will never buy another one though, or any other Remington product for that matter.
 
Capt.Canuck said:
Interesting, I've heard nothing but good things about the 10/22.

I don't own either, but I'm curious why you would say that?
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Not a troll by nature...

My experiences with these have been terrible! Inaccurate jam-o-matics. They are great for the add-on crowd... I can't deny the market for folks who wish to "dress" their guns, I'm certainly not part of it.
 
I've only really shot one 597 (~250 rounds) and while it felt cheap and plasticky it shot just fine. It wouldn't be my first choice in a semi .22 but its available for an attractive price.
 
Probably brcause like all of us he's customized them all in a different way, and it's very possible that he sold one he customized and missed it so much he rebuilt it....
I'm guilty of this. :)
 
I had a vtr model. I could guarantee 35+ stovepipes or fte's out of 100 rounds. I returned it to my dealer and never looked back.

I have a 10/22 that hasn't been cleared in 2-3000 rounds and had its first jam or malfunction ever at the end of my plinking day last time out.

Winner? 10/22 hands down.
 
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