Remington Model 597

moderate
Shop tier 2
medium confidence
Rimfire Rifle
rimfire
blowback
detachable magazine
guide rail bolt
requires tools

field strip ~5 min · reassembly ~8 min · detail strip ~25 min

Before you begin Verify this firearm is unloaded. Remove the magazine or empty the cylinder or tube, lock the action open, and check the chamber both by sight and by touch. Keep the muzzle in a safe direction and remove all live ammunition from your work area.

Specifications

Manufacturer: Remington Arms
Origin: United States
Category: Rimfire Rifle
Action: Blowback
Calibers: .22 Long Rifle, .22 WMR
Capacity: 10 rounds in the detachable magazine
Production: 1997–2020 (discontinued)
Also known as: 597 Magnum

Model-specific safety

A .22 LR round can be fired by a blow to the case rim, not just the centre. Keep ammunition out of the work area.
A .22 LR case in a chamber is small and dull-coloured and is genuinely easy to miss. Use a light and a finger, every time.
The 597 bolt rides on twin steel guide rails rather than in a machined receiver. Those rails must stay clean and straight — a bent rail is a common cause of a rifle that will not cycle, and it is not something to correct by force.
Removing the magazine does not clear the chamber.
Do not dry fire.

Under spring tension

Recoil spring
Magazine spring
Hammer spring

Easily lost parts

Guide rails · Recoil spring and guide · Action screws

Dry fireAvoid dry firing this firearm without snap caps.

Tools

Tool	Required	Used for	Substitute
Hex key or screwdriver matching the action screws	Yes	Removing the barrelled action from the stock.

Shop difficulty

Shop tier 2 Tier 2 — moderate among rimfire rifles, for the full job: strip to the parts that get coated and put it back together working. Blowback .22 whose bolt rides on two guide rails carrying separate action springs that are under compression and are worked over the rails one at a time on reassembly; the rails must stay straight and seat in the barrel extension. The trigger group is a self-contained unit. No timing.

Parts: 40 numbered parts (Model 597 (standard .22 LR) per the owner's manual parts list: view numbers 1-33 and 36-42 (34 and 35 are LSS/Magnum stocks). The trigger group is a single line ('2 Trigger Housing Assembly') and is N), from Owner's Manual - Instruction Book for Model 597 & 597 Magnum — Remington Arms, PDF pp. 16-17 archive.org [3].

Bench time: about 35 min to strip, 55 min to rebuild (estimate). Strip of stock, trigger group (as a unit), bolt, guide rails and action springs, barrel and sights; rebuild longer for working each action spring over its rail.

Small parts: 4 pins, 5 springs, 1 detents or plungers (counted by name in the same list: pins = 9 assembly pin, 11 pivot pin, 13 hold-open pin, 18 firing pin retaining pin; springs = 7 action springs (2 pieces), 15 hold-open spring, 17 firing pin spring, )

What comes off for coating

Stock: action screw, stock
Receiver: trigger assembly (unit), guide rail screws, bolt guide rails and action springs, operating handle, bolt, barrel
Bolt: firing pin and spring, extractor
Sights: rear and front sights / scope rail

Special tools

Punch set — Trigger group pins
Torque driver — Barrel/action screws

Known pain points

The bolt guide rails and their action springs are under compression when pulled out; Remington warns to take care with them. (disassembly)
Source: Owner's Manual - Instruction Book for Model 597 & 597 Magnum — Remington Arms archive.org [3] — “Pull bolt guide rajls out, Care should be taken with guide rail springs”
On reassembly each action spring is fed into the bolt recess and worked over its guide rail while the rail is pushed toward the barrel, then the rails must be confirmed retained in the barrel extension. (reassembly)
Source: Owner's Manual - Instruction Book for Model 597 & 597 Magnum — Remington Arms archive.org [3] — “recess of bolt and over bolt guide rail. Work spring over guide”

Fit or check on rebuild

Guide rails retained in the barrel extension — Remington's reassembly ends by pulling the bolt rearward to confirm the rails are retained.
Function check: safety, trigger/sear release, disconnector and feeding with dummy rounds — Standard after any detail strip; a mis-assembled sear or disconnector can double or fail to fire.

This is Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's. How tiers are rated. Forum reports are owners' experience, not specifications.

Procedures

Clear and Make Safe

Clear & Make Safe

Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger.
Engage the safety.
Press the magazine release and remove the magazine.
Removed at this step: Magazine
Cycle the bolt several times to eject any chambered round.
Hold the bolt open and inspect the chamber and magazine well with a light.
Physically confirm the chamber is empty and remove all live ammunition from the work area.

Field Strip

Field Strip tools required

Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure.
Remove the action screws from the underside of the stock.
Removed at this step: Action screws
Lift the barrelled action out of the stock.
Removed at this step: Stock
Withdraw the bolt assembly and its guide rails rearward out of the receiver.
WarningKeep the guide rails straight and paired. A bent rail will stop the rifle cycling.
Removed at this step: Bolt assembly Guide rails
Clean the chamber, bore, bolt face, guide rails, and receiver interior.

Reassembly

Fit the bolt assembly onto its guide rails and insert them into the receiver.
Cycle the bolt by hand and confirm it travels smoothly on the rails and returns fully to battery.
Set the action into the stock and install the action screws without overtightening.
Perform the function check.

Torque specifications

Use a calibrated torque driverValues are the manufacturer's, shown in the unit it gives first; conversions are calculated and rounded. Tighten to the stated value — not "until it feels right" — and follow any sequence noted.

