i know you said you like bolt actions but the ruger 10/22 its lots of fun to shoot and can be very accurate for a stock rifle. i havent done anything to it and ill consistanly hit gopher at 50+ yards. with a 4x scope. plus if you want to customize it, it very easy ther eis an endless amount of products for it. if you decide to go autoloaders stay away from the remington 597, they jam alot.