Not a huge fan of bolt action rifles though I own a few. All accurate weapons. Here in the dense forested north east I prefer a short lever gun, pump or semi-auto. You will almost never get that 300 yard shot in a park like setting around where I hunt. The ability to swing the gun and get off a second shot is paramount around here. You may not see the twig that will deflect and possibly injure a whitetail. I almost always try to get a quick second shot in just in case.
My most accurate rifle is a butchered 03A3 that I picked up for $50. It will shoot 1/2” groups with most ammo. I rarely hunt with it though. Too awkward in dense foliage . My Marlin 336 in .35rem. Is accurate enough and powerful enough. It comes up quick and levers quickly for that second shot.
A Finnish M39 is tremendously accurate, if you can a) find one, and b) find one that hasn't been shot out.
I have a pretty little Argentine Mauser, built at DWM in Berlin in 1897. Shoots like a dream and looks like it came out of the factory yesterday, except for the arsenal work on the stock that converted it from artillery to cavalry configuration. Accurate as all get-out.
I've known people who look down on old battle rifles for hunting, fearing that they aren't precise enough to be humane(!). But good luck getting better than 3 MOA out of a Winchester '94 at 150 yards, and a lot of Americans have put meat on the table with that iconic gun, and plenty of vets coming back from the world wars kept their family in meat with battle rifles.
LOL! In 1968 (that’s right, 1968) I bought a new Remington BDL, with 4 X scope, for about $220. Even more surprising, I picked it up the day MLK was shot. I still have it.