Yes the 140 eld match shoots under an inch, so does the cheap winchester 125gr deer season xp. I have used the winchester to take 2 whitetail and a coyote so far.
My favorite all time is my 45-70 guide gun. The one that gave me the biggest smile is my Lyman great plains rifle with .54 cal patched round ball, it puts them down hard.
For an optic i would check out the Nikon line, good glass and they hold zero well for under $200. Ruger American predator is an outstanding value for the money.
I have the 18' guide gun, great woods gun but I've come to the conclusion that nothing puts deer down like a 12 gauge slug. They almost never run, ever.
When i was young all we used in our 30-06's and 308 was Remington core lock 180 gr round nose soft points. Those bullets killed everything we pointed them at with aplomb(whitetail, black bear, coyotes, feral cats.lol) they are not designed for long range but they sure work.