I've got one and had some problems with the magazines feeding properly. They've updated the magazines since I got my 597, but you might be better off with a 10/22 or a Marlin semi-auto. If you do a search, you'll find the magazine problem is somewhat common. Also, when cleaning, there's a couple of screws that hold the bolt guide rods in place. in order to clean the bolt good, you have to remove the screws and take out the rods and their associated springs. The springs can be a pain to re-install.

It's a nice little plinker, but these are a couple of issues to consider. It's the only .22 semi-auto that I have owned, so I can't really compare it to others. Other rifles may have their shortcomings. These two are the ones I've encountered with the 597.

If I bought another .22 rifle, I'd probably look at either the 10/22 or a Marlin semi-auto.