Fastener	Torque	Sequence, notes and the source's words	Where it comes from
Front and rear takedown screws (action to stock) Remington Model 597 and 597 Magnum	45 in-lb 5.1 N·m · 3.7 ft-lb	Assemble the action into the stock with the safety ON. Insert the front and rear takedown screws and tighten both with a 1/8" Allen wrench. “Tighten both screws, using a 1/8" Allen Wrench (torque = 45 in-lb).”	Owner's Manual — Instruction Book for Model 597 & 597 Magnum (.22 Long Rifle Caliber) (public copy on archive.org) — Remington Arms Company (PDF dated 2001; re-hosted copy at pdf.textfiles.com), p. 14 archive.org [2]
Bolt guide rail set screws Remington Model 597 and 597 Magnum	10–12 in-lb 1.1–1.4 N·m · 0.83–1 ft-lb	Insert breech bolt, guide rails and action springs; insert operating handle; pull the bolt rearward and ensure the guide rails are retained in the barrel extension; then insert set screws and tighten with a torque wrench. Lightly spray guide rails with Rem Oil. Breech bolt must slide freely in the receiver. “Insert set screws and tighten with torque wrench (torque = 10-12 in-lb).”	Owner's Manual — Instruction Book for Model 597 & 597 Magnum (.22 Long Rifle Caliber) (public copy on archive.org) — Remington Arms Company (PDF dated 2001; re-hosted copy at pdf.textfiles.com), p. 14 archive.org [2]

Fastener

Torque

Sequence, notes and the source's words

Where it comes from

Front and rear takedown screws (action to stock)
Remington Model 597 and 597 Magnum

45 in-lb
5.1 N·m · 3.7 ft-lb

Assemble the action into the stock with the safety ON. Insert the front and rear takedown screws and tighten both with a 1/8" Allen wrench.

“Tighten both screws, using a 1/8" Allen Wrench (torque = 45 in-lb).”

Owner's Manual — Instruction Book for Model 597 & 597 Magnum (.22 Long Rifle Caliber) (public copy on archive.org) — Remington Arms Company (PDF dated 2001; re-hosted copy at pdf.textfiles.com), p. 14 archive.org [2]

Bolt guide rail set screws
Remington Model 597 and 597 Magnum

10–12 in-lb
1.1–1.4 N·m · 0.83–1 ft-lb

Insert breech bolt, guide rails and action springs; insert operating handle; pull the bolt rearward and ensure the guide rails are retained in the barrel extension; then insert set screws and tighten with a torque wrench. Lightly spray guide rails with Rem Oil. Breech bolt must slide freely in the receiver.

“Insert set screws and tighten with torque wrench (torque = 10-12 in-lb).”

Function check

After every reassemblyPerform these checks on a verified-unloaded firearm. If any check fails, the firearm is not safe to fire — stop and see a licensed gunsmith.

Verify the rifle is unloaded — chamber and magazine — before each step.
Cycle the bolt by hand and confirm it travels smoothly and returns fully into battery.
Cock the action, engage the safety, and press the trigger. The hammer must not fall.
Disengage the safety and press the trigger. The hammer should fall.
Confirm the magazine seats, locks, and releases cleanly.

Maintenance

Lubrication points

Bolt body sides where it rides in the receiver
Recoil spring guide
Hammer and sear pivots

Cleaning notes

Rimfire fouling is waxy and heavy, and .22 LR produces a lot of unburned powder. Clean the chamber and bolt face regularly and keep lubrication light — oil plus unburned powder makes a paste that stops the rifle. Most rimfire reliability complaints trace to a dirty chamber, a tired magazine, or cheap bulk ammunition rather than to the rifle.

Suggested inspection interval: roughly every 500 rounds. This is a general guideline, not a manufacturer specification.

Wear parts to inspect

Extractor and extractor spring · Recoil spring · Magazine follower and feed lips · Firing pin

Common issues

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Failures to feed or fire	Dirty chamber, tired magazine, or inconsistent bulk ammunition	Clean the chamber thoroughly, try a known-good magazine, and try a different ammunition brand before suspecting the rifle.
Failure to extract	Worn or chipped extractor	Replace the extractor — an inexpensive and common wear part on rimfire rifles.
Rifle will not cycle smoothly	Bent or fouled bolt guide rails	Clean the rails. A bent rail must be replaced, not straightened. see a gunsmith
Magazine will not seat or feed	Damaged magazine — a known weak point on this model	Try a known-good magazine before troubleshooting the rifle.

Similar manual of arms

Sourcing

Confidence: medium — Drawn from reliable secondary sources and consistent across references, but not confirmed against a primary source.
Verification: Community reviewed only
Last updated: 2026-10-29

References

Every source this page draws on, with its web address so you can read it yourself. Numbers in brackets elsewhere on the page point here.

[1] Remington Model 597 Owner’s Manual — Remington Arms Company manufacturer manual primary source
[2] Owner's Manual — Instruction Book for Model 597 & 597 Magnum (.22 Long Rifle Caliber) (public copy on archive.org) — Remington Arms Company (PDF dated 2001; re-hosted copy at pdf.textfiles.com) manufacturer manual primary source
https://archive.org/details/remington-597-owners-manual (checked 2026-09-27)
[3] Owner's Manual - Instruction Book for Model 597 & 597 Magnum — Remington Arms manufacturer manual primary source
https://archive.org/download/remington-597-owners-manual/Remington%20597%20Owner%27s%20Manual.pdf (checked 2026-10-29)

Notes: The twin guide rail bolt is the 597’s defining feature and its most common failure point. Confirm takedown detail against the factory manual for your configuration.

Found something wrong? Corrections are the most valuable contribution to this project. Open an issue with the model, the step, and a source.