I guess I never understood the rationale that somehow it makes less sense to pay extra money for a rimfire rifle than it does a centerfire rifle. The way I look at it, there's no reason not to put some extra money into a .22 as opposed to any centerfire rifle. After all, which rifle are you apt to use more often and, thus, be able to appreciate more in terms of any custom features/work you might have paid for?
I'm still lusting for a Cooper .22 rifle...