the .22, .22 mag, and .17HMR are all great, but if you're looking for something that you can take squirrels cleanly with and take the occasional coyote with at 75 to 100 yds then i would suggest the .17. I used my henry .17 for squirrels and ground hogs. Its pretty flat at 100yds. I personally prefer it for squirrels over my .22 mag because it makes alittle less of a mess out of them. I was at Gander Mountain the other day and saw .17HMRs for around $200. I think savage and marlin make bolt actions if memory serves. A note of caution though, if you are looking for just a plinking and squirrel gun i suggestion the .22 LR. They're cheaper and in my opinion a better squirrel cartridge than the other two.