Bruce Potts tries out the latest model in the Remington 597 range and discovers that it’s one of the best semi-auto rimfire rifles on the market
Remington Model 597 HB reviewed by Shooting Times
Remington Model 597 HB is one of the best semi-auto rimfire rifles on the market
Bullet shape
Care needs to be given in regards to the bullet shape — long-bulleted or square-edged types — when loading into the magazine to stop deformation, but both the Winchester 40-gr and 42-gr Max bullets functioned perfectly in my tests, with the extra inertia of the 42-gr bullet singing. They produced 997fps with 88ft/lb energy and 1,046fps with 102ft/lb of energy respectively, and both shot 0.75in groups at 50 yards.
Shooting from a bench at 50 yards, the Eley Subsonic hollowpoints shot just under 0.65in with a velocity of 1,010fps and 91ft/lb of energy. The newer Eley Contact subsonic with solid heads shot 1,008fps, so there was little difference.
For those wanting a high-velocity round, the RWS HV was superb as usual with 0.55in groups, the best having a velocity of 1,207fps for 129ft/lb energy. The Remington Cyclone also shot 1,188fps with 125ft/lb and the Federal 31-gr HV loads shot 1,355fps with 126ft/lb energy. Both shot 0.75in groups.