Interested in opinions on Remington 552 and 597

[PutTogether]

Do any of you have one of these rifles? I am in the market for a .22 rifle for general plinking and having fun. Won't be doing any hunting squirrels or anything like that, and don't need the rifle to work in extremely adverse conditions.

I'm looking for something a little different than a 10/22 (not that there is anything with the ruger), just looking for something a little..........more refined?

I'm not a gun SNOB, but I'm reallly looking for a rifle that is accurate and fun, but provides the joy of ownership of a fine rifle - without costing an arm and a leg.

I would really like to know this boards collective experience and wisdom on these rifles, and maybe even Remington in general.

Links to the rifles I am looking at: http://www.remington.com/products/fi...peedmaster.asp

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/rimfire_rifles/model_597/model_597_LSS.asp

[Sam .223]

i own both the 552 and 597, they are ok rifles but if i had to do it over again i'd get a 10/22

[Apothus]

I owned a Remington 597 for a few years and enjoyed it when it ran properly. I did have quite a few jams and problems which caused quite a bit of aggravation. I found out the rifle only liked the American Eagle copper plated hollow points. Anyways I ended up selling it to help fund another project.

If you're looking for a nice .22 thats not too expensive but nice and accurate, go with the thumbhole stock .22LR from Savage. Really nice, good looking rifle thats comfortable and very accurate. No irons on it though, so you will have to mount a scope on it.

Good luck with your choice

[PutTogether]

i own both the 552 and 597, they are ok rifles but if i had to do it over again i'd get a 10/22

Why exactly do you say that? Did these rifles do something you didn't like? (jam, malfunction, etc) Or is it that you think the Ruger has something over these two?

[FEMUN]

i own both the 552 and 597, they are ok rifles but if i had to do it over again i'd get a 10/22

I had a 10/22 and upgraded the hell out of it and then didn't like it anymore cuz it was too heavy so I sold it and bought a Marlin 795 and never looked back.

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/SelfLoading/795.asp

[Mail Clerk]

Do any of you have one of these rifles? I am in the market for a .22 rifle for general plinking and having fun. Won't be doing any hunting squirrels or anything like that, and don't need the rifle to work in extremely adverse conditions.

I'm looking for something a little different than a 10/22 (not that there is anything with the ruger), just looking for something a little..........more refined?

I'm not a gun SNOB, but I'm reallly looking for a rifle that is accurate and fun, but provides the joy of ownership of a fine rifle - without costing an arm and a leg.

I would really like to know this boards collective experience and wisdom on these rifles, and maybe even Remington in general.

Links to the rifles I am looking at: http://www.remington.com/products/fi...peedmaster.asp

http://www.remington.com/products/fi...el_597_LSS.asp

PutTogether,

I have both Ruger 10/22 and the 597 in my 22 battery. I've never enjoyed a more challenging/fun rifle than the Remington 597. Oh yeah it had it's issues due mainly to poor magazine design (weak springs) but once one has all the kinks worked out it's super fun to shoot!!!!! I love the easy ability to remove the recoil springs and bolt to give it through cleaning. During my hey day NOT allot of aftermarket parts were made but still with the ones that were available even today all one needs is a brick of 22 ammo for a good day of shooting. Remember, the more you shoot it the more accurate it'll get. I seriously dougbt the barrel will every wear out.

Allot of people hate the 597 but too me the fun is working with it instead banging it around in disgust.

Good luck in your choice.

Mail Clerk

[tgriffin]

A Louisville Slugger is much much cheaper and has about the same track record, performance, and utility as a 597 as far as I am concerned.

Dont waste your money, go with a 10/22.

[rocketrod]

FWIW, I find that the 597 feels more like a "real" rifle, so it's a bit easier to handle. I bought a Browning .22 semi-auto (bottom eject), expecting it to be my last .22 ever... and though I'm not sure why, I like shooting the Remington better. My favorite of all my .22's (there are 15-20 of them now) is a Martini-Henry model 12 in .22LR. Built around 1906, single shot, lever eject (ala "Zulu"), iron sights and straight as an arrow.

[sb_pete]

I was in the same boat as you about a year ago. I already had a 10/22 T and wanted something different to be a fun little iron sight plinker. I was looking at the Rem 597 and 552, The Marlin 60, the Mossberg 702 Plinkster, and the Henry lever guns.

Then I found the Taurus 63 at Big 5 for $200 on sale and bought it. I love the little gun. They are reproductions of the classic Winchester 63, nice condition examples of which go for upwards of $1k these days. It feels nicer than all of the others, more solid, more like a real gun and not an air-gun toy. The wood is quite nice (and smells faintly like a cigar box for some reason - I like this). The main thing is that the gun balances and points REALLY WELL. The mag tube in the buttstock and hardwood take the fulcrum point back. I hated how the 597 and Marlin 60 in particular had lightweight actions and stocks so all the weight was in the barrel (Marlin 60 with front mag tube was worse) and sat out front. They just don't point well. The Taurus 63 you can actually shoot with one hand - its kind of cool.

