Why Remington recalled the .17 HMR Model 597
If you were wondering why Remington would recall their entire line of .17 HMR Model 597 rifles just take a look at these photos which show a magazine and cases fired from a .17 HMR Model 597. This type of damage was not uncommon!
Cracked Remington 597 magazine
Blown out case head.
Split Case
Thanks to Joe for the photos.
Welcome to the fun world of .17HMR semiautomatic rifles. Why anyone would buy a .17HMR semi auto rifle or pistol is beyond me. I own a Ruger 10/22 along with various other firearms and cannot imagine using a smaller caliber than .22 as a varmint rifle. A semi auto .17 blow back just sounds like a bad idea from the get go to me. That being said, if I owned one of these rifles, I wouldn’t send it in or modify it. Might be worth some money down the road. A recall like this was bound to happen and who better to cover than bill than Remington, the maker of the model 700 which could be fired by flipping the safety switch. With the model 700 rifle, that was a serious safety hazard and the company tried to cover it up, and people were killed and injured for those of you who are not aware. CNBC did a news story on it and its been on TV numerous times. Is the .17HMR recall as bad as that? Probably not. Just when the company was recovering from the model 700 rifle train wreck of an incident this comes along with the inevitable class action suit. These are indeed dark days for Remington. Although, to be fair, it is unclear if anyone has been killed or injured. However, when you buy a firearm you are putting your trust in the name of the manufacturer, and trusting that they tested the design and safety thoroughly before putting a product to market. That being said, I wouldn’t get too down on Remington about this. They are offering a voluntary recall. From a business standpoint, what else do you expect them to do?
What .17 semi autos have been made by anyone other than Remington?
Volquartsen still makes them in .17 HMR and .17 HM2.
I only found out about this recall because I read something that mentioned a 597 .17 HMR and I have a 597 22LR and love it, so I was about to jump on the idea of a 597 in .17 because i absolutely love the HMR round (its cheap and Super accurate). Im not so sure that it IS a problem with the cartridge itself. I believe that the problem is only in semi-automatics. I have a bolt-action Marlin .17HMR and have fired no less than 1000 rounds through it will not one single issue. I personally am a big fan of Remington and have 4 model 700′s in different calibers. So, as far as the cartridge becoming extinct, I wouldnt expect that to happen. The bolt-actoin models havent had any problems. Why discontinue an excellent and accurate round just because it doesnt function well in a semi-auto? They will just put out more warnings than they ALREADY HAVE that say “.17 HMR is unsafe for use in semi-automatic firearms”
We by now all should know why the recall happened but has ANYONE got there replacement riffle? or anything from them its been about a year since i sent in my unfired .17 to them ?
I think they droped the ball all the way around a year is a bit much im buying a cz
I sent in my 597 to trade for a marlin bolt action in may 10th. I still have not gotten it. I have called Remington to see what is going on but there CS is not overly helpful.
mine will touch bullet holes at 80 yards
well thats a remington for u ive had alot and got away from them cause of the promblems ive had get a marlin and u wont be sorry
I have a 597 and have had no proublem with it Yet however After looking at the shells I beleave the trouble is in the brass of the shell. It seam that any other shell that shoot that speed has much heaver brass to work and hold the preshers in. I do beleave if the shell companys would use a heaver brass this could be fixed ?? What do the rest of you think it is not the gun other than the rail are to light and may bend . That is remingtons fault and should be thaken care of by remington . Not to buy back good gun for $200.00 ???
I had the work done at the closest Remington repair center, listed below. I don’t know if Remington will permit them to do it under warranty, or if liability will permit them to do it for payment. As I recall, it would have been about $150 plus shipping if it wasn’t covered by warranty.
Steven Hunter
edit the above comment to say bolt action… I had just got back from shooting my 45/70 and had lever action on the brain.
I sent mine in for a trade for a Marlin lever action…. have not gotten the Marlin back yet.
Just found out about the problem with the 597.
Steve Hunter posted info (9/1/09) that he had a repair done “under warranty”. I called Remington & they said there was no modification they would do.
Can anyone tell me where I can get a modification done (I’m in lower Delaware) ? My 1st choice would be to have the gun fixed, 2nd choice would be a full cash refund but it doesn’t sound like either is likely. Also, would like to know how I can join the class action suit.
