I am a big Ruger fan as well, but my .17 Hornet is a CZ 527 varmint-weight. It really isn't all that heavy, weighing 8 pounds 10 ounces with a 4-12x scope, but because of the heavier barrel the balance point is just ahead of the magazine, which makes it handy to carry in the field.
I don't mind the "backward" safety because my first rifle with ANY safety (instead of an outside hammer or cocking piece) was a Marlin 81 .22 rimfire, which also has a safety that pulls back to "shoot" position, which seemed normal to me because that's how a hammer or cocking piece works. (Still have the 81, by the way, and warm it up now and then.)
I also really like the single-set trigger, though the pull isn't quite as good as the double-set trigger on my Brno .22 K-Hornet.
