I had a 597 in 17 HMR years back. I also had the 22 Mag barrel so that I could swap calibers. You may want to check the tension of the two action rods that hold the recoil springs. If the allen screws holding the action rails in place are too tight, the bolt will not move freely and the gun won't cycle correctly. I found this out by tightening the screws too much after cleaning my rifle. IIRC, the screws being finger tight worked the best.
