People on this website are going to think I work for Ruger, but when it comes to budget rifles, the Ruger American is a great choice. I bought one for my wife in .270 win and it is sub moa. I helped my friend set up a Ruger American in .308 with a leupold VX-2 and it is sub moa. My brothers wife has one in .243 and that one is sub MOA...are you seeing a pattern here?
Also the adjustable trigger is a nice touch where you can set it between about 5.5 and 2.5 lbs. The rubberized stock is very comfortable and the removable magazine is more convenient than my blind feed guns yet they do not protrude out of the bottom of the rifle. They also come with a very comfortable butt pad.
There are certainly better rifles out there, but not under $500 and if you get the stainless steel model, you won't have to worry about mud,crud, wind, or weather damaging your rifle. Just because you plan to use it for hunting and it will get beat up doesn't mean performance is irrelevant. Plus Ruger 's customer service is 1st class should anything go wrong with it.
If you get the Ruger, you won't be sorry.