The Remington 700 action is the one most copied by custom gun builders. That says something.
It certainly does. It says the Remington 700 is the easiest to copy!
For a rugged hunting rifle which can be disassembled and assembled in the field, without tools, and which is most likely to function as it should, the Mauser 98 is still the best. Since the OP specified a modern short action, he is willing to compromise a bit.
The Ruger 77 is a good choice. In the years I was gunsmithing, in a busy store, I saw very few come into the shop because they had a problem. Of the top four sellers, (Remington, Winchester, Browning, and Ruger) they were the least likely to come into the shop. I had one brought in which had been an Eskimo rifle, used for polar bear, walrus, seals, etc. It was rusted on every surface, the stock was beat to hell and the barrel was bulged in three places, but it still worked! I bought the action and I still use it, forty years later. GD
