I can only speak about Savage since I have not tried the other brands. My first was not a heavy barrel, and that had poor accuracy. At least much less than I expected. So I sold that to a varmint hunter and he was happy with it. I replaced it with the heavy barrel model, and man oh man what a big difference! I did get the pin-point accuracy I was expecting. I told a buddy to walk out and place a tiny target at whatever distance he chose. He did. He was curious to see if I could hit it. After he came back I asked if he wanted the hole at 12, 3, 6, or 9 o'clock. I then placed the hole where he wanted it to be. So just based on the pleasing results I got, I would suggest the Savage bull barrel. However, it pays to install a good set of rings, scope, and try assorted ammo brands for best results. The target was a postage stamp. Some time has gone by since then and I just don't have any need or application for the little 17. I also remember ammo was a bit costly. My 22's satisfy my rimfire needs for now. But yes I agree they sure can be extremely accurate and fun to shoot.