957 is no doubt the Remington 597. Also large capacity. So he's looking at a semi auto. Otherwise the other suggestions were good for a bolt action in that price range.
If you wait a few months I'll be able to let you know which one I think is the best from personal experience. Otherwise it will be mostly based only on what I've read.
I have a Ruger K10/22T IE the Stainless Target model. It's decent but not outstanding. I haven't had any reliability problems at all. The 10 round rotary magazines are fantastic. It shoots well. But it won't stand up accuracy wise to a good bolt action. I'm pretty fond of this little rifle. I did however have to get the trigger changed. Even the "lighter" target models have crap triggers. $50 at a gunsmith or even less if you're inclined to do it yourself . Also there are a lot of modifications you can do. I'll be changing the barrel out for a 20" green Mountain one in a few weeks. The target barrel that comes with the Ruger is OK but nothing really spectacular. When I bought this rifle I didn't have any plans to change anything. That has changed over the last few years. It's probably cheaper to just get the base stainless model and change it to what you want but if you're like me and plan on shooting it stock for a few years then the target model may be a good way to go. Frontier has the stainless target mode on sale for $430 right now. That's a very good price for that rifle. My only concern are the reports that the new rifles have a lame "plastic" trigger. I'd check into this before buying.
Other options. Remington 597 TVP. I've just ordered one, even though it seems to be hit and miss in terms of accuracy and reliability. The TVP was about $50-80 less than a comparable Ruger (one with the Boyd evolution stock, or barracuda). Total cost $500 including taxes and shipping. I checked out the comparable yellow/blued version. It handles very nicely even though looks wise it's taken me some time to get used to that stock style. The last shot hold open is a nice feature that the Ruger doesn't have. The only thing I don't like about it is that you have to use an empty magazine to activate it. With the ruger there's a latch so you can lock the bolt open for cleaning etc. I didn't see any such option on the Remington 597.
I also have a Thompson Centre R55 Benchmark coming. Yes I really do like shooting rimfire.
. This rifle is a bit more expensive. $550 before taxes and shipping. From the reports I've read on this firearm it's very well made and the accuracy right out of the box will hang with the CZ-452 bolt action rifle. The only two recommended additions are a VQ hammer and extractor which come together and aren't very expensive. There were some reported issues with the earlier version of this rifle (doesn't have the R-55 designation). Most accounts on the internet and by members of this forum seem to give this rifle a big thumbs up. What everyone seems to say is it's the rifle to get if you don't plan on making any changes. The only disadvantages to this rifle are the lack of extras to modify it and the lack of high capacity magazines. I don't really consider this a negative since it looks like almost nothing needs to be changed.
I'll have some real world experience with these rifles in a few weeks.
For semi auto in your price range. Those are the three I'd look at.
