Which Ruger, the Hawkeye or American? Based on the price ranges of your other options it looks like you are considering the American.
I have nothing against any of the "value" rifles you have listed. I own a few myself. I like the Ruger American as a no frills rifle on a budget. Both the Ruger American and Tikka are borderline too light for 30-06 IMO. But there are high tech recoil pads available for the Tikka that will reduce recoil down to 243 levels. Recoil won't be a problem if you install one of the good recoil pads.
My Americans are both short actions, 308 and 223. They come with a pretty decent pad, but I've not shot one in 30-06 so I can't say for sure.
But if you want a nicer rifle the Ruger Hawkeye is a close 2nd place finisher to Winchester 70's in my book.
