So I'm in need of a new .22 plinker and I've been eying up the 597 as a potential candidate. The question, as per the title, is whether or not the 16" heavy barrel is worth the extra fifty or so dollars over a standard 20" barrel with iron sights. Considering I just plan to shoot assorted pop cans and steel targets out in crown land, with the occasional trip to a proper paper-punching range, I've been leaning more towards the latter (and cheaper) option. That being said if a heavy barrel is that much better, I suppose I wouldn't be opposed to the increased cost either. Any tips or suggestions on the matter would be much appreciated!
Remington 597- standard or heavy barrel?
- Thread starter Cross94
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Get the standard barrel. A barrel is not more accurate on the merit of being heavier alone. They will be drilled, reamed, chambered and crowned the same as per Remington specs so will shoot about the same with their preferred ammo. The heavy barrel may be a little less ammo picky and slower to heat up with extended firing. If you find yourself wanting more accuracy at some point you'll need a better barrel than Remington makes. I think Jarvis is about the only company making custom 597 barrels at this time and I may look into getting one next year.
Heavy barrels are supposed to be less flexible increasing accuracy. Also are better at heat dispersion providing longer shooting before you need time to let it cool...
You are buying a "budget" 22, and going to be feeding bulk ammo through it most likely... I don't think you are looking for tight groups... Just a fun plinker... Its 50 bucks, get what ever one you want. Not really a budget busting difference.
Save yourself 50 bucks get the iron sights, buy a case of bulk ammo and go have fun. That's what it sounds like you want to do. Cheap bangs once in a while.
On that rifle Its basically an aesthetics issue... oh and 50 bucks! lol
If $ is a big issue, don't forget with the HB there are no iron sights... have to buy a scope, so total savings of 50 + what ever you would spend on an optic.
You are buying a "budget" 22, and going to be feeding bulk ammo through it most likely... I don't think you are looking for tight groups... Just a fun plinker... Its 50 bucks, get what ever one you want. Not really a budget busting difference.
Save yourself 50 bucks get the iron sights, buy a case of bulk ammo and go have fun. That's what it sounds like you want to do. Cheap bangs once in a while.
On that rifle Its basically an aesthetics issue... oh and 50 bucks! lol
If $ is a big issue, don't forget with the HB there are no iron sights... have to buy a scope, so total savings of 50 + what ever you would spend on an optic.
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I have the heavy barrel stainless. It is way more accurate than my 10/22 standard. And the shorter barrel looks cooler too!
Canadiankeeper is right. No sights so you need rings and an optic which will increase the cost substantially.
Canadiankeeper is right. No sights so you need rings and an optic which will increase the cost substantially.
We need to understand how a stiffer barrel affects accuracy. When a round is fired a shockwave is set off traveling down the barrel making it vibrate at a certain frequency/amplitude. To simplify it think of it as a sine wave, though it is actually a very complex 3-D vibrational pattern. At a certain point in the cycle the barrel is "calm" and "looking" where you were aiming. We want the bullet to exit the muzzle at this point in the cycle and the load is said to be "in tune" with the rifle, best accuracy is seen.
All other factors being equal, there will be no difference in accuracy between a light and heavy barrel when they are shooting "in tune". The heavy barrel enjoys a lower amplitude of the shockwave and this is why I say it will be a little less ammo picky, at the extremes of the vibration cycle the barrel will be off target to a lesser degree than the lighter, "whippier" barrel. It will shoot ammo it "doesn't like" better than the lighter barrel.
The manufacture and finish of the Remington barrel though, I don't think is good enough to make a difference in heavy vs. light barrel. The quality of the interior finish of the bore is way more important for the overall accuracy potential. A poor finish will just never shoot consistently. An example of my 597 at 50 yards, it can be accurate but is not even close to consistent.
LSS standard barrel
With all those deep gouges in the bore, and several tight/loose spots in the barrel (felt when cleaning, inconsistent bore diameter) it's a small miracle some of those tight groups were shot. Overall it averages 0.6"-0.8" 5 shot groups at 50 yards with SK standard plus. It's plenty good for plinking, decide what you want based on aesthetics and what you wanna do with that $50. If the accuracy bug bites you, ya gotta get a better barrel than Remington or move to a nice bolt action platform.
Thanks for the wealth of information! Honestly, those barrel gouges aside, it sounds pretty much like what I was expecting for the kind of gun I'm looking for. I just want a fun 'no need to modify' semi-auto with comfortable ergonomics, that's accurate to minute-of-soda-cans at 25 to 75ish meters. I'll leave the ultra high-precision stuff to bolt guns.
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