Yeah I guess there are a lot of things to consider...It would have to be, obviously, very reliable.
I guess I can spend up to about $800-$1000.
The SKS and AK are designed to be operated by peasants with little training, be utterly reliable even if not maintained as well as the manual says, and will reliably hit a man-sized target at 100 yards. And you can get an SKS for about $250, and an AK for about $500, leaving you with money left over in your budget for ammo and a range membership.
You can get rifles with much better accuracy, but keep in mind that YOU will be unable to hit a target past 50 yards without decent and regular practice, regardless of the quality of your rifle.
He says great - you should have money left over.