John —
You will probably get a bunch of wise asses sniping at you because you wrote “automatic” instead of “semi-automatic.” It would be quicker for them to be helpful than to talk down to you, but, you know, they need to look superior.
A good place for you to start looking is at your local sporting goods store. A very basic AR type can be had for $500 and up. You will pretty quickly discover you want to acquire some add-on for it, extra magazines, scope, etc.
Another suggestion is to stop by gun shows. This is especially good because you can often avoid the old paper trail.
Good luck in your quest, and don’t let the snipers get you down.
I just bought a Rugar SAR for $200+ (I know it’s not top of the line). Can add “stuff” to it. All I owned before election was a handgun but now things are looking different.
No, if he doesn’t have enough firearms experience to even get the get the terminology right, he needs to take a class on how to operate a firearm safely before someone gets hurt.
You don’t find it strange that the OP started a thread with a vague undefined term, no further elucidation on it and hasn’t replied once? I’m sure your superior brilliance will enlighten us all about that. ROFTLOL
For a first rifle of any caliber, a Ruger 10/22 is hard to beat, and it's a "semiauto". Probably fits the $1000 budget for rifle, scope, case, cleaning kit, tools, eye and ear protection, and gun club membership, (at least here in my hometown), and some money left over for maybe a couple, or maybe several, 500 round bricks of ammo.