RE concept of saving money on the rifle (going cheaper), so as to have more money for ammo:
Yes technically there is some math truth to that concept for the first short while. But if you get into it, the savings quickly become insignificant to negligible. I have spent many times the cost of my two CZ rimfire rifles in cases of rimfire target ammo over the years. e.g. My first purchased case of target ammo (5,000 rounds of SK) cost twice as much as my first CZ 452 brand new! Several cases of ammo later, I realize the extra cost of the CZ over lower priced brands at the time was was not a factor when considering the decades of shooting I will do with it.
Adding a quality scope will often cost much more than the rifle. You can get by with cheap scopes and save some money, but these scopes are cheap for a reason. I think the decision on the optic is the main one to rationalize for your budget. My advice is don't cheap out on the rifle if you don't have to.
For target shooting, I would suggest a longer barrel, at least 20 inches, but also longer.
I chose my two CZ's (452 and 455) light hunting models to have iron sights. I scoped both of them, but I take the scope off sometimes and shoot irons for fun. I did not see that in your criteria, but thought I would mention it just in case. If your budget allows, I would suggest adding the Anschutz 1761 Classic with iron sights to your list if you were interested in iron sights.
Based on your criteria I suggest also considering the Anschutz 1761 Silhouette to the list. I don't own one, but have shot a buddy's Silhouette at my local range. They have that wonderful Anschutz trigger, shoot very accurately, are repeaters, and they sometimes beat the single shot target Anschutz target models in local matches at my range. Light enough for comfortable offhand shooting, and great for bench and bags, and bipod. And if you ever wanted to use aperture sights, the barrel muzzle has the dovetail. The Anschutz rail under the forearm is easily adapted to picatinny mounts with the Atlas AFAR rail which slides into the Anschutz rail. Or for a sling stud mount bipod you use the Anschutz rail sling stud adapter. The MPOD bipod slides directly into the rail. For Arca mounts an Arca plate can be attached with Anschutz T nuts, which Atlas and others make. Thought I would mention these because I find that the average local gun shop does not provide alot of support for Anschutz stock rail adapters. Shops like Nordic Marksman and Tesro can provide advice and support for Anschutz forearm rail adapters. I really like the Anschutz forearm rail because its infinitely adaptable to many attachments, and involves no drilling of a stock.
I suggest buying quality and what you want. You will enjoy using it more. A quality rimfire, well cared for, will outlive you, and you can hand it down lovingly to the next generation in your family. Or if you decide sell it later, it should retain reasonable resale value.
Good luck with your choice.