Its not why the recall its when there sending out the new replacement riffles
Its nothing new. Remington has been hiding there screw ups for years. Look up all the people who have been killed by Model 700′s. I own a 597 .22 mag and a Model 700. Remington will never change. There in it for the money and not too worried about American’s well-being. I will never buy a Remington AGAIN.
I purchased a 597 22lr about a year ago….and out of the box it was missing the extractor and spring. Needless to say it was sent in and repaired under warranty. It shoot nice thanks to its bull barrel. I love the look and feel of the stock as well but if i did it all over again i would have taken my money somewhere else.
It has been along time since I posted here. I am still shooting mine with no problems at all. I just keep the action clean. I love the gun myself.
Ok so I have read plenty of whining. Is it a suck deal? Yes. How about solutions to correct the problems. The round has good accuracy and power. I modified my 3 magazines and have had much better performance. Basically used very fine sandpaper to smooth the action. I also filed on the gun along the shell entry path to make a better transition. I did add the volquartsen extractor and I think their hammer? Every now and again it jambs with a round lodging between the magazine and barrel. Also just started to not reset the trigger mechanism. I think this last one is my fault for poor cleaning practices. Never had a magazine crack or casing split. Put about 1500 rounds thru it so far. Shot Hornady, Remington and CCI ammo. Who else has made an improvement on the operation.
I sent mine in for a replacement and im still waiting its been a very very very long time, well over a half year
Any of you complaining have not talked to Remington. If you call and get a
repair PO and ship it to them they will replace the .17 barrel with a .22 mag.barrel end of problem. They did that to mine last year.
Magnum Research is rebarreling their 17 HMR models as a recall option. Rem could do it too, if they weren’t a bloated corporate machine rather than a gunmaker.
My biggest issue is why not offer to re barrel to 22 mag?? According to the wesite they still offer this. I’m open to a class action suit as soon as somebody starts one. The fact Remington is an american company it makes me sick.
Remington reports that all 17 HMR ammo is produced in one plant, and only one plant. lf Volquartsen 17HMR auto rifle are shooting fine with no problems reported with this ammo. These rifles are very costly, did Remington cut corners on the 597 like the 700′s, barrels for 870&1100 to cause this problems, are as Volquartsen not started a recall yet?
I bought the 5mm mag back in 73 shot the crap out of it until 84 when I counldn’t find ammo.. 27 years it stood with to many memories..Thanks to Centurion Ammo ..Again I’m shooting the crap out of it.. I call it the resurection.
Sounds to me like the 5mm magnum fiasco all over again. I bought a 5mm
in the 1970′s and really loved it. More accurate than 22lr or 22mag, but when it didn’t sell well enough to suit them they discontinued it. Then they
added insult to injury by discontinuing the ammo too. A thief eventually
did me a favor by stealing the damn rifle. I had always noticed a metal
plate screwed to the left side of the receiver and found out later that
remjunk hadn’t done their homework when they designed it. The metal
plate covered a hole they had to mill into the receiver to go in and mill
a proper way of locking it up. I have refused to buy guns or ammo from
remjunk ever since they left me with a gun and no ammo in the 80′s.
However, with the emergence of new manufacture 5mm ammo I would be
inclined to buy to buy a new rifle. As long as it’s not by remington.
How about a 77/22 in 5mm mag? Are you listening Ruger?
This is shocking. I really start to question what I thought of the company. I own 2 870′s, and a 700sps in 270cal. that I love. I used to own a 597 in 22cal. that I did not care for and eventually sold for a 10/22. I did not think much at the time but that gun had a round explode out the ejection port. I dont know, but mabe there is a bigger problem with the model its self.
As for that 200 bucks. Its offensive, They may as well piss on that coupon before they send it to you.
yes lets boycot remington! maybe sue them!! maybe we can put a few thousand more americans out of work. sound good? i have been a hunter/shooter my whole life. remington gets it right 99% of the time. Everyone forgave ford for the pinto, and the mid 90′s f-150s that liked to catch fire for no reason. i would like to see them stand behind this better for sure but even the best companies in the world get it wrong from time to time. lets not forget that in the coming years our current administration in DC wishes to wage war on firearms. the manufacturers dont need us (the enthusiasts) helping the opposition. one day we may have to send back all our guns…..and no $200 voucher!!!
