When you want to enter the used gun arena it helps to just watch the want ads. I'd be surprised if there weren't some guns for sale in the Colorado papers. Also check with the local gun shops where they often have guns on the consignment racks. Used guns aren't normally beat up too bad, and if they are it should obvious. But if you are not real savvy on looking for things like smooth feeding and extraction, magazine feeding and loading, safety function, etc, then the new gun warranty path makes a lot of sense.
If you're going to go new, personally, I'd go for a decent package deal on a Savage, and then save up for the better scope next season. Then just put the "package" scope on your .22 rifle or hang on to it for a spare.