Remington 597

Mine likes the federal bulk pack, 525 rounds 36 grain. 1" at 50 is about what mine does on a good day, I always thought that was pretty good. It's very accurate with Remington yellow jackets too, but they're a bit pricy so I shoot the federal.

One thing I can't recommend enough is the Volquartsen hammer. trigger pull drops by quite a bit and becomes very pleasant.

B
 
Well I own two of these 22's and love them both, try a bunch of different ammo as said before mine likes CCI blazers (not the bulk pack) can shoot under 1/2 inch all day with it and it never fails me. Suggest you U TUBE some videos on polishing the guide rods and bolt surface and only put the set screws in SNUG that hold the guide rods. Made a huge difference in my guns and did this to a buddies gun that was always jamming and miss fireing now his works likes a dream too. Good luck these are great little guns in My opinion.
 
I had a 597, it was the absolute worst gun I have ever owned. Right out of the box it was a pos in regards to accuracy and consistency, no matter what type of ammo went through it, 50 yard targets off a rest looked like they were hit with a shotgun. The problem was not the scope, I tried another that was proven reliable and accurate, tried 2 different sets of rings and also put on a base plate. Even with the iron sights I was getting the same results. I sanded the barrel channel in the stock and also had to install a shim at the front action screw to get the barrel to float properly and stopped cleaning the barrel. The best I was ever able to get this gun to shoot was 1.5 inches at 20 yards. Finally had enough of it and sold it and bought a Savage 64, first trip out it was shooting 1 inch at 50 yards with CCI Blazer.
 
I think the results you got are very acceptable, especially considering you have only tried the one load. Odds are good that if you sample a dozen or so different loads you will find one or two that will do much better. The one 597 that I have owned in .22lr did very well with Rem Subsonics and also the bulk Winchester Xperts. I never tried anything other than cheap ammo in it.
 
JeffFromCanada said:
Best thing you can do is go right back to the shop you bought it from and ask to exchange it for a 10/22.

I bought my 597 as an impulse buy. 500 rounds later I had nothing good to say about it. failure to feed, fire, eject, terrible magazines.. do yourself a favor OP and get rid of the thing!
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This is all the info you need. Been there done that
 
It seems 597s are the guns everyone loves to hate. I have heard alot of really bad things about them here on CGN, but also alot of really good things about them. I know mine has been excellent and a friend of mine has nothing but good things to say about his aswell. I guess they must be really hit or miss when it comes to reliability and such.
 
I've had three: one in .17HMR which was very inaccurate with any of the very few available loads and was sold off (apparently there was eventually a recall on these?), a .22Mag which shot well enough but not quite as accurately as my Ruger77/22mag, and one of the early .22lr ones. This one shot extremely well and was stone-axe reliable. I sent it down the road for some stupid reason, and now wish that I had kept it.
 
As the OP of this thread, I'm actually a bit surprised by the number of replies that were positive to the Rem. 597, versus only a few negatives. No matter what you buy, there's always a chance of picking out a lemon. Then there always seems to be someone eager to point out that you bought an inexpensive product, and that you deserve what you got. Time will tell, but so far I'm very happy with my 597. Despite a few minor hiccups, it cycles reliably. Keeping any semi-auto clean is paramount and maybe some don't see it that way. For the price, it seems like a decent 22, and once I find the right ammo, I'm sure my groups will shrink. Thanks to everyone who replied.
 
jjohnwm said:
I've had three: one in .17HMR which was very inaccurate with any of the very few available loads and was sold off (apparently there was eventually a recall on these?), a .22Mag which shot well enough but not quite as accurately as my Ruger77/22mag, and one of the early .22lr ones. This one shot extremely well and was stone-axe reliable. I sent it down the road for some stupid reason, and now wish that I had kept it.
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Apparently, Hornady didn't tell Remington that the 17 HMR round was never meant to cycle through an autoloader. Remington announced a recall of the 597s in 17 HMR, offering to buy them back and cancelled production.
 