I don’t like the idea of Remington shoving options down my throat that are not acceptable. They should do the right thing!I think I will explore my options before I sucumb to Remington’s lame attemp at smoothing this over. I will start by writting a letter as was suggested in a prior blog and while waiting for an answer, I will explore legal options such as small claims court. I will not persure a class action suit unless all else fails as all that will do is make the lawyers rich and who knows how we would end up! Thanks to Howard Peterson for the address for Remingtons COE & Thanks to Boone for the small claims court idea!
Hey I have a nice 597 HMR for sale. It is a collectors item now
I had my rifle repaired under warranty at the Granite Bay, CA repair center (see my September 1, 2009 comment). At that time, it would not go through two magazines without blowing out the bottom of the magazine.
I shot up 500 rounds of Hornady HMR ammo this weekend with no troubles, except that the magazines are just a little too short. The rounds are often difficult to get into the magazine because the bullet nose hits the front of the magazine. I also gave up trying to get more than five rounds into a magazine. It was more trouble than it was worth.
However, I had a great time shooting squirrels, now that the gun is reliable again. I was able to adjust for distance and windage to get a second quick shot. It was a blast, but now in a good way.
Interesting comments about Remington. I have a Ruger 10/22 Magnum rebarelled to 17HMR and have put hundreds of rounds through it with no problems at all, shoots well, just likes cleaning regularly
If you are really a .17 HMR fan and want a semi auto, there is now a 3rd option.
Alexander Arms is chambering the .17 HMR in an AR15.
http://www.alexanderarms.com/siteshopper.htm?cat=16
Joe, I think that if there was a problem strictly with your Magnum Research (or even the Rem 597, for that matter) you would have had a lot more blow-ups than just 3 or 4 out of 500 rounds. That’s less than a 1% failure rate. My feeling is that the problem is with the ammo – not the design of the cartridge, but with manufacturing defects in the cartridge case. I think the company that’s producing the cartridge case (I heard its CCI), needs to step up its quality control.
The only rifle I own is a Volquartsen 17 HMR semi-auto and it’s a prized possession, like your Magnum Research is with you. That’s why I don’t mind doing a 100% inspection of the ammo I shoot (see my comments on 10 Apr 2010). Since you have a lot of ammo, why don’t you try this first before giving up on the gun. You can save the ‘rejects’ for shooting in a locked-bolt type rifle.
So fell for the $200 offer because I didn’t think is would be right to sell it, found a Remington dealer on Gunbroker.com who said he would take the voucher and added $125 for a Remington Model 5 in .17 mag. It seems to be a nice rifle but it just arrived and I’ll know more after I sight it in.
My rifle is an Anschutz 1517 hd. I bought it right after the 17 hmr round came out. Yes, with its 25.5 inch barrel it is a heavy gun. However, I have never had a jam or a fail to fire, split case or any other problem. This gun shoots best with hornady ammo with federal a close second. I have shot around 1000-1200 rounds so far. I do own a remington sendero in 300 win mag and it is a great gun. But after reading about how remington is treating you with this 597 mess, I will not be buying anything remington until they step up to the plate and take care of customers as should be.Best of luck to all of you and keep safety first. Remember our second amendment rights and those who fight (military) for all of us.
About 3 years ago. when my 597 had blown up for the 3rd time, Remington told me that they were going to scrap my rifle and not make any more of them in 17HMR. They asked me what i wanted to replace it with. Since they were not making any bolt action 17s, I asked for the nicest model 700 in 204 ruger that they had. It arrived in the mail about a week later. An upgrade of several hundred dollars.
Since I really enjoyed 17HMR semi auto and had about 3000 rounds of ammo left, I ordered a Magnum Research. After about 500 rounds, It has now “blown up” 4 times. Twice with Hornady ammo, twice with Winchester ammo. Magnum Research is now offering to buy back their rifles as well. This is one of my all time favorite guns and I don’t really want to part with it, but i am getting scared to shoot it. I guess the 17HMR semi auto is just not a good combination. The Magnum Research is a quality piece, not like the POS Remington, and it doesn’t work either.
I have just filed a class action suit in San Antonio Texas seeking full refunds from Remington. If you purchased a 597 17HMR within the last 6 years, please contact me at ben@binghamandlea.com.
Just started doing a 100% inspection of my 17 HMR ammo before shooting it in a Volquartsen (VQ) semi-auto. Primarily, I’m looking at a few hundredths of inch above the rim. This is where most cartridges have a ring etch around the circumference of the case. Using a strong light and magnifying glass, I check if the ring is etched deeper than usual or if the brass on one side is higher than the other, forming a ridge. I’m erroring on the side of caution – any question and it gets put into the ‘don’t shoot’ pile. In my last rim blowout, part of the hole blew cleanly along this ring.
