Remington 597

[olddav]

Once again I find myself in desperate need of some advice or info. I have a Remington 597 22LR w/scope, and I can't hit a thing with it. I've changed scopes, cleaned the gun and inspected it thoroughly. Nothing seems to improve the accuracy of this rifle, (approx 4 inch at 50 yards). Has anyone had any luck hitting the target with a Remington 597? If so can you tell me what ammo your using.

I've tried Remington "Thunderbolt" and some Winchester ammo with no improvement.:confused:

[Goatwhiskers]

I think Remington is not too proud of that design themselves. Only thing I can think of is check to see if the barrel wedge is tight. I assume you have checked all parts of your sighting system. Goatwhiskers the Elder

[CajunBass]

Mine shoots ok with Federal bulk pack from Wal-Mart. At least as well as my 10/22's. I don't shoot it a lot but I'm not unhappy with it at all.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b292/CajunBass/Other%20Stuff/020.jpg

You might ask over on RimfireCentral.com, in the Remington forum. I believe they even have a 597 subforum.

[cap506]

+1 CajunBass. The RFC 597 group is rabid about their hardware and extremely handy in helping troubleshoot it. They have some guys getting near MOA accuracy out of it. I know mine shoots better than I do.

[olddav]

Yes the barrel wedge is one of the many things I checked.
As far as the sighting system is concerned, I swaped the factory scope for one I had on my hunting rifle, with no improvement.
If any one can think of anything else ....

[300magman]

My 597 isn't terribly accurate, but its certainly liveable. Make sure the barrel is free floated (you might have to sand the stock a bit), make sure the action screws are tight, check on the guide rod retaining screws to ensure they aren't overtightened (you don't want to have them bowed)

If the trigger is too heavy Volquartsen makes an aftermarket one that should drop it down to 3lbs or under (which is still heavy for my liking). Also if you are using a scope ensure that the bases/rings are all tightened down securely. BTW if its the factory "package" scope its probably giving you trouble finding a clear focus...the best I can do with mine is to shoot at a longer distance and/or lower power setting.

You might try federal 510 ammo, my best groups have probably been with it, though I haven't tried anything expensive, just federal 510, Rem TB, CCI Blazer, American Eagle, Win wildcat, Win Expert bulk pack, Federal 745 bulk pack. I also get decent groups from the Fed 745 bulk pack, but not consistently...though even the rest of the ammo's "bad groups" are still fairly consistent with my "good/average" groups...I would hunt rabbits with any of it.

Anywhere from 1" to 2" 10 rounds groups at 50 yards is about par for the course.

[Technosavant]

The 597 is a hit or miss design. I have an el cheapo one from Walmart that will take any ammo you feed it and put it inside less than a half dollar at 50 yards without hardly even trying. I also have a 597 VTR with the heavy barrel that is barely minute of paper plate at the same distance (and Remington said they found nothing amiss).

A Jarvis barrel is on order for the latter. Try over at RFC for more specific help, but worst case, Jarvis said they were going to start that run of 597 barrels about now.

[olddav]

300magman,
When you say free floating, are you telling me the barrel should not touch the stock at any point?

[Technosavant]

When you say free floating, are you telling me the barrel should not touch the stock at any point?

That is correct. With the 597, the barrel can be completely supported by its connection with the receiver. You can try the dollar bill test- take a dollar bill (a twenty will also work :D), and wrap it around the barrel. If it is free floated properly, you should be able to slide the bill all the way to the receiver between the stock and the barrel without it binding. If it binds, then sand down the stock in that spot.

[300magman]

To freefloat a barrel in a cheap synthetic stock a "dollar bill test" really isn't very reliable. Most cheap plastic stocks will have some flex, if you can put the front of the stock on a rest and apply a bit of downward pressure without the barrel contacting the stock (try the dollar bill test again while doing this) THEN you have successfully free floated it.

[olddav]

It's easy to say now, but that was what I thought. My barrel starts touching the stock approx. 2.5 inches from the end, well shy of the receiver. I guess that I'll use my "Dremel" tool with a sanding drum to address this issue.

Thanks!

[Tactical Rancher]

FYI, there was an apparently large run of heavy barrels made with bad rifling. The diagnosis of all cases of terrible accuracy (mine was 7" at 50 yds) was "miscut rifling". Remington is replacing all these barrels under warranty. I got a 597 Tech Target from Dick's Sporting Goods with this issue. Dick's is handling the warranty return for me.

[Technosavant]

FYI, there was an apparently large run of heavy barrels made with bad rifling. The diagnosis of all cases of terrible accuracy (mine was 7" at 50 yds) was "miscut rifling". Remington is replacing all these barrels under warranty. I got a 597 Tech Target from Dick's Sporting Goods with this issue. Dick's is handling the warranty return for me.

Who'd you have to bribe at Remington to get that swapped out? They just sent mine back saying it was ok- should have a stainless steel Jarvis barrel (already threaded, even) before too long, so it's a moot point for my VTR anyway. But, if I could swap out my bad one for a good one, I'd mount it to my "regular" 597 just for kicks.

[MoBart]

I bought a 597 several years ago at cost when I was working part time in a gun shop in Va. Thank god I didn't pay retail for that hunk of crap. Accuracy wise it was nothing special, but did ok. It was everything else that sucked on it. I'd say take it to the next gun show with a good cleaning and pass it on to somone else. Maybe use it to sweeten some kind of trade or purchase. But, if the guy your dealing with knows much it wont sweeten very much for him.