Also, the rear mag tube is a great system because it loads faster than anything else - Yeah, I just said that. Sure you can change mags faster than you can load the tube, but how many mags are you really going to buy? With the teardrop cut, the rounds just fall in and almost orient themselves - it is much faster than actually charging the 597 mag. This is a .22 plinker, you are going to be letting off hundreds of rounds at a time. How much time do you want to spend loading mags, how much time do you want to shoot? With the 63, you get a really cool old school look and you can just carry a bunch of .22 in your back pocket and pull out a handfull and drop em in every time you're empty.

Anyways, check it out. As I said, I was looking to do something similar to you and I'm really glad I found the thing.

hth,
-Pete

[PutTogether]

sb pete - Thank you for the great advice. I will definitely look into it.

I see a lot of people hating the 597 - but not hearing about a lot of experience with the 552 tube fed Remington.

[NRAhighpowershooter]

I bought my 597 at Big5 4yrs ago.. my only complaint is the metal (cheap)used in their mags... also the mag springs seem weak. But.. after about 250rnds it runs like a champ.. no FTF or FTEs on any ammo I run through it.. it will even cycle sub-sonics.

[Sam .223]

Why exactly do you say that? Did these rifles do something you didn't like? (jam, malfunction, etc) Or is it that you think the Ruger has something over these two?

simply put you have more options with the ruger for aftermarket. the 597 has little aftermarket compared to the ruger and the 597 has/had those mag problems that made it a pain to deal with until recently. the 552 is a great rifle but i don't shoot it to often, it was a gift from my dad and i'm going to give it to my son when he's able to go out and shoot with me, usually if i do shoot .22 lr i use the 597 but i'd like to change the stock, but have yet to find one.

[Barbarossa]

i own both the 552 and 597, they are ok rifles but if i had to do it over again i'd get a 10/22

Same.

I bought my 597 at Big5 4yrs ago.. my only complaint is the metal (cheap)used in their mags... also the mag springs seem weak. But.. after about 250rnds it runs like a champ.. no FTF or FTEs on any ammo I run through it.. it will even cycle sub-sonics.

I won my 597 in an auction. if it is clean it runs well. 10/22, just seems like they have a lot more aftermarket viability.

[sb_pete]

simply put you have more options with the ruger for aftermarket. the 597 has little aftermarket compared to the ruger and the 597 has/had those mag problems that made it a pain to deal with until recently. the 552 is a great rifle but i don't shoot it to often, it was a gift from my dad and i'm going to give it to my son when he's able to go out and shoot with me, usually if i do shoot .22 lr i use the 597 but i'd like to change the stock, but have yet to find one.

I would say that the 597 has the second biggest aftermarket in the class after the 10/22. Of course that's like saying a big barnacle is the second biggest creature in a whale enclosure, but hey *shrug*

Check out the Rimfirecentral forums 597 section for aftermarket stuff. Volquartsen and the usual 10/22 suspects make a few parts.
Revolution Stocks makes some 597 stocks
So does Boyds, check out Stockystocks. There are others too, more info over on rimfire central.

Kind of two different animals though. If you are trying to make a bull barreled semi-auto target .22 with all sorts of fun personaliziation, yeah, get a 10/22. If you want the same thing, but want it with a twist, go 597.

If you wan t a classic .22lr plinker that you're just going to shoot with iron sights, you go with a tube mag gun. It's the classic American tin can plinker gun. The Taurus 63 is my pick for classic looks and pointability, but the Marlin 60, Rem 552, and the Browning Semi-Auto 22 are all nice guns. Lots of good old used guns too.
-Pete

[CaptainSpaulding]

Here's my two cents:

Currently, I own a Ruger 10/22, and I love this American classic. I owned a Remington 597 about two years after they came out. I found it to be as comfortably accurate for plinking as a stock 10/22. The bolt, receiver, and dual recoil spring setup were intelligently designed and easy to service, plus, the rifle balanced nicely. I couldn't get entirely comfortable with the polymer/fiberglass/plastic lower receiver and trigger guard. I cursed the thin, hollow, plastic magazine followers and weak magazine springs. If I loaded them up with 8 rounds, versus 10, it prevented intermittent jamming (because the thin hollow mag followers would often expand under the spring pressure from 10 rounds and bind up in the magazine walls...especially on hot summer days). I had 4 factory 10 round mags and they ALL did this very thing. All in all I liked the 597 but I kept reminiscing about the superior quality and spring tension of the 10/22's rotary 10 round magazine and aftermarket options for the 10/22 and eventually sold the Remington for the Ruger.