As you see everyone has their preference on their rifles they like, so it is completely up to you... All of the major manufacturers will be able to shoot accurately enough for your hunting needs, so it really comes down to the one you like for your situation. Rugged Synthetic stock vs. a beautiful piece of wood, a great trigger vs. accutrigger vs. a gun which you might want to replace the trigger later, $300 vs. $600 vs. $900, etc.

Pick the one you like the best and is at your upper limit you can afford (I have come to realize you get what you pay for in the gun world). Also know that you will also want to buy a good scope, especially in the distances you are talking about.

If it were me (and it is NOT)... I would go with a Sako 75 in 30.06 with A VX-II Scope.

Reason:
Sako has the smoothest action of any mass produced gun. It is the only gun with a guaranteed 1 moa accuracy. It is a beautiful gun. It has a great trigger. Price = ~900

Leupold has been the name in scopes and they stand behind their products. They now fully multicoat their VX-II (Cheaper than VX-III). It will last you a lifetime. Price = ~250

I waiver on the scope issue, sometimes I think the extra money for a Zeiss Conquest is worth it, sometimes I think you can get away with a Simmons Aetec...

The 30.06 is a cheap cartridge to shoot and widely available with many different grain bullets, so you can big game hunt or varmint with the same round.

My opinion is not necessarily to buy a used gun as your first gun... Especially if you are not comfortable about it's origin. If you do, take someone along to help you out, a bad experience could burn you for life.

Good Luck with whatever you end up with!!!