Pricey scopes?
how much is that extra twenty minutes of twilight worth to you?
Is it worth the buck of a lifetime or a leopard in the dapled last light of day?

Cheap rifles?
A good 'cheap' rifle that groups and functions well with a stable stock is worth more than an expensive rifle that will not group under two inches with any load and has a garish stock that has a mirrored finish that the sun will shine off on a cloudy day.

Savage is not 'cheap' I believe them to be bloody good value. I used to use my dad's 22-250 growing up and I could shoot roo's at 300 with that gun and a Pecar scope. You will be the best judge of what suits your son, and how he tolerates recoil. Calibre wise I have never hunted in the US so I do not know.

Savage/Stevens and Khales or Savage and Zeiss, either would be a killer combo. Tophet1 got it right!!!