Depends on what you mean by bounties IMO.
If you want to do the big 150k+ bounty missions then you are gonna need near 3mill to be ready.
If you just want to hang out at nav beacons and RES then you have plenty of cash to upgrade. Get the viper, make sure you have a big enough FSD to get to the system you intend to hang at, done.
If you have left over cash then upgrade you class2 weapons to C2 gimbled pulse and up your power distributor if you can. Ignore your small weapon slots completely if you are going this route. You can never use them anyway until you have a much better power plant and distributor.
If you are upgrading as you go like this then your upgrade path should be
Distributor
Power Plant
Shields
Thrusters(honestly, thrusters can probably wait till everything else is maxed unless you are finding you are missing out on bounties by not getting there in time)
Never get any of the B rated gear, its way too heavy and your speed and turning will suffer, and thats the main power of the viper.
After every upgrade, double check you can afford the buyback cost before you leave the station.
I got my viper when I had less money than you do now, after I toyed with a cobra for a bit. I think I had 400k after buying back a trashed cobra and got my viper then.
I made my first 10 mill almost exclusively at RES and nav beacons, upgrading my viper as I went.
I promise you just the 2 gimbled pulse lasers are the best for this method, but since you are going to ignore this (i did

), a couple tips.
Do not try out Beam lasers until you have maxed out your power distributor or you will hate life. Your power plant probably cant handle them anyway.
4 fixed multicannons are frikin cool fun and since most NPC cobras have terrible shields, are pretty effective. Its still a bad Idea as you will forever be running for ammo.
Oh and pro tip for all first timers in a viper.
This thing is FAST! Before making a FA off turn, make sure to check for asteroids in your path. Fail this and you will go pop.