Honestly, a savage 64 is about the worst choice for a semi auto 22. They have always had crap pot metal mags that lead to misfeeds, and that's going back to the old cooey days 50 years ago.
The odd guy has good luck with one and loves it, but most don't, and they jam so much you might be better off with a bolt action.
Some of semis are mag fed, some are tube feed. The tube feed is kind of nice and simple, but is a disadvantage for gophers.
Look at the savage a22, marlin 795, marlin 60 (tubefeed), an old mossberg 151 (tubefeed), or the ruger 10/22 as you mentioned.
They are all better guns than the savage, (although I've never shot an a22). If you're in the low end of the price range and don't mind to tinker, a Norinco JW-20 (tubefeed) can be a great choice.
Every gun has it's own personality and issues, and I'd be the last guy to say a stock 10/22 is excellent, because their stock trigger is crap and Ruger could have incorporated many improvements to make them better 30 years ago.
However, if you're willing to go through the trouble, like a trigger job and replacing the barrel, they can be made excellent with a good dollop of money, turning it into a $500 gun.
Finally, I can say that in almost every case, a semi auto 22 will have a less than great trigger pull. In my experience, the marlin, ruger and brno all have creepy triggers.
The Norinco JW-20 actually has a pretty good crisp trigger. For around $200 these days, they are quite the bargain.
