I have a Savage MkII, thumbhole & heavy barrel. It
shoots well, but I have to agree with Jose - it feels cheap. Fit and finish on mine and it's 17HMR cousin were somewhat random. Functioned fine, but 2 of the 3 the spare mags I bought for it required tweaking before they worked properly.
I haven't bought a CZ 452 American yet, but only because I have a Browning T-bolt that still insists that it can handle anything I would want the CZ for. So far, I've believed it. Great looking, very well made, shoots great, and not afflicted with the salt wood treatment Browning was using on some stocks way back when. I'm not sure how the current T-bolt compares to the 60's Belgian ones - but they do still offer a lefty version.
RimfireCentral.com would be worth checking out - more info on 22lr than anyone wants to read in one sitting. You also might consider cruising the local gunshops for all the 1950-70's 22lr basic bolt rifles that all the major manufacturers used to turn out. They might be old and worn looking, but those rifles had a lot more work put into them than the equivalent product today, and are pretty near impossible to wear out. They could need a bit of work (like recrowning the barrel to fix wear caused by over-agressive cleaning), but if you're not in a rush you should be able to find some nice pieces.
My
next 22LR bolt gun will be a CZ 452 American in left hand, if that gives any indication what I think about them. Built to 'nice centerfire rifle' quality levels, everyone I've ever talked to with one said theirs would shoot very well, and available in lefty. I'm a sucker for left hand rifles.