Remington 597
Encyclopedia
The Remington Model 597 is a semi-automatic
rimfire rifle
chambered for the .22 Long Rifle
, .22 WMR
and .17 HMR
cartridges
. The .22 Long Rifle version has a removable 10-round magazine, while the magazines for the larger .22 WMR and .17 HMR cartridges hold 8 rounds. The standard and WMR version have been in production since 1997, and the .17 HMR version since 2003. The unique bolt-guidance system uses two steel guide rails. The 597 is built in Remington's Mayfield, Kentucky
plant.
The Remington 597 is a competitor to the Marlin Model 795
and Ruger 10/22
.
length is 20 inches. A target model is available with a 20 inch bull barrel with no sights. The receiver has integral 11 mm dovetail
mounts (sometimes called tip-off mounts). An optional weaver style scope base
mounts to pre-drilled and tapped
mount points.
The tip-off mounts are suitable only for small, light scopes for air rifle or rimfire use. Heavier scopes will tend to move on their mounts and thus lose zero. For these types of scope the weaver mounting system provides a more secure mount.
and caused a number of feeding
problems when loaded with more than three to four rounds. This early magazine was seen as a major detractor to what was otherwise a good rifle. As the magazine aged and dirt, oil and unburned powder
got ground into the magazine and the follower the feeding problems could increase.
The second generation of magazines were made from investment cast
aluminum alloy
. These were available for purchase in the year 2000. The base cap and follower were still made of plastic
. This new magazine was a great improvement over the first generation. The new style magazine was shipped with the later rifles. These magazines were also available separately for purchase.
The third generations of magazines were very similar to the second generation with only small differences.
Currently there are third party magazines available to purchase for the 597.
which is its competitor in the marketplace. There are now after market barrels, hammers and extractors available for the 597, as well as the high capacity magazines noted earlier. Volquartsen Custom provides barrel, hammer and extractor upgrades.
Semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot...
rimfire rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
chambered for the .22 Long Rifle
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
, .22 WMR
.22 WMR
The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, more commonly called .22 WMR, .22 Magnum, or simply .22 Mag, is a rimfire rifle cartridge...
and .17 HMR
.17 HMR
.17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, commonly known as the .17 HMR, is a rimfire rifle cartridge developed by the ammunition company Hornady in 2002. It descended from the .22 Magnum by necking down the .22 Magnum case to take a .17 caliber bullet, and it is more costly to shoot than traditional .22...
cartridges
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
. The .22 Long Rifle version has a removable 10-round magazine, while the magazines for the larger .22 WMR and .17 HMR cartridges hold 8 rounds. The standard and WMR version have been in production since 1997, and the .17 HMR version since 2003. The unique bolt-guidance system uses two steel guide rails. The 597 is built in Remington's Mayfield, Kentucky
Mayfield, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,349 people, 4,358 households, and 2,667 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.8 people per square mile . There were 4,907 housing units at an average density of 734.8 per square mile...
plant.
The Remington 597 is a competitor to the Marlin Model 795
Marlin Model 795
The Marlin Model 795 is a .22 LR semi-automatic rifle produced by Marlin Firearms Company of North Haven, Connecticut. Major features include micro-groove barrel, a cross-bolt safety, black synthetic stock, and 10 round box magazine...
and Ruger 10/22
Ruger 10/22
The Ruger 10/22 is a semi-automatic rimfire rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle. It has a removable 10-round rotary magazine which allows the magazine to fit flush with the bottom of the stock. Higher capacity magazines are also available...
.
Variations
The 597 is available in a number of configurations. Both synthetic and laminated wood stocks are available. The standard barrelGun barrel
A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....
length is 20 inches. A target model is available with a 20 inch bull barrel with no sights. The receiver has integral 11 mm dovetail
Dovetail
Dovetail may refer to:* The dovetail joint used in woodworking* The dovetail or "riffle" method of shuffling playing cards* German equatorial mount, or dovetail plate, used to fix a telescope to its mount...
mounts (sometimes called tip-off mounts). An optional weaver style scope base
Weaver rail mount
A Weaver rail mount is a system to connect telescopic sights and other accessories to rifles, shotguns, pistols, archery bows, etc...
mounts to pre-drilled and tapped
Taps and dies
Taps and dies are cutting tools used to create screw threads, which is called threading. A tap is used to cut the female portion of the mating pair . A die is used to cut the male portion of the mating pair . The process of cutting threads using a tap is called tapping, whereas the process using a...
mount points.
