Savage, Tikka, and Winchester are my top picks for affordable light weight bolt action rifles (And I have owned a BUNCH) Avoid new Remingtons like the plague they are not what they used to be, not even close. I had an SPS and it was garbage I won't consider touching another. You could track down a good 1980s model but in 22-250 you can almost bet that you will be due for a barrel change since it is such an intense cartridge. Some might make the case that the 243 is every bit as useful (if not more so) on varmint and vastly better for deer class game, count me in that crowd.
Tikka makes a superbly accurate very light weight rifle with an action slicker then synthetic oil on black ice, they are reasonably priced and a solid value, my top pick, I recommend the T3 Stainless version since their wood is crappy looking.
The new FN Winchester 70 is also fantastic in the accuracy department and I only count them a hair behind the T3 because mine is bullet weight picky, loves 150s and 180s but hates 165s and 125s, never heard of such but hey it shoots 150gr SSTs/Accutips/BTSP well under an inch with Varget with boring regularity so I am a happy camper. Winchester Featherweights also have some fantastic wood work, I mean world class good and the action is a modern 98 Mauser style action, not as smooth as the Tikka but feels like a million bucks and ejects brass with an authority.
Savage is the least expensive of the bunch (normally) they are usually bullet picky and all the ones I have had came out of the box with some sandpaper rough rifling but none the less they have all shot really really well and the barrel smooths out after a couple hundred rounds (that is when I stop seeing the lead flakes when brushing the bore out anyway) I have owned half a dozen of them and never regretted them for a second.
