To be honest, I'm not all that fond of Remington. Mainly because of poor machine work and they are not the bargain 700s either, a VS-SF, VS-Sendero and a 700P. They shoot well with handloads but for the money I would expect better fit and finish. Yeah, they can be cleaned up by a good smith but they should have been right to begin with.
For a light recoiling rifle, unless you plan on hunting larger game just stick with a .223. Howa, Tikka and CZ all make decent rifles in various styles. Little secret about everyone being fascinated by heavy bullets in a .223. A 40 gr Nosler BT or Hornady V-max at 3600 fps (what I get out of a 26" barrel) has better ballistics out to past 300 yards than any heavier higher BC bullet. It's simply due to the velocity. Getting out to 400 yards or so the advantage shifts to the heavies. Don't believe it? Check the data.
Anyhow, the Howa is available in several configurations and is gaining an aftermarket,. Same with the Tikka. The CZs come in a bunch of configurations but the aftermarket is limited. Also more expensive to rebarrel because it is a Mauser action with the Mauser style extractor requiring an extractor cut in the barrel.
You could consider going to a lot of other chamberings with a heavier rifle and a muzzle brake but a .223 is cheaper to shoot than pretty much anything except rimfire, and it's the least expensive to reload for.