Consider Remington?
I don't know what is available at this time, I haven't checked recently, but both Wal Mart and Sportsman's Warehouse (and maybe others) have been selling the Remington 700 ADL, with a cheap scope, in the $400 range. They come in either blue or stainless. They aren't the prettiest or fanciest, but are a good rifle. I have seen another blog discussing them as late as December, 2014, at $377. They have a variety of calibers, from .243 to at least 30-06. While it has a closed magazine (a small thing, to me), it's primary draw, for me, is the full 24" barrel. While modern ammo does much to reduce the effect, you still lose velocity with a shorter barrel. in .243, 7mm-08, or .308, you would have a rifle capable of taking almost anything in the lower 48, at up to 300 yards, although the .243 would be a little on the light end of that. Due to the longer barrel, when you read the velocity on the ammo box, you will know that you will be close to that with our rifle, as they test all these calibers in 24-inch tubes. One factor in your choice of caliber is where you will be shooting, what will be your longest likely shot.