I have a factory basic Remington 597 that doesn't cycle well at all. I've cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned on it but it still won't run a clip through it reliably.

Any tips on what to try? Other clips? Oils? etc.?

What is it doing?

I have one that I bought when they first came out, don't clean it very often, and it almost never misses a beat.

I did have one magazine that was problematic, though.

It'll half feed out of the mag. I wonder if it's the magazine itself that's the issue.

That's what I was wondering. I'd try another one if yopu could.

Do they make a metal magazine for them?

Yes, I have metal and plastic.

They have not made the plastic mag in quite a few years, and are on the second generation of metal mags. Here is a ton of 597 info

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=218

The regular metal factory ones are much better. I have no reliability issues with them. The plastic ones are a whole bother story.

Make sure that the screws that hold the twin rails in the receiver are finger tight only. If they are too tight, they can flex and cause the bolt to bind, This, in turn, causes the rifle to jam. BTDT.

Try a few different brands of ammo.

Trade it for a 10/22 ...:)

Agreed, try another magazine. Back when the 597 came out they had all sorts of feed issues, almost all due to the magazine. Rumor has it that it got so bad Remington was sending new 2 magazines to anyone who called and complained. You might try callin them and see what they will do for you.

Note: We had one, hardly worked, sold it without trying another mag. Fast forward a couple years and we had a 597 mag. That thing ran flawless.

Mine is about 4 years old and runs flawlessly and is very accurate. I tend to agree with others that the likely issue is the magazine.

My Dad has one and loves it, but he has to shoot Remington Goldens through it, it won't feed Federals at all.

If you want an automatic that feeds pretty much everything, that's probably the best option.