PS – Received the $200 coupon from Rem for sending back my model 597. Now that Rem is allowing other options, kind of wish I waited a little longer. But, a new model 597 in 22 LR would make a good gift for our son’s 12th birthday.
DON’T FORGET THE EYE PROTECTION!
Remington swapped me out to a Marlin 917 VR bolt action in early December last year. Had to speak with their “General Counsel-Fred Roth” at HQ in Madison, NC to get done. Been real satisfied to date with the Marlin.
if I wanted a 3rd 22mag I would have bought another one. I wanted a 17 HMR. I wish they would swap out for a bolt action 17.
Another 2 cents is that they should have brought back the 5mm Mag before they went with this .17 business, although I relize it was becuase they could use the same bolts.
Everything else however had to be changes anyhow so what was the big deal to have gone 5mm or even an entirely new rimfire?
Yea, all those .22 Mag people like myself could have just did a barrel and chamber change to .17 HMR as some remote rationale they always used as well for choosing to merely modify the WMR, but how many people actually did that?
I bet few.
And not enough to make an economical difference.
Most people would just either keep their .22 Mags or have sold them entirely for a .17.
My guess is that a rebarrel and chamber job for the masses out here with their $250 WMRs would cost as much or more than just buying a new .17, and too few own a $400-$500 WMR converted to have made any difference in reality.
I wrote Remington with a nice list of guys who said they’d definately buy a new 5mm Mag if made available.
Why?
Because many are the same guys who bought the .17s right from the beginning only to find out they are underpowered.
They love the trajectory, but the power is lacking, and that’s why they came out with the 20 grain loads to try and improve on that, but it proves it.
I’ll keep my .22 WMRs, and if they come out with some new 5mm Mags again, we’ll buy some. No .17s for me.
Remington did not reject that idea out of hand. They actually told me to continue soliciting and have as many letters ent to them as possible in support of the idea and that if enough interest is shown, it could be possible, but they only undertake such developments with calculated business results, etc.
They have to know it would be worth the cost of investing to tool up for it.
One reason Remington does not offer your full price for the gun is that they are basically offering what they got for it when they sold them to the dealers.
The dealers make a profit as well and Remington would have a difficult to impossible time trying to recoupe that difference from all their dealers. They have to prove which dealer the gun was bought from and debit that dealer, etc.
It would be a big mess, and also quite expensive to cover all the dealer’s profits on this model.
Yes, I agree offering a rework job to .22 Magnum as an option might help to improve the situation.
If they are goint to blame Hornady or the cartridge rather than an oversized chamber, then so what if they step on Hornady’s toes a little by offering to rebarrel and rechamber in .22 WMR.
I personally have never owned a .17 HMR though a friend has one in bolt action. They don’t have the killing power of a .22 Mag on groundhogs. Got to aim for the heads and necks.
I’ve owned at least four different .22 Mags, and still own two new ones.
The ammo was also too expensive in my opinion. Heck, I can shoot my .223 for less than a .17 HMR if i need that kind of range, and if it’s closer stuff, I’ll use the .22 Mag.
Just always seemed to me .17 caliber was getting too small and finicky with needing a new clening rod and everything else.
The bore is so tiny it wouldn’t take much to foul it up, where a .22′s bore surface is much larger.
Put a muzzle brake on a .223 and you’re talking no recoil on a centerfire with worlds of more power with the same price for ammo.
Go for proven reliability and not the latest fads, and you’ll not have such problems.
Just my 1 cent.
My rebarrelled 597 finally got its first workout at the range yesterday afternoon. It’s a basic nylon stock version with sporter barrel. All I’ve added is a scope. The first 30 or so minutes (and about 50 rounds) was spent getting it on paper, then sighted at 25 yards. Conditions were sunny, temp about 70, light and variable winds. All shooting was done with CCI MaxiMag FMJs from bench using a Shooters Ridge full length rest. At 25 yards, I was able to hold group to about the 1-1/2 in. size. Target was then moved to 50 yds. and rifle re-sighted. Groups opened up to about the 2″-3″ range but it seemd like about every fifth or sixth round was a “flyer.” In time the target looked like I was patterning a shotgun rather than shooting a rifle. The range faces west so I had to quit at about 5:30 as the setting sun was wiping out the scope. All magazines (9) were loaded to either 5 or 6 rounds. I did not get a chance to do a compare and contrast shoot off with my original 597-.22WMR (heavy barrel, Evolution stock, scope). At best, I’d rate the newly converted 597 as a “so-so” shooter. There is good news though: through approx. 225 rounds sent downrange, there wasn’t a single malfunction of any kind.
