THE POORFAGS GUIDE TO CHEAP GUNS
Because being broke doesn't mean you have to be disarmed

Let's face it, times are tough and right about now is the best time to get a gun.  Hopefully you're not living off ramen, but chances are if you're reading this you don't have $600+ to blow on a gun.  And you really don't want to lose precious wageslave dollars to a lemon that's more dangerous to you than your target.  But don't worry!  A few of us poorfags have been around long enough that we know what's worth buying on the cheap.  Most of these guns are what you can find used, but there's a lot of good deals for new guns out there in the <$500 range.  Just remember that if you can live without it, walk away—there's still plenty of deals out there, and you don't have to commit to something you're not sold on.  This guide at the time of writing is current as of 9/4/2018, and that it doesn't take into account certain laws, taxes, and local markets from states where your rights are not respected by the powers that be.

This guide here is just a handy list of common firearms that can be consistently found for $500.  It's far from a complete list—there's a lot of hidden gems out there in the dusty corners of pistol cases, forgotten on gun racks, or even at a gun show.  Use that glowing rectangle of knowledge in your pocket when you see something you like.  Do a little research, walk around your local shops, and most importantly, have fun!

Shotguns:
“Hardware shop guns” ($100-450)
This is really just a catch-all for guns marked with names such as “J.C. Higgins,” “Western Field,” “Dave's Auto Parts,” etc.  There was a long while in America where we could actually buy a gun from our local hardware shop.  Sears, Montgomery Wards, and a few other well-known chains once had a full on gun section, believe it or not.  Here's the best part:  All of those guns were made by well known, well received gun makers.  Mossberg, Winchester, Remington, Stevens, even Mauser made a few.  If you're in a gun shop, and you see what looks like a decent gun but with a weird name and a low price, Google it.  Most have been uncovered by gun forums of old (be ready for pre-2010 forum browsing).  The majority of them are actually really good value for the money, especially those old school bolt-action Mossbergs.  Buyer Beware:  Some of these are not user friendly, and used parts are a bitch to find.  If it doesn't work in the shop, don't bother.  If it's a mag-fed bolt shotty, be ready to shell out some stupid money for a replacement magazine.  Also be forewarned that a lot of them are in 16 gauge, which is a great bird cartridge but ammo is prohibitively expensive compared to 12 and 20.

H&R Pardner ($150-200)
A new gun made in China, based off the Remington action.  Rough, heavy, but tough as nails and reliable.  Ironically, with the QC issues at Remington, there's a loyal following that claim the Pardner is actually a better gun than the Remington, dollar for dollar.  While I don't really buy that, a lot of the stocks and accessories for the Remington 870 can be used on the Pardner with a little fitting.  This is a great gun for a beginner.

Dickinson Shotguns ($200)
A Turkish shotgun maker that is usually sold through the internet, although a few can be found in big-box stores.  Nothing particularly fancy, except that from what little I've heard about them, they'll go bang when you pull the trigger.

Mossberg 500/590, 535/835 & Maverick 88 ($175-350)
The author's first choice for a shotgun is and will forever be the Mossberg 500.  Simple, reliable, easy to take apart and available in many configurations with a solid aftermarket.  Aluminum receivers also make it lightweight, although the plastic trigger guard does crack sometimes.  Most complaints revolve around rattling fore ends,  a “clunky” action, tang safety, and the magazine which can't be expanded—it's either a 5 or 8 shot firearm (unless you spring for the 590, which can be expanded).  The 590 is going to be towards the top of our $500 budget, but comes with fun thinks like a metal trigger group, and a bayonet lug, and the awe factor of “this is the shotgun the Marines use.”  They also come in a left-handed layout if you really, really need it.  And on a completely different planet, the 535 and the 835 are true magnums in todays world of 3” shells—these are chambered in 3.5” and are made only for those that absolutely need to kill every game animal in North America.
Maverick, owned by Mossberg, makes a cheaper version of the 500 called the Maverick 88.  Although it does use cheaper materials, it's still a solid gun for a /k/ommando on a budget, and it takes almost all the same furniture as the 500 and 590.  Buyer Beware:  Before 1970, all 500's and related guns used only a single action bar, which is notorious for jamming and breaking.  Look at the gun before buying, and save yourself the hassle.

