jlk welcome to the board.To answer your question about the 597 Mag.I have never heard much said about it that was good. Most have complained about jamming and a very poor trigger assembly.If you want a semi auto 22 mag go with the Ruger 10/22 mag.There are some good 22 mag bolt actions out there to check into.Ruger make a M 77/22 in 22 mag. Ruger Redhawk