I had a Rem 597 17 HMR and experienced a few split cases, some nearly blown rims, and one blown rim which destroyed the magazine. The ammo was Hornady 17 gr Varmint Express. After sending the rifle back to the factory, I got a VQ Superlite in 17 HMR. On the 26th shot, a blown rim blew the mag to pieces and sprayed particles in my face. Fortunately, I was wearing glasses.
My personal opinion after all this, is that in some cases, such as with the Rem 597, there are design issues, but on top of that, there’s a definite percentage of ammo out there with defective cases. Anyone shooting a 17 HMR bolt action, lever action, single shot, or VQ semi-auto, would be wise not to forget the eye protection because you’re basically rolling the dice. As for me, I want a 17 HMR semi-auto and that it. I plan to wait until CCI starts putting out defect-free ammo before shooting my Superlite again.
The wait is over. The 597-.22WMR (nee 597-.17HMR) was delivered just minutes ago. According to the work order summary with it, all that was done is put a replacement barrel on it. Be interesting to see how it behaves at the range when i get the scope back on.
Got my shipping label and box Friday the 12th of March 2010 shipped it off the same day, will have a 22 mag bull barrel put on, six to eight weeks for work to be completed. Looking forward to getting the gun back. Person at Remington was polite and very helpful, would not give reason for the 17 hmr failure.
I own a 597 and I love the gun. I bought it chambered in the 17HMR because that’s what I wanted. I do not want a .22 Mag. I want a 17HMR! Remington needs to offer each customer the list price of the 597 so that they can purchase another Remington. By not offering the list price, I have already paid the profit on the first gun and now have to pay a profit on a second. This is not an equitable solution. The $250.00 that Remington is offering does not take into account the fact that I have already paid the dealer profit and the Remington stockholders market profit. I want to be able to have my gun replaced without anyone making any more money off of it! This is fair and an equitable solution. I too as well as many other Remington gun owners look towards Remington to make this right. Loyalty runs both ways and at this time, Remington is wearing thin on my loyalty towards them.
Daniel Rhome
The end of the saga is in sight (maybe, sorta). This morning’s emailbag has a note from Remington advising the rifle left Ilion yesterday. Obviously I’ll be tracking UPS now. Maybe it’ll arrive by midweek so I can prep it and take it to the range the 20th or 21st.
Hallelujah! According to today’s check with the Remington “progress” site, the rifle has moved to a repairman’s station.
Update, sorta. I received the shipping label Feb. 4 and dispatched the rifle that afternoon. UPS tracking said it was delivered to Ilion Feb. 8. Finally on Feb. 15 I received an email from Rem saying the rifle had been delivered and logged in. The email also provided a repair number so I can “track its progress through” the system. Dutifully I go to the site every day and get the same message: Rifle received and logged in. I hope the inertia is caused by an overwhelming reponse and not my loud and widespread objections to the initial terms they offered.
Received my new 22 mag yesterday. Beautiful new stock and a great heavy barrel. I have no complaints.
I can’t believe Remington would treat their customers with such disrespect! We all make mistakes but it is what you do to rectify your mistake is what shows who you really are. I paid substantially more than $250.00 for my .17 and I will not be satisfied with anything less than at least a $400.00 coupon to replace it with a comparable model or at the very least repair or rechambering to a similiar caliber. I promise that if Remington does not do the above that I will investigate legal action and/or support any class action against Remington. I will also never support Remington by purchase of ANY products that either directly or indirectly benefits Remington or any other company that is associated with Remington. I respectfully ask that Remington do the right thing and make their mistake right to their customers!
I SENT THE GUN IN TO BE RE-BARRELED TO 22 MAGNUM-i HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY CONFIRMATION OR ANYTHING FROM THEM TODATE. WAITING SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
Anyone else receive their shipping label yet? Mine came today and the rifle is now on its way to Ilion. I initially called them on Jan. 14. After several weeks of nothing, I sent an email Moinday, Feb. 1 inquiring about when I might expect the shipping label. I still await a reply to the email but the label is here, postmarked Feb. 1 (coincidence?).
