MY .22 squirrel gun is a Marlin bull barrell, bolt action. Truth be told, do I really need that barrel, nope, but Ilike it. Fortunatly in a .22 it really doesn't amke it that much heavier. As far as what I would reccommend, if you are set on a .22 then I suggest the 10/22. hard to beat for the money. Hard to beat for anything for that matter. But that is my opinion. the 17's are great shooters. accurate and all that has been said above. The one thing Ihave seen though is that the ammo costs a little more then .22 I like my 22 because I can take it to the range all day and notspend a fortune, and use it for squirrels.A full day on therange with a .17 can get a litle pricy. Just a thought. I don't have a .17 yet. But, my next quirrel and small game rifle will be a .17.