My brother uses a Marlin 336 in 35 Rem. Has for decades. It is a darned good round for deer sized game, but for all practical purposes the cartridge is more or less unheard of down this way. Ammo is relativley difficult to find. He and I hunt woods (hardwood bottoms and mature planted pines) where shots are seldom past 75 yards, and certainly never in the 150 yards range. I'd say this cartridge will do fine for such hunting.

As far as a $50 scope? Trust me on this .... don't waste your $$. Save up and take a look at a quality compact in say 1.5-6x32 to 40 mm. On a tight budget, the Bushnell Elite would be a good choice.