Remington 870 ($300-500)
The original good ol' boys shotty, unless you're in the market for an older Winchester... in which case, why are you here?  Smooth actions, solid steel receiver, simple design and trusted by law enforcement for decades.  Older police magnums are sought after, but will command a premium.  Newer shotguns made after Remington's acquisition by Cerberus are riddled with QC complaints, most centering on rusting finishes.  If you can find an older 870, it's a solid gun; if someone's offloading their newer gun for a bargain, it's not a bad buy; just be ready for problems.

Turkish Imports (Sarsilmaz, Hatsan, Escort, etc) ($300-500)
The Turks as of late have been producing some pretty good value shotguns.  Their gas-operated semiautos are actually very well received for the price, and some even use Remington thread pitches on their magazines and chokes (do your research on that before trying to force that mag extension).  Owning one, I can say some are hit or miss on small things, but that's about it.

Stoeger double guns ($350-500)
I'll go ahead and break it to you now—double barrels are actually kind of expensive.  There really aren't a lot of double guns in the poorfag price range, as they're harder to produce than your average pump or semi.  Stoeger sells both OU and SxS shotguns in the upper range of your budget, and for the money they're pretty good.  Century International sells double barrels from China, but there's conflicting reports on quality.  Stick to the guys with the better warranty.

Shockwave 590 ($350)
Included here mostly because they sell for about $350 online.  Yes, they're impractical for anything but home defense, but come on, it's a legal short-barreled shotgun.  Remington also has their Tac-14, but nobody has reported in on quality yet.  If you're worried about something being banned, go ahead and get this.

Ithaca 37 ($375-500)
Starting prices on a used 37 typically are $400 for a decent one.  This gun is at the upper end of most poorfags budget, but check your local pawn shop—a few still can be found under $350.  Ithaca 37's were another favorite of law enforcement, combining a rock solid action with really good machining.  The shells eject and load through the same cut in the receiver.  While difficult to disassemble the first time, the 37 isn't impossible to master.  Be ready for a very thin aftermarket.  Bonus—up until the 80's, these guns could slam fire.  If you find a gun with a dog engraving, those typically are the ones that slam fire.

CHOKES:
So everyone who's new to shotguns always asks, “what's a choke?”  The choke is a tapered constriction towards the muzzle end of the barrel that shapes, or “patterns,” the cloud of lead shot that's coming out of gun.  The tighter the choke, the tighter the group, and vice versa.  There's a couple of different chokes out there, but the four you want to worry about are:
-Cylinder Bore (or “cylinder)
-Improved Cylinder
-Modified
-Full
“Cylinder Bore” is a straight, untapered barrel that gives the largest pattern of all, unless you're shooting a blunderbuss—most cheaper “tactical” shotguns are sold with a cylinder bore.  “Full” is at the other end of the spectrum, meaning that it's just about the tightest you can get (the only two tighter are called “extra Full” and “turkey.”)  In a modern shotgun with removable chokes, this doesn't make a huge difference to the end user, but be mindful of this if you're buying an older gun—for a while, when you bought a shotgun, it was choked at the factory, and there's really no way to undo this unless you get a new barrel.  The upside of this is, according to fuddlore, older shotguns with dedicated chokes pattern better because they utilize a longer stretch of barrel to choke the shot, rather than the last 2 or 3 inches.

Pistols
Hi Point ($150-230)
The problem solver.  Yes, they're terrible guns if you're trying to CC or shoot competitions.  But if you have $150 max and absolutely can't save up, they'll work.  Straight blowback, so they have comically large slides to take the beating of full-size handgun cartridges.  Single stack only, available in 9, .40, .380, and .45, available at any gun dealer or on any Chicago street corner.  Notorious for being the new gang-banger heater, they're solid guns with a lifetime warranty.  Towards the upper end of their price range, they come in some pretty neat packages with laser, locking safes, knives, and hydrodip paint schemes.  If you have no other choices, it'll work just fine.

