lol, I read your question one time and got ALL the info I needed from it! I to have to throw my name into the hat in recommending the Stevens model 200. It is simply a plain jane, 110 model Savage without the Accu-trigger and with a very basic synthetic stock and so-so bluing. BUT being a Savage it will do THE most important thing a gun is supposed to do... SHOOT WELL. We retail them for $279.

I won't go into specifics with regards too caliber other than to say you won't go wrong with the old standards like the .270, 30/06 or the 7mag. Scopewise, I would recommend you stay away from the under $100 POC that are flooded on the market right now. For about $150 you can get a 3x9x40 ProStaff Nikon that is LIGHTYEARS ahead of the other "under $200" scopes on the market.

That's a package that wont win any beauty contests but will last for years, shoot well and wont leave you wishing you had bought something "better". For the money I can't think of a better, tougher package that has the potential to shoot the lights out!!!
RA