17 hmr if you put a caliper body of the round it is about .239 , in checking fired cases the part by the shoulder is .242 then check back by the rim it is .245 to .246 . On my sons gun, if you put a round in the chamber you can wiggle it back and forth. A guns bore does not always run true to the barrel, if your not in alignment with the bore when they ream the chamber it could be off. This could be part of the splitting problem. Seems to me 22 mag would be easyer to mass produce as the amount of metal to cut for the chamber is less than the 17. If Remington is willing to put a 22 mag barrel on the 597 sounds like a good choice.
I just called Remington today and they are going to rebarrell my 17hmr to a 22 magnum. Im happy that they did the right thing I now have a gun I can use and overall Im happy with the end result. I think we have sites like this to thank for the positive results to this issue.
Hallelujah! Remington seems to have had a change of heart about rebarreling 597-.17HMRs. I called customer service today and was told that is now an option. It’s one I intend to pursue. I’d rather have duplicate 597-.22WMRs in the collection instead of a “safe queen” .17HMR of no value whatever. To obtain a shipping label, call 1-800-243-9700, #3 when options come on the line. You MUST have your rifle’s serial number when you make the call. Maybe all the outrage has produced some results, after all.
I followed Michael Jones lead and called Remington. They are sending a
mailing label so I can send my gun in to be converted to a 22WMR.
I told the Rep that finally Remington was doing something that I though
was fair (He agreed). Now I will have a usable gun and it did not cost me any extra.
I just spoke to a customer service rep at Remington and they are currently swapping out the barrels and converting this rifle to 22WMR at no cost
Call them @ 1-800-243-9700 option #3 and have your serial # number ready to have them send you a postage paid mailing label
Good Luck!
Michael
The round is safe in a bolt gun because of the locked breech. Still splits the cases though. I don’t care to much for the round for this reason.
I was looking over my 17 HMR and had a couple questions.
The first one is if someone could look at their rifle and tell me if there is suppose to be a small opening just under the extractor about 1/4 inch back on the bolt? That is the only place on the entire bolt that the metal is thin where they cut the groove for the extractor. Mine has a opening there about an 1/8 inch long. I don’t know if that is normal or they just cut too thin. You can just pull your bolt back and take a peek for the hole.
I have three clips. Of those three I could only feed 8 rounds without them jamming while removing manually. They other two would not work with 8 at all and could only load about 5 or 6. I then took a flat screwdriver to the two that were empty and found they would stick. I kept running it up and down about 50 times till they flowed free.
My question is, if a round was not sitting right in the clip, could just the bolt coming forward to grab another round set off the round? When mine stuck the tip of the round was always below the clip inside.
And so the bolt would be driving the tip of the round into the inside of the clip.
Thank you
I HAVE HAD MY 597 FOR ABOUT 4 YEARS, THE VERY FIRST TIME I SHOT IT ,IT JAMMED AND JAMMED AGAIN. I SENT REM. A LETTER AND SAID THAT I LIKED THE RIFE BUT THE MAGAIZINE WAS CHEAP AND CAUSED THE JAMMING. (NO RESPONSE). I SENT ANOTHER LETTER (NO RESPONSE)
I BOUGHT ANOTHER MAG. IT IS THE SAME CHEAP JUNK BUT IT HAS WORKED OK. I HAVE A NIKON 3X9 ON TOP AND IT IS VERY ACCURATE.
A GREAT SQUIRREL GUN.
NOW THEY WANT IT BACK FOR 200.00
THEY HAVE MY ADDRESS, AND MY LAST DOLLER .
COME AND GET IT
It looks like the .17 HMR semi-auto issue is based on the firearm (e.g. Remington 597…) and not the round itself.
See the below URL/comments posted yesterday by Bill Alexander the Founder and Chief Product Designer at Alexander Arms regarding their Valkyrie .17 HMR’s current development and release status:
http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?p=526898
“The announcement from Remington regarding the problems they had seen in semi auto 17 HMR rifles obviously put a substantial delay in the work while we figured out what was going on and why they were having problems. No one ever wants to discuss a problem so there was a lot of back tracking and an equal amount of testing to see if the problem existed in the system we have built. This was not only in examining the rifle designs but also extended to the powder chemistry and what specifications the rounds were being loaded to.