My 597 loves anything CCI and Federal even American Eagle. But when it comes to Winchester ammo it just doesn't like it at all. Ive had bullets separate and failure to fire.

Try different ammo. I even changed my hammer and extractor with Voltquartsen parts and still a few problems with that Winchester stuff.

Btw don't sell your 597 like some ppl say . There awesome little rimfire rifles!
 
No reliability problems with mine. Although some of the mags need to be filed in order to seat properly. Mine does seem to be very ammo sensitive however. It didn't like regular fodder, but shot one heck of a group with Lapua Super club. Unfortunately I needed the scope for another rifle so it's been sitting ever since. I have the 597 VTR model. The cheap trigger upgrade will eventually be purchased.

One of the issues is there just isn't the aftermarket compared to the 10/22. In some ways I think the 597 is a better firearm than the 10/22, but the rotary mag of the 10/22 really shines along with the huge aftermarket. It's too bad Remington didn't beat Browning to the Helix version of that mag. That would have really helped them.

By the way the best/accurate semi auto rimfire out of the box is the no longer made Thompson Center R55 benchmark and other versions. Steel receiver, threaded on barrel, match grade accuracy. Even the trigger while a bit heavy is very nice and crisp. 1" at 100 yards, 5 round groups with CCI standard. No issues. If I were to rank my purchases for semi auto 22 rifles: #1 The TC R55, #2 Ruger K10/22 and #3 the 597 VTR.
 
Just bought a 597 HB and while I was inspecting it I noticed the barrel wasn't tight to the receiver. Had to tighten the clamp that holds the barrel on, you might want to check it.
 
My VTR likes to chew up minimags and blazer, it hated winchesters. It shoots accurate enough to make me happy, and although at the start of our relationship (I bought used) I was ready to throw it out the door because of ejection failures. 1 volquartsen extractor later, and aside from the odd failure here and there (talking 1 in every 500... MAYBE) it has turned into an excellent rifle, with 30 round mags or 10 rounds, they all run well in it now.

A friend of mine bought a basic 597 package with the scope, and he's very happy with his as well, he's had no problems at all with his.
 
JeffFromCanada said:
Best thing you can do is go right back to the shop you bought it from and ask to exchange it for a 10/22.

I bought my 597 as an impulse buy. 500 rounds later I had nothing good to say about it. failure to feed, fire, eject, terrible magazines.. do yourself a favor OP and get rid of the thing!
Click to expand...

The voice of experience Iam sure!
 
597s are great. I've owned three now and worked on my father's too (cleaned that is). Absolutely reliable and VERY, very accurate.

I know that they have had some bad production runs in the past but the news ones are wonderful based on my experience. In fact, I've had more problems with the 10/22.
 
Mine is an original SS model from '97. Only semi auto .22 I have any desire to own. I have literally hundreds of kills with it...starlings, grouse, hare, a feral cat or two, coyote, beaver, fox, and otter. I'm sure there are a few others I have forgot about. And yes I am a trapper. Best group ever was when I put a 16x scope on it. 1.1" group...at 100 yards. Used to do a lot of 100 yard+ shots on bunnies on the logging roads back when I first got it. Couldn't believe it, but made consistant kills...2 bunnies high, 3 bunnies into the wind...lol. It is very picky about ammo when it comes to accuracy. Remingtom subsonics were the best. Actually, all standard velocity does well. Now though I load it up with Federal $225/5000 solid high velocities and keep it as a worker/plinker 60 yards and under. Now I have a 17HMR for the longer shots. Jamming, never been an issue.

Best,
cheapsk8
 
Well I picked up a regular barrel one yesterday for $179. I'll see what side of the love/hate fence I find myself after some range time.
Here's a picture of what I'll try: (I will be single feeding the CB short rounds and the bird shot. Actually might not even try those until I get a pistol)
22lr_ammo.jpg
 

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