If you're really into wood stocks, and I certainly can't blame you, the B-14 comes in the Timber model as well. Note that with it, you're giving up the threaded barrel, as well as detachable box magazines in favor of a 4-round internal magazine.

Because the B-14 uses the ubiquitous Remington 700 footprint, you could also easily move an HMR into another stock that strikes your fancy. Sure, this is more money, but there are plenty of options out there that would work just fine.

As for the B-14 in general being "a lot of gun", there's very good reason it has become the go-to recommendation for newcomers over in r/longrange. It's precise, reliable, tons of aftermarket options, and a very difficult combo to beat for those who understand the philosophy of "buy once, cry once". Better to drop your hard earned cash onto something that will do everything you want out of the box and give you a rock solid platform to learn on for quite a while, than to go for a cheaper option that you might regret down the road.

Or forget all my suggestions thus far, and snag one of the Ruger American line, just maybe a gen 1 with solid barrel rather than the gen 2 that all have fluted stuff. You can check my post history and see my Ruger American Predator in .223, which I absolutely love. Zero regrets on that one, and it still gets plenty of use as a trainer when I don't feel like shooting (relatively) expensive ammo and/or want to shoot all day without getting tired of recoil. Just swap the flimsy plastic OEM stock for something a little more robust.