I just did a quick count and 11 of my rifles are Rugers of which eight are bolt actions. The good old Ruger (blued/walnut of course
) is a strong, solid, all metal, reliable hunting rifle. For what you are looking at hunting, a .243 would be suitable if using factory ammo, but if you hand load I'd look round for one of the .257 Roberts that they did a few years ago. The 85gn Ballistic Tip would be good for small game and a 100-115gn Ballistic Tip would do for the occasional deer. Or just load the 100gn Ballistic Tip for everything.
If you wanted a bit higher spec rifle the Mauser M12 would be a candidate but I'm not sure how popular they are in the States. Mine is very accurate right out of the box with a crisp trigger and floated barrel. Just clean off the packing oils and shoot it. Rugers often need the triggers worked a bit and just about every single one of mine shot better when floated and bedded.
