Remington 597 problem

[south_river_redneck]

Just got a new 597 on monday.  Took it home and read the owner's manual, and cleaned it like the manual suggested.  Finally got time to shoot it thursday night after chores, and i'll be darned if almost half the shots jammed!  I put about 45 rounds through it and at one time i had five jams in a row.  The spent shell could either be still sitting north-south or might be pinched east-west. Is this a magazine problem, ammo problem, or cleaning problem?  The ammo is 36 grain federal hollow points in a 550 round pack. Do i just need to keep shooting this gun and it will "break in", or should i be concerned? Thanks.

south_river_redneck

[p15camborne]

I had a 597 a couple years ago.  It shot fine, but at that time many people complained about it.  Seems the magazines were the problem.  Mine had the latest mag so worked fine.  Go to RIMFIRECENTRAL.COM.  Check the Remington section there.  People there can help you.  Or since it's a new gun contact Remington.  If they think the magazine is the problem, they might send you a new one.  Good luck.

[kansas45]

The retaining screws that hold the guide rails are probably too tight. Strip the gun completly, clean everything & when you put it back together don't oil anything. (sounds crazy to me, but this is what the guys at Rimfire Central say to do) Install the guide rods & guide rod springs, tighten the retaining screws then back them out. Turn each screw in untill they just touch the rod end & leave them like that. Seems that if you torque the screws to factory spec it puts the guide rods in a bind. I tried this set-up this morning without a FTF in 100 rounds.

[His lordship.]

I get the impression that the Remington folks have improved this rifle as the complaints are not as prevalent, maybe I might get another one as my last one did not work in cold weather, but all the oil and grease that I used could have caused that.  But the magazine also malfunctioned, for warm weather use it could be a winner.

[dpe.ahoy]

I got my 15 year old son one and it did the same thing.  Had to strip it all the way down and use a brass brush on the grooves to get them clean.  Then a drop of Rem Oil and it's working like new.  I was using the same rounds.  I have been told buy a smith that it leaves more residue than some of the others.  My son's wouldn't close with out pushing it shut after about 100-150 rounds.  I will have to remember to take the pressure off the guide rods next time I have to take it apart to clean it.  Thanks for the tip.  I have some other ammo to try in it and will see if goes longer.  DP

[south_river_redneck]

Thanks for the advice, i really appreciate it.  I ended up buying two different kinds of remington ammo yesterday (remington subsonic and remington game loads).  A buddy and i went out back and shot at cans with all three kinds of ammo, the two mentioned above and the federals in the original post.  I used a whole box of the subsonic (never tried these before, only half the noise of standard ammo!)  without a single jam and half a box of the game loads without a problem, over 75 rounds in all.  I mixed in the federal, and every time i tried to shoot two or three federals in a row they would jam. So i'm hoping that maybe the issue was just bad ammo. Once again, thanks for the advice.