Thanks for the info, lotsa good stuff to search.
To add just a bit of why I want a rifle is of course to hunt coyotes, but alot of it is because when I go out to the mountains with friends I really get no thrill out of shooting the 357's and other handguns because it's pretty hard to hit anything. Fun, but just not my thing. And I have owned alot of .22's, so that is out of the question, I want a 'real' rifle. I have only been able to use shotgun slugs for deer since I was very young because of county laws, so I always wanted a high power rifle.
Cost is a factor, and like any hobby, I'm not going to appreciate a good gun till I get into it, so I just want to get started. This rules out sending something in for $700 upgrade to change a 4" group to 1", although I see the point for verteran shooters.
Anyway, I'm pry now looking at going to wally world, getting a combo Savage; now just to pick a caliber. And like Lazs said, "why not get all 3?" I like that attitude. I can start with the combo, and get a bolt action in a old mauser or something in larger caliber for the boom and fun of it for very little extra investment, both for pry way less than a tricked out mini 14 or the AR's. I'll have fun with those, and then worry about a mini 14 which sounds like a ton of fun, and something i would like, but could certainly do without for the time being.
Again, thanks for the info.