[Oberon]

By way of disclosure, I can't afford either of those guns and wish that I owned a copy of each. The closest thing I've got to an EBR (Evil Black Rifle) is a Winchester 94 lever-action .30-30.

Hey, it's better than throwing rocks.

[Joe 6-pack]

Any new (and most used) 7.62 x 51 battle rifles are going to set you back a grand or more. As others here have suggested, you can still find good values in the AK variants, with plentiful ammo, and an ever increasing volume of aftermarket/custom accessories. That gets you a 7.62 x 39, which ballistically is not really all that different from your .30-30.

If you're willing to go down to 5.56 and have the time and willingness to shop around, you can purchase the receiver, upper and components and build a custom rifle from the ground up. If you want something out of the box, take a look at S&W's M&P-15. The base model is pretty decent value with an MSRP of $739.

[umgud]

The closest thing I've got to an EBR (Evil Black Rifle) is a Winchester 94 lever-action .30-30.

The ballistics of the venerable 30-30 aren't much different than the 7.62x39. Great medium range round. Get an AK or SKS. Cheap, fun.

[Vendome]

Fine weapon

[FreedomPoster]

I’ve come to think of lever actions as the original assault rifles. You could do a lot worse.

[Caipirabob]

Mosin Nagant - 7.62*54

Surplus between $65-100 depending on condition.

Sure, it's bolt action but cheap and expendable.

Enjoy the comparison!