RE: .17 HMR
Ruger does make 3 model 77/17s one is blued/walnut, one is blued/composit, and one is the target gray/laminate with the heavyer barrel. I would get the Ruger first, Marlin second and Savage third. I like the Ruger better than the others, they have a lot more features and it is very easy to change from 17 to 22 mag.