Happily the problem with the 17 HMR was rifle related and the cartridge remains a sound proposition for a semi automatic mechanism just as long as the design accounts for the few oddities of this caliber. Our extractor claw has proven to be most annoying and we are now on generation 3 but with a lot of problems solved. Equally we are now on generation 2 for the recoil spring as the balance for the spring/mass in this system is exemplified by it being such a small cartridge with so little firing impulse. The spring has to be perfect every time and despite the diminutive cartridge the recoil spring takes a lot of work that was not expected.
The gun is a complete joy to work with. Recoil is mild and the cartridges ability at longer ranges taxes the trigger control and ability to judge wind. Routine hits on soda can targets at 200 yards off the bipod are the norm until you let the wind get away from you or the trigger breaks badly because you did not get the correct hold. Stepping out to 300 yards I can say this caliber continues to dazzle albeit only punching paper and we spent a few too many afternoons trying to group 10 shots into the head box of a silhouette target and being confounded by the wind. Arriving the little 17 grain slugs will still punch through 3/4″ ply with authority which was a surprise.
If I am raving about this gun it is not because of the gun so much as when you get back behind a full power AR. Unlike a 22 rimfire, the gun challenges you to extend ranges and then punishes mercilessly if you have the slightest err in your technique. Back on the Grendel at 600 yards, the silhouette is no longer any challenge and a 580 yard squirrel is better sport. The 17 is a phenomenal caliber in its own right but will definitely be a superb trainer.
I have already asked Grant in respect to posting pictures of the gun and the internals and he has consented to let me even though we do not currently sponsor the site. As soon as I get the pictures I will see if I cannot get them up.
I will be eschewing a stand at SHOT this year so will not be doing a formal release thing. As soon as the guns are ready I will get them up on my site and will also make sure that I let m4carbine.net know on this thread.”
I would mail Remington (at my cost) my 597 17hmr laminated in a heart beat for an even exchange for a 597 22 mag bull barrel, laminated gun.
That would be a fair deal. Compared $250 off on another Remington Gun.
————Are you listening Remington.—————
I had a 597 17hmr with a laminated stock that blew the extractor out of the rifle. See above. After contacting Remington, they sent me a UPS prepaid label for the rifle. I sent the rifle back to them for examination. They contacted me today and told me they could not determine what caused the problem. But they did offer me the option of choosing a 597 22mag with bull barrel and a laminated stock or a Marlin 917 in 17HMR as a replacement. I am going to take the 22mag.
You r speaking of stocks, I found a place web-surfing. http://www.Stockystocks.com has some pretty sharp stocks and they’re reasonably priced. They care for 597 and about everything else.
Last week I exchanged emails with Scott Volquartsen at Volquartsen Customs. He advised the company is looking at making another run of .22WMR barrels for the 597. If they do it, the products will be bull barrels. I’d have to re-stock my 507/.17 as it’s just a basic model with sporter barrel…but I’ll do it if no other reason than to restore some utility and value to a firearm that I won’t surrender to Remington’s “recall on the cheap.” If that option is of any interest to you, let VQ know with an email to sales@volquartsen.com. Remington won’t sell you a .22WMR barrel so VQ may be your best (and only) choice short of going along with Remington’s laughable recall. As for the ammo, CCI makes virtually all the .17HMR for the major U.S. brands. There’s nothing wrong with the round; just no one, except maybe VQ, has designed a proper receiver and chamber for it.
Volquartsen Custom sells the extractor & hammer for our current rifles. They say their extractor won’t roll up like the factory stamped ones do, which causes ejection problems.
They also have a message saying they are going to keep selling their semi-autos. Did someone mention sending in our rifles to them and getting them reworked so they won’t blow up?
Could we find better quality springs? what exactly does it take to fix this problem? short of dishing out as much as we paid new to get it fixed?
https://www.volquartsen.com/category/13-accessories-and-upgrades/12-remington-597
“Even Hornady’s website is still backing up the round. I hope the round is ok, after talking Remington in to swapping me out for the Marlin 917 VR.”
At Gander Mountain they had flyers by the ammo with pretty much the same message about not using in semi-auto for all the brands. One flyer for each brand.
When I asked the service rep at remcrap about just using another brand such as Hornady, she said they were all made by the same manufacturer.
CCI, WInchester and Hornady. And so i guess I believed her. Or it was a right out lie. I don’t know.
