Part of your decision should include your expectation for accuracy, as that costs as much or more as fine wood and engraving. If you simply want moa accuracy to 400 yards then almost anything mentioned so far will work. If you want something more than that then I would look into semi-custom. Many on here mey make it sound like you will be guaranteed sub-moa with factory ammo from their pet manufacturer(remington, sako, tikka, savage) but you should not. All of the manufacturer's mentioned will meet moa to 400 yards after shooting a bunch of factory offerings.
If you plan to stick to deer and antelope and not hunt elk then any round from .243 up will work and anything over a .300mag could be considered overkill, especially if you don't like recoil.
The best bullets come in .264 and 7mm and the best factory loading options include the popular 25-06, .270, 270wsm, 7mm RM, 300wsm, and 300win mag. Other loads such as any weatherby, 280AI, 7mmWSM, 260, are better suited to handloaders or people with unlimited ammo budgets.
Given what I have heard from you so far, I would stick with the more popular rounds either 270wsm or 7mmRM. My favorite of all would be the 280AI or 7mmWSM. 7mm would be better for elk in heavier 160 bullets.
I would seriously consider the Zeiss Conquest in Z-600 reticle for western hunts, the glass is they are very reliable for a good price point. You might afford the Swaro z3 or z5 lines also.
For gun manufactureres, if you don't go custom then I would pick up as many and handle them and pick the one that feels the best and then find the one with the best wood. Sounds like you should seriously consider: Win, Kimber, Sako, Savage, Browning, Nosler, and Cooper.
