Although I prefer Winchesters, I' d have to admit that Savage is about the best bang for the buck!
As for caliber, there are so many good ones on the market. From .25 caliber on up, you probably couldn' t go very far wrong if you tried!
If you put the best characteristics of them all together, you' d probably come up with the 7MM-08! It is truly an all-star deer caliber. More than enough power for any size deer, accurate, and easy on the shoulder to boot!!!! Good luck!