I’ve not heard any talk of the “bolt-actions” having any problems with .17 HMR. As a matter of fact, Remington’s Model 5 has been recently been chambered for the .17 HMR and offered for sale to the public. I think from everything I’ve read it’s the simi-autos with the problem. Even Hornady’s website is still backing up the round. I hope the round is ok, after talking Remington in to swapping me out for the Marlin 917 VR.
Why is it ok to shoot the ammo in a bolt? Retailers can not remove all 17 HMR ammo from their shelves because there are too many bolts out there. And so don’t worry about being able to by ammo for your 17HMR as one person at remcrap mentioned it would all be pulled eventually.
Are the tolerances tighter? I don’t know but I do know the bolt won’t fire until the bolt is locked in place. I have only heard of one poster mentioning he had the same problem in a bolt.
Isn’t it easier for remcrap to buy back the gun cheap and make you buy another rem at full retail value? They make money either way. I also have three other Remington firearms in other calibers. I will also be selling them and never buy another remcrap product again.
About DPMS, I have always thought it were a private owned company right here in Minnesota.
Would you go buy a car, then let them tell you to not use a certain gas in it or you will blow up? It’s not the cars problem it is the gas’s but we will offer you a coupon for half of what you paid towards the purchase of another of our fine cars. Yes a car is worth much more but the principal is the same. I don’t know, maybe their is a federal law that deals with how much money is involved. For example if the worth amount it over 500 bucks it is a felony and if under it isn’t. Isn’t this offer the same as stealing.
What the hell ever happened to doing the right thing?
I am sure it like any other company. Make stuff as cheap as possible and make as much profit as you can. That goes for labor and material.
Even back in the 70′s when I worked in a factory the company tried to cut costs by buying stainless steel sheeting from Japan. Stainless is not suppose to rust right? this stuff did and caused more problems down the road.
Most baby boomers know you pay for what you get. That’s especially goes for tools. We also know we would pay more for quality and would much rather buy something made in the good Ol USA.
Anyway sorry for rambling on.
My son and I own two 594 / 17HMR rifles with consecutive serial #’s that were the last firearms given to us by my late father. I too contacted Remington customer service first about the low ball offer, and then I asked could I use both rebate coupons toward the purchase of one Remington firearm due to the fact that Remington does not sell anything for $200 dollars and was told no. I asked to speak with his supervisor and was told no. I then asked to speak with the person in charge of customer service and was told no a third time. I have sent letters to both the CEO and customer service about this but as of two weeks have had no response. I was willing to take the rebates if I could have combined them toward the purchase of a Remington centerfire rifle, but I guess I will keep them as mementos of the past.
Kent
I have just written a blog post about this issue:
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009/12/11/the-remington-17-hmr-model-597-controversy/
Let’s keep some basic facts and premises in mind: Remington, along with Marlin, DPMS and some other firearms brands are owned by Cerberus Capital. Cerberus is a venture capital firm obviously engaged in a “roll up” to agglomerate a number of firearms brands into a larger “whole,” fatten them up, then sell them to the public in an initial public offering. We should also note that Cerberus was the most recent owner of Chrysler and delivered the coup de grace to that classic American brand. To date, their ownership of Remington can be characterized by poorly made, even unsafe, firearms, non-existent customer service and complete indifference to its buying public. Obviously, they seek to work their Chrysler “magic” on some more iconic brands. I, for one, have resolved not to buy current-production anything with the classic “R” on it — firearms, ammunition or accessories. It’s my quiet way of wishing Cerberus a journey on to other ventures while hoping they don’t manage to kill Remington (or Marlin or DPMS or anything else) en route.
The good news for us beleagured 597/.17HRM owners: Volquartsen Custom is looking at making another run of .22WMR barrels for the 597. In an exchange of emails, Scott Volquartsen advises they’ll be bull barrels if VQ procedes with the project. Obviously the .17HMR cartridge isn’t suited for autoloaders while the .22WMR has a long and satisfactory history in the category. While I already have a 597/.22WMR bull barrel rifle, I’ll happily convert the present .17HMR version into a safe and usable firearm that still has some value and utility. If a VQ barrel would be of interest to you, send an email to sales@volquartsen.com to let them know.
There’s strength in numbers.I have been following the blog below.Maybe,with enough dissatisfied people getting after Remington,we’ll get something done right.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3824902#post3824902