The tip-off mounts are suitable only for small, light scopes for air rifle or rimfire use. Heavier scopes will tend to move on their mounts and thus lose zero. For these types of scope the weaver mounting system provides a more secure mount.
Magazines
The 597 has had at least three generations of magazines. Early magazines were made of plasticPlastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
and caused a number of feeding
Feeding
Feeding is the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food. Terminology often uses either the suffix -vore from Latin vorare, meaning 'to devour', or phagy, from Greek φαγειν, meaning 'to eat'.-Evolutionary history:...
problems when loaded with more than three to four rounds. This early magazine was seen as a major detractor to what was otherwise a good rifle. As the magazine aged and dirt, oil and unburned powder
Smokeless powder
Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of propellants used in firearms and artillery which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older gunpowder which they replaced...
got ground into the magazine and the follower the feeding problems could increase.
The second generation of magazines were made from investment cast
Investment casting
Investment casting is an industrial process based on and also called lost-wax casting, one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques. From 5,000 years ago, when beeswax formed the pattern, to today’s high-technology waxes, refractory materials and specialist alloys, the castings allow the...
aluminum alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
. These were available for purchase in the year 2000. The base cap and follower were still made of plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
. This new magazine was a great improvement over the first generation. The new style magazine was shipped with the later rifles. These magazines were also available separately for purchase.
The third generations of magazines were very similar to the second generation with only small differences.
Currently there are third party magazines available to purchase for the 597.
Aftermarket parts
The 597 is gaining more after market parts but still lacks the enormous variety of the Ruger 10/22Ruger 10/22
The Ruger 10/22 is a semi-automatic rimfire rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle. It has a removable 10-round rotary magazine which allows the magazine to fit flush with the bottom of the stock. Higher capacity magazines are also available...
which is its competitor in the marketplace. There are now after market barrels, hammers and extractors available for the 597, as well as the high capacity magazines noted earlier. Volquartsen Custom provides barrel, hammer and extractor upgrades.
Model History
- 22 Long Rifle.22 Long RifleThe .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
(1997 - Present) - 22 Win Mag.22 WMRThe .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, more commonly called .22 WMR, .22 Magnum, or simply .22 Mag, is a rimfire rifle cartridge...
(1997 - Present) - 17 HMR.17 HMR.17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, commonly known as the .17 HMR, is a rimfire rifle cartridge developed by the ammunition company Hornady in 2002. It descended from the .22 Magnum by necking down the .22 Magnum case to take a .17 caliber bullet, and it is more costly to shoot than traditional .22...
(2003 - 2009)
Standard model
| Caliber: | .22 LR |
| Capacity: | 10+1 Rounds |
| Finish: | Stainless Stainless steel In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass.... or blued Bluing (steel) Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust, and is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. True gun bluing is an electrochemical conversion coating resulting from an oxidizing chemical reaction with iron on the surface... |
| Stock: | Composite Composite material Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or... or laminate Laminate A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an... |
| Barrel Length: | 20" |
| Groove: | 6 |
| Twist: | 1:16" RH |
| Overall Length: | 40" |
| Weight: | 5½ lb |
| Front Sight(s): | Blade (all but Target model) |
| Rear Sight(s): | Adjustable (all but Target model) |
| Additional accessories: | Scope base (all models) |
Magnum models
| Caliber: | 22 Win Mag .22 WMR The .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, more commonly called .22 WMR, .22 Magnum, or simply .22 Mag, is a rimfire rifle cartridge... .17 HMR .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, commonly known as the .17 HMR, is a rimfire rifle cartridge developed by the ammunition company Hornady in 2002. It descended from the .22 Magnum by necking down the .22 Magnum case to take a .17 caliber bullet, and it is more costly to shoot than traditional .22... |
| Capacity: | 8+1 Rounds |
| Finish: | Stainless Stainless steel In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass.... or blued Bluing (steel) Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust, and is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. True gun bluing is an electrochemical conversion coating resulting from an oxidizing chemical reaction with iron on the surface... |
| Stock: | Composite Composite material Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or... or laminate Laminate A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an... |
| Barrel Length: | 18½" |
| Groove: | 6 |
| Twist: | 1:14" RH |
| Overall Length: | 40" |
| Weight: | 6 lb |
| Front Sight(s): | Blade (all but Target model) |
| Rear Sight(s): | Adjustable (all but Target model) |