If you're willing to do the custom 35W, I'd also suggest looking at 338-06. Savage would probably do that for the same price as 35W.
9.3x62, 35W, and 338-06 are paternal triplets ballistically, without falling over into magnum recoil and magnum expense.
I'm biased towards 9.3x62 because I have one. I favor it because I can go to 325 grains if I wanted to, and there are lots of options at 250 and 286 gr.
Having said that, and depending on what your ultimate goal is, all 3 of those cartridges would serve you well for any game species in North America, including Alaskan brown bear. At sea level, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to shoot even a moose out to about 500 yards with the 250 gr bullet. At "elk/mule deer altitude," assuming you have the skill, I wouldn't hesitate to go out to 700-800 yards with any of them up in thin air. I'd certainly try to get closer if possible, but if I were staring at a 72" moose or a 9x9 elk, I'd do it in a heartbeat if I couldn't get closer.
Bottom line: never be afraid to ask. "Custom" guns can be a lot less expensive than you imagine them to be.
Also, if you could see yourself going as high as maybe 1300 for a rifle, Montana Rifle Company is under new ownership. You could get a MRC American Standard Rifle in 35W for around 1300-1400. The best thing about MRC, esp. if you've maybe got your eye on something with teeth and claws, is their rifles are all CRF. CRF isn't a big deal for ungulates like deer, elk, and moose. But for a lot of guys, myself included, it's an absolute "must have" for rifles used in the pursuit of game that might view you as an easy meal.