I'm looking to buy my first rifle and came across this one and cant find any reviews for it. So please tell me what it's faults are if there are any. And does anybody know what the average db(decibel) rating on a 22lr round is? thanks and please vote.

i have a 597 and other than the 2nd gen magazine (which remington replaced no charge) it functions flawlessly.  it even seems to run better dirtier than my 10/22 does also.  and for 100 dollars, you can't beat it for a plinkin rifle.  if you plan to mod it in the future though, i'd buy a 10/22.  597 aftermarket parts are EXPENSIVE.

I had (past tense) one.  As long as Ruger keeps making 10-22's I see no reason to own a lesser gun for similar money.

My biggest issues were the HEAVY trigger and FTE's with the "improved" mags and "updated" extractor.  If you ever take the barrel off for cleaning or whatever, be careful when you put it back on and tighten it up.  The locking wedge ears in the receiver can break if the wedge it not aligned correctly.

My son has one that has FTF problems.  When it shoots, it is relatively accurate, but the FTF thing is a royal pain in the ass.  I personally have Marlin, Ruger, and Savage .22 rifles and I don't have any trouble with ANY of them.  

Quoted: I had (past tense) one.  As long as Ruger keeps making 10-22's I see no reason to own a lesser gun for similar money. My biggest issues were the HEAVY trigger and FTE's with the "improved" mags and "updated" extractor.  If you ever take the barrel off for cleaning or whatever, be careful when you put it back on and tighten it up.  The locking wedge ears in the receiver can break if the wedge it not aligned correctly.

around here, the 597 is about 79 dollars cheaper than a 10/22.

I like mine, Never put any mods or did any work to it but mine runs flawlessly (with aftermarket mag, the one that came with the gun only works good if I only put 5 shots in it, new mag takes 10 with no problems).

I've never cleaned it in about 3-4 years *ducks* . And I shot it quite a bit, as for accuracy I can hit a small bird at anywhere from 5 to 100 yards with no problems. Can get nickel sized groups at 25-50 yards with no problems, if I had a bipod I could prolly get a nickel sized group at  75 yards.

I find it very heavy duty and I like the "feel" of it in my hands. Its about 80-100$$ cheaper then a 10/22 so I think its a great deal.


Maybe I just got lucky on getting a great gun, but I love mine.

Quoted: As long as Ruger keeps making 10-22's I see no reason to own a lesser gun for similar money.

I couldn't disagree more. I have both and IMO, the 597 is better then the 10/22 in almost every way. The 597 has perfect balance, perfect stock, a great trigger and it's pretty damn accurate for a ~$125 mass produced factory rifle. My only compliant is I wish it had an aluminum trigger guard but that's minor thing considering the cost.

Here's the real difference between the 10/22 vs. the 597. If you want to customize your rifle, there is definitely a hell of a lot more options for aftermarket upgrades for the 10/22 then there are for the 597 but here's the twist...

There is no need to upgrade the 597. Pull it out of the box, slap a decent scope on it (Simmons 10/22 mag with A/O is a great choice), clean the gunk out of the barrel and you are good to go. I had to spend a few hundred bucks on my 10/22 before I was happy with it.

That's my $.02

My 597 needed the Mag replaced with the new version. The trigger was HARD. I couldn't sight it in at 50 yards until I replaced the hammer with a Jarvis. It's now the most accurate rifle I've ever owned out to 100 yards.