Ruger pocketguns (LCP, LC9, LC380) ($185-350)
Ruger has long upheld a reputation for indestructible guns at low prices, and their pocket guns are no exception.  Available in .380 and 9mm, they're constantly on sale for dirt cheap and can be found anywhere.  Like Hi Point, they also do hydrodipping, lasers, etc. for an upcharge.

Star Model BM ($200-225)
Long unappreciated, the Spanish guns of yesteryear were some of the best bang-for-buck you could ever get.  And while we could cover pages with good Spanish guns you should be on the lookout for (ASTRA, Star, and Llama), right now there's a glut of $200 Star BM's on the market.  Chambered in 9mm, with all-steel construction and a 1911 style safety.  They're cheap now, but might not be for long.  If you need a CC and absolutely want old school gun quality, here's your piece.

*Used Taurus/Rossi 38/357 ($200-350)
Another pawn shop regular.  Quality is hit-or-miss, but they're usually so cheap it's easy to justify—a ratty old gun will start around $200, while a nicer one can get to $350.  A few have gone out of time over the years, bu avoid a bad purchase by going on youtube and looking up videos that demonstrate what to look for in a used revolver.  They made these in all sizes, from five shot pocket guns to 8” target revolvers.

*Taurus automatics ($200-500)
Taurus has several models in this category that would do you well.  From .22 to .45 (in a 1911, more on that later), they're all good guns that fit your budget nicely.  Inspect, make sure everything locks up right; check rear and front sights to make sure they're secured correctly.  Be forewarned that Taurus has not been known for stellar quality.

Armscor/Rock Island M206/M200 ($200-250)
A new production .38 revolver based on a Colt.  Rough, heavy, with a really basic parkerized or matte nickle finish, but made in the Philipines by the same people who make the Rock Island 1911's /k/ has come to know and love.  The “full size” comes with a rubber grip, while the “pocket” model comes with wood, with either a spur or bobbed hammer.  The quotations aren't me trying to be a smartass, they really don't fill either niche fully.  But they usually sell for less than $300 and most owners feel they're unbreakable.

Kel-Tec pocket guns ($210-290)
Kel-Tec is one of those companies that makes cool guns with sometimes questionable quality—you might know them for their PMR .22 mag carbines and handguns, or the KSG shotgun.  However, their bread and butter is the line of pocket guns they make for dirt cheap.  Available in .380 and 9mm, they're fairly straight forward little guns that have plenty of good reviews, but also a few bad.  Hey, if it worked for Zimmerman, it can't be too bad, can it?  There's also a few in .32 ACP, but it's a hard to find and relatively expensive caliber that doesn't perform as well as .380 and 9mm.

*New Taurus revolvers ($250-500)
Some people really don't like Taurus as a rule, and that reputation is absolutely earned from years where they were victim to spotty QC.  That being said, there's many more that swear by Taurus as a brand.  Overall, the chances of getting a crap gun are slim these days, and Taurus makes a gun that fits any budget.  In our price range, they make everything from .22 revolvers all the way up to .44 Magnums.  Having owned and shot more than a few, I can vouch for the value of them.  There's too many to list, but just remember to inspect before purchase.

Smith Sigma/SD series ($250-350)
Ah yes, the infamous not-a-Glock made by Smith.  Found in many a police evidence locker, new Sigmas are still solid guns.  There's a lot of complaints revolving around the triggers, the price of mags, the lack of an aftermarket, but lets be honest, we don't care; we're here for cheap guns.  And the Sigma is cheap.  It comes in either .40 or 9, and mostly only comes in two-tone silver on black, although black-only guns are around.  These guns had a pretty bad reputation back in the day, but todays SDV9 or SDV40 is a solid gun.  Hey, if it was bad enough for Glock to sue S&W, it can't be a bad choice.

SCCY ($250-260)
Another good pocket gun that's cheap and cheerful.  Hammer fired, DAO, double stack and chambered in 9mm, they come in any color you want.  Most who own one swear by them, and having shot one myself, I can say they're a solid choice for someone who wants to CC with a little more firepower on their side.

Old Ruger P-series ($275-350)
Really good autos from back in the day.  Built like tanks, lots of cheap mags available, and almost always available in your local pawn or gun shop.  They haven't been made in years, but they're still reliable and fun to shoot.  Beware any made during the AWB, as they'll come with 10-round mags.  They were chambered in .45, .40, and 9mm.  Note:  The P95 specifically uses a polymer frame with polymer guide rails for the slide.  While nobody has broken one yet, some people prefer the older metal framed models.  Having owned two P95s and a P90, I can say both are good quality guns.

