They are made in Canada. There is a ton of aftermarket parts for them. And stickies on trigger jobs, etc. $15 cheap ,crappy mags. Savage is great in terms of CS, and not far from Boston. According to a poll on RFC, 15% of owners have feeding problems. Feeding issues are normally fixed with bolt guide adjustments and new mags. At this price point, a fair amount of owners just give up quickly and dump the gun at a small loss, rather than pay a gunsmith or ship it back to Savage.. They come with Accutriggers usually, which most owners love and which are usually set to the lightest setting from the factory. Best bang for the buck is on Dick's and Walmart specific models. Gun shops will often sell used Mk II's for more than Walmart sells the same model new. Shop nowhere else for a Savage rimfire until you go to those places first. I have 2, and I don't like them that much. Rather spend 2x or 3x on a CZ.
The V with the heavy barrel, swivel mounts, and scope bases, is the one to get. They come in wood and plastic stocks. I like the plastic, but am in the minority, as the wood looks good, for not much more. Way heavier though. Not that it matters with a bipod, 20x scope, etc.
BTW, the .17M2 and the .22LR are the Mark II model. The .17HMR is the 93 model.