.22 rifle for silhouette

[rmcrob]

My cluuub (is that how it is spelled in hip-hop?), Danville Conservation Club, has regular silhouette matches, so naturally, I want to participate.

I have an old Marlin 989M2 with a seven-round magazine. I was thinking I could get a bigger magazine and put a scope on that thing and see how it works out for the matches. But since the rifle is old and has a short barrel, I'm thinking it won't be all that accurate. I bought it new in probably 1978 and haven't shot it much at all for at least twenty years.

It looks like the state of the art is Ruger 10/22 these days. The heavy barrel guys seem to mostly have those laminated stocks, which are butt-ugly to me. I understand that lamination is more warp-proof and sturdy than just wood, but I have to hold the thing and look at it, too, so I don't want that stock.

On my lunch today (Gander Mountain) I saw a Remington 597SS with a polymer stock, heavy barrel, and a scope already on it, and the price seemed decent. I was sorely tempted, but I don't know anything about Remington .22s. I have couple Remington 700s with polymer stocks, and they are the bomb, but I don't know enough about this 597.

Those of you who are up on .22 marksmanship, what do you think about the 597?