Police Trade-in guns:  Glock, Sig Sauer, Smith and Wesson, Beretta, etc ($300-500)
Brand name quality, used by cops and thrown to the second-hand market.  Police trade-ins are a steal sometimes, and almost always are good guns with a little wear and tear.  The majority even have (used) night sights which might still have a year or two left in them.  And of course, most police guns are well-established, and come with rich aftermarkets as well as good holster choices and cheaper mags.  Some are around in 9mm and .45, but lately the majority have been in .40 as (we assume) departments are switching back to 9mm.  If you don't have a problem with that, save up your cash and wait for a good sale.

Ruger SR series ($300-370)
Comes in .22, .40, and 9mm.  A nice gun that comes either in a full-sized or compact version.  This is kind of like the Sigma—a big name manufacturer, making an affordable modern pistol that isn't bad quality.  The step up from this gun would the be American series, which is supposedly an entirely different pistol altogether.

Ruger Standard/Mark series ($300-$500)
Comes in .22 only.  The golden standard of modern rimfire target pistols, this single gun has been sold for decades with minor upgrades.  A great practice gun, this is a solid stepping stone to competitive shooting—cheap ammo, a great “feel,” and literally comes in as many styles as possible.  Towards the upper end of the spectrum, you get fluted and threaded barrels, grip angles that mimic the 1911, nicer sights, rails, you name it.  At the bottom end, the classic blued 10-shot gun Ruger built their empire on.

Beretta 92S ($300-?)
Yes, most Beretta guns go for closer to $500 and up, brand new.  But recently, a shipment of ex-euro police 92S pistols came stateside for right around $300.  The only drawback is that they have a heel release magazine, which can be awkward to use.  But it's all the quality and utility of any other 92.  If you find one, it's well worth the expense.  Online supply seems to have dried up, but they're out there if you look a little.

AR Pistol ($300 and up)
Some don't feel like this is a good “first” pistol for a person low on cash, but you can build an AR15 pistol for pretty cheap right now.  Read down below under AR rifles to learn more.

Smith Model 10 ($350 and up)
Sadly, the days of the $300 Smith .38 are numbered, if not gone already.  Though they're gaining in price, they're still worth it.  Trusted by police for almost 100 years, they're still the go-to for a lot of civilian's around-the-house gun.  Most will come from the halcyon days of Smith gunsmith wizardry.  Taper or bull barrel doesn't really matter.  Hogue or Pachmayer grips make a good gun great for those that need something a little thicker to hold on to.  If you find a Smith that still locks up good, and it's right in the $300 range?  Grab it and run.

Charter Arms ($300-450)
A company that's been making revolvers for a while, but somehow missed the boat on high quality.  Chambered in .22, .38, .357, 9mm, .45LC, .45ACP, .327 Fed Magnum, .32, and .44 special, they're mostly all snub nosed revolvers, although a few are full sized.  If you live in a ban state, and can't find a good used Smith, and for some reason Taurus isn't sold either, you can still usually find a Charter Arms.  Buyer beware: these are not well made, and it's not a gun you're going to want to keep forever.  When you're holding a Smith J-frame or a Ruger pocket revolver next to these, the difference in quality is staggeringly obvious.

Smith 59/39 series ($350-450)
Another endangered species in the pawn shop.  Available in 9, .40, or .45, depending on the year and the model.  Mags are still cheap, Hogue grips are still available, and parts can be found.  They were actually used by the police for many years—those that gave up their revolvers, that is.  My first pistol was a Smith 59, and I still have it.

Canik TP9S ($330-350)
A newer gun imported by Century Arms International.  Striker fired, full sized, with an 18 round magazine and a fairly weak finish.  Most who own one, love it.  Having shot one, I can say it's not remarkable, but it won't kill you either.  Comes in black or desert tan.

