.22 semi-auto. Remington 597 or?

I've recently started looking for a semi-auto .22 to complement my bolt action Jw15. I had my eye on a 10/22, but they're mostly out of my price range (I'm looking at $400 max).

I've just become aware of the Remington 597 as a 10/22 competitor. I've seen (and missed!) a few 597s on trademe recently, so have an eye out for one at the moment. However, I'm slightly concerned about parts availability going forward, with Remington having discontinued the rifle and seemingly all of their 22LR range. I presume this has crossed the mind of a few 597 owners?

Alternatively, my friends have pointed me towards the Rossi 7022. I had a play with one today. Extremely light. Seems to have good reviews and it's hard to argue with the price. It does feel a little cheap (not a great trigger).

Interested to hear from Remington and Rossi owners about the pros/cons.

I had a 597 for a while. they can be a bit problematic the mags had a problem if you loaded more than 8 in it from memory. Id look at a marlin..

I would leave the Remmy 597 - yes they could be quite problematic. I recall speaking to Remington importer a few years back and the 597 was not a success for them.

For your budget I would get a Marlin 795. Much more reliable than Rem 597, and Marlin 22s have good barrels. My present 795SS will average - that's average - under 0.5" at 50m with CCI minimag in 3 consecutive groups. That's good - and much better than our stock Ruger 10/22s.

Rossis are another entry-level CBC Brazilian product and quality is variable - can be ok but many are not. Very light, somewhat flimsy. You'd be much better off with Marlin 795 and they pop up quite often on trademe for $$350 or so. Two on tme now...one in Guncity Akld for $349..

I've got a 597 I've had since 2006 and it's a great wee rifle.
You need to buy a volqurtsen extractor otherwise the reliability is iffy. I had some ammo that would jam 7/10 round from a mag, since changing the extractor it runs almost flawless.

If you want to be able to buy accessories then get a 10/22, otherwise the 597 is a pretty good option.

I had a 597 that's was a great rifle. It was picky on ammo, but very accurate for a semi. Using sk subsonic ammo it ran flawlessly. There is a lot of info on how to make them cycle well out there, I regret selling mine. But it was horrible with ammo it didn't like.

Mine was very accurate and was reliable after a bit of work. But if your not good at sorting out problem rifles that 795 would be a better option. What are you going to use it for?

I had one and didnt have problems, but i didnt use it much.
I pulled it apart and it seemed cheap and nasty to me.

Sold it.

Go without for longer while you save for a good used 10/22

Thanks all for the feedback. I had a look at the Gun City Marlin 795 this morning, alongside another Rossi. The differences are barely discernable.

I'll keep an eye on trademe for a week or two. Might grab the Rossi, unless a 597 or Marlin shows up for the right price.

just get a 10/22 and be done with it, preferable one of the older ones with the alloy trigger housing

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Magua

Thanks all for the feedback. I had a look at the Gun City Marlin 795 this morning, alongside another Rossi. The differences are barely discernable.

I'll keep an eye on trademe for a week or two. Might grab the Rossi, unless a 597 or Marlin shows up for the right price.

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The differences between them may be hard to spot but the marlin would be a better buy than the rossi hands down

The little Marlin may not look a lot different to the Rossi but it has way better tolerances, barrel and manufacture.
It will prove to be a more accurate and reliable hunting rifle over the years.

As above, have 2 Marlin 795s both great accurate 22.

Having owened a few different semis 1022 597 walther stirling mossberg sportco etc if I was looking for a modern semi Id go for the marlin, but for the time being the sportco is accurate and reliable..

Nothing wrong with many of those older , walnut-and- blued steel semis - made back when rifle companies took pride in their products.

see if the stirling that was up for sale on here in last month...

I would sit tight and wait for a good deal on an old 1022, The one with the alloy trigger housing is best and I often see them come up for $350-$400 as people sell them thinking they are old and tatty looking. Best way to pick the alloy trigger model from photos is that the paint is often chipped away a little bit around the trigger. In your budget the 1022 is the best pick for aftermarket parts availability and modularity, and the old ones are usually fairly accurate and cycle well.

I've got a pair of Marlin 795's and apart from a fairly heavy trigger I can't fault them. They cycle everything with and without a suppressor, can't comment on the grouping as I'm the shit component. If you're interested in trying them sometime send me a PM once you're able.
I'm not planning on selling but they do hit the market quite cheap sometimes, it may be nice to see how you like them first.

I've spent a bit of time on youtube over the last week (reckon I've gone down the rabbit hole with this new rifle search). The 795 does get a lot of praise for its accuracy.

Looks like you can still get some great results from the Rossi with a bit of tweaking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAlj...b_channel=STKO

I'm not in a rush, so will keep an eye out. I appreciate all the advice everyone is chipping in.

Have you looked into The Manukau Sporting Rifle Club. Based in Howick they shoot Wednesday nights. It's a good place to meet others that enjoy .22 rimfires
https://msrc.co.nz/

I can’t offer advice re the Rossi or 597 but do have a couple of 10/22s: 1 about 50 years old and a fairly new 10/22 competition as well as having a Marlin 7000 which is a heavy barrel version of the 795. The 7000 is as accurate as my 10/22 competition and is far less fussy with different ammo. My old 10/22 doesn’t mind what ammo is used but I did put a BX trigger in it to improve the accuracy a bit. Sounds like the 795 can be just as accurate as the 7000 and the last shot bolt hold open on the Marlins is a great feature that the 10/22 doesn’t have. My only reservations with the Marlins are the heavy trigger which takes a bit to reduce and scarcity of parts like the bolt buffer - I got the last one that Reloaders had. I’m also a member at MSRC - great bunch of guys and yes, a wide variety of rifles and scopes being used. The website No good names left mentioned has all the contact details. Good luck with your search

Lol those Stirlings can be bloody good buys, but the looks with the case deflector like an afterthought
Had a lil laser beam till they decided any semi will make u a mass murderer in oz

I had a stirling that was the same with any ammo you fed it

Had a 597 and they just jam…….tried
Various mags

Go for the Marlin or a tippman - incredibly accurate

Where do you get a tippman for $400?

Stay away from the 597

The design is absolute rubbish, barrel-receiver connection is flimsy as and the trigger is atrocious.

Feeding is proiblematic at best and the magazine is not too flash either.

Whoever designed this piece of crap should stick to toilet paper holders.

at least with the 10/22 it was supposed to compete with replacement triggers and other parts are readily available.

Question for the 795 owners. With Marlin now owned by Ruger, are 795 parts also going to be hard to come by? Seems the collapse of Remington is narrowing the semi auto 22 market a bit.

I had a 597 in 22mag. Didn't feed that well and the trigger was like trying to snap a popsicle stick. Had my son lined up on his first hare and said squeeze nice and gently...the hare ran away before he was able to fire, he even had me check the safety was off again as he thought it was jammed.

This conversation seems familiar. ;)