*Taurus PT92 ($400-$450)
Just in case you can't find one of those deals on a Beretta but still want something like it.  Most owners seem to love them, and for a budget 9mm they're pretty good.  Not to mention, virtually any Beretta holster will work.  The mags are not interchangeable, from what I know.

Zastava M88 ($210)
A short while ago, Zastava cranked out a few thousand copies of the classic Tokarev pistol, in both 7.62 Tok and 9mm.  Though they're not as common as they used to be, you can still find the pocket model, the M88, for sale around the internet.  Thankfully, the M88 is chambered in 9mm only.  Zastava has its name on many decent guns that fall well under the $500 mark, but for a quirky, odd, and (very) cheap compact gun that has a Soviet flair, you can't do much better.

Tokarev (all varieties) ($300-450)
...Unless you want the real deal, that is.  Lovingly ripped off from the patents of John Browning, this was the first automatic pistol used by the Soviet Union.  After the war, nearly every satellite country made their own version of this pistol.  Today, you can find most for right under the $500 mark, and a lot of Norinco and Zastava clones were made brand new for export to the US.  Downsides:  They're all very roughly made, most had to have a safety added after the fact (which is usually clunky and not very well thought out), and unless you're looking specifically at export models, they're all chambered in 7.62 Tokarev, of which no cheap surplus remains.  But it's a solid gun that served the Soviets through a world war, so what do I know?

Makerov (all varieties) ($300-400)
The successor to the Tokarev, and mostly available for cheap, though you'll have to do some searching.  Chambered in 9mm Makerov (NOT 9mm NATO—they are entirely not interchangeable), this pocket gun was, like the Tokarev, made by anyone who flew a communist banner.  Solid guns with a built in bottle-opener; though the ammo they shoot is uncommon they are by no means a slouch.  Another great commie pocket gun for those of us that watched The Beast of War a few too many times.

EAA
European American Arms makes a lot of cheap, reliable guns that you can get fairly easily.  In no particular order:
-The Windicator ($290-310):  A .38 or .357 revolver.  Until recently, the 357's were only available with compact  barrels that were apparently trimmed with a fire axe.  I mean the end of the barrel is literally an unfinished cut for some reason.  If you can get over that, they're better than nothing, but please just buy the full sized gun.
-Witness ($300-340): A full or compact copy of the CZ75.  The pocket model comes in 9mm or .380, the full size in 9mm.  Not a bad choice.
-The Bounty Hunter($400-426):  A Colt Single Action Army clone.  For when you absolutely, positively need a cowboy gun.  .357, 44 Magnum, or .45LC, with a 4.5” or 7.5” barrel.  Yes, you too can be John Wayne for right under $500.

1911 style pistols ($350-up)
This section went to the bottom of the list simply because it's such a broad category.  For those with absolutely no experience with guns—the 1911 was the standard sidearm of the US military from before the first world war all the way into the 80's.  It's an over-100-year-old design, as the model number suggests.  When you pick up a box of 45's and the side says “Automatic Colt Pistol,” this is literally the gun the cartridge was designed for.  It's the great-grandfather of nearly every automatic handgun on the market today (the Browning High Power is the more direct ancestor, but that's a story for another day).  The aftermarket is huge, magazines are widely available, and it comes in almost every caliber imaginable.  Towards the poorfag's end of the spectrum, choices are a little more limited.  Rock Island Arsenal was the go-to for years, but now companies like Girsan, ATI, and Iver Johnson have introduced their own sub-$500 guns in the last few years.  The most common calibers you can expect are .45ACP,  9mm, and .22LR; almost all guns in your price range are single stack only.  The bad news is, the really nice 1911's start at the upper end of the $600-700 range, but there's so much aftermarket crap for your gun it's almost a non-issue.  If you want something nostalgic, powerful, and downright fun to use, here's your gun.

*A note on Taurus
I'm placing this disclaimer here because it's the #1 sticking point for anyone reading this guide.  The prevailing opinion on Taurus guns is that quality is hit or miss, and there's a good reason why they're so cheap.  Some of us bought Taurus guns that weren't 100% as nice as we expected, some of us bought Taurus guns and they were just fine.  There's a ton of anecdotal evidence that says Taurus makes pipe bombs with triggers on them, while there's a ton of documented evidence showing that they're really just a company that makes cheap guns and produces way more than their fair share of dogs.  /k/ will swear on a stack of bibles that someone they knew somewhere had a Taurus that right out of the box was crap, but like everything, take it with a grain of salt.  Down at the bottom of this guide you'll find a list of guns to avoid like the plague—Vulcan Arms, Raven, Jimenez, etc.  Most of these companies were in business for a short time, then went bankrupt and never made a gun again.  Taurus has been selling guns for 40 years now.  I will admit that it's absolutely true their finish is subpar at best, and they're never going to be as good as a Smith or Glock.  However, I have never been in a shop that didn't sell a Taurus or a Rossi of some sort, and Taurus is recognized not only by owners but by the NRA and other large organizations as making decent firearms.  They have absolutely made bad guns, and there's video evidence out there of defects such as guns that fired when shook too hard, guns that have gone out of time right out of the box, even guns that have nonfunctioning safeties.  Like any gun sold, pick it up and look it over thoroughly before purchase.

Rifles

Ruger 10/22 ($200-$500)
Never shot a rifle before?  Can't spare crap tons of ammo money on your budget?  Need to mallninja your gun on the cheap?  10/22 is where it's at.  Classic design that's loved by gun owners across the nation, with many models that fill many niches.  Some complaints are the small mag release, the lack of a bolt hold-open, and meh triggers, but there's an aftermarket for that too.  Not that it helps much, seeing as Ruger sells the 10/22 in everything, from your basic-bitch wood stock and blued metal, all the way up to your spooky spec-ops banana clipazine takedown threaded folding stock model.

Marlin 60 ($160-250)
Want to go even cheaper on .22 shooting?  The 60 is a good choice.  No aftermarket, no detacheable magazine, but a basic, solid design that was being sold before your daddy could walk.  Archaic, and a little chintzy, but fun for all ages.  For a little extra, they do come with a nice stock and nicer metal finish.

Chiappa Badger ($170-200)
Normally, a single-shot .22 wouldn't really excite anyone.  But while the Badger does come as just another wood-stocked baby's first gun, it also comes as a backpacker model, complete with rails galore and an action that folds the gun mostly in half.  OK, it doesn't really work as a backpacker gun, but if you're secretly a guy with money to burn and want something cheap and interesting, this is pretty cool.

Hi-Point ($265-400)
Yes, they make a rifle too.  And with the prices of AR's as low as they are now, it's really hard to justify a Hi-point carbine... unless you live in a state that makes it hard to have a high-capacity semiauto firearm.  In which case, the Hi-Point carbine is actually a fantastic gun.  Same blowback principles, same low price, same mags, same warranty.  Of course they still do the package deals, with hydrodipping, optics, lasers, the works; they also come standard with top and bottom rails.  They come in 9mm, .40, .45, and yes, even 10mm.  Ugly like their pistol stablemates, but reliable and actually pretty fun to shoot.  Bonus:  Unless you go out of your way to get a 10mm, these guns are cheap to shoot.

Savage Axis ($270-450)
When you're ready to move to the big leagues, but don't have the money.  Comes in every common hunting round available, from .223 all the way to 7mm Magnum.  Yes, it comes in .308 and 30-06, as well as your favorite deer cartridge.  The thing that makes this gun shine is that out of the box it's 90% ready to rock—around the $300 mark, they start coming from the factory with a matched scope, taking a nice chunk off of your expenses seeing as some bolt guns don't even come with irons anymore.  All you need is a sighting in and a box of ammo.  There are better bolt guns out there, but not on this side of $500.

Mosin Nagant 91/30 ($350)
Like all milsurp, these have gone up in prices over the years, and there's not a lot of cheap surplus ammo like there used to be.  But they can still be found for $350, and they're great guns that all date back to the second world war.  Be forewarned, the Savage listed above is a far more practical rifle for the same money, and comes with the advantage of being brand new with a warranty.  If you’re going to go the Mosin route, you've got to do your research and know what to look for to keep yourself from buying a worn out rifle.

Other Military Surplus ($300-500)
This is here more as a precaution than a suggestion.  Military surplus tends to be more expensive than new guns.  That's just how it is today.  There's a few out there under the $300 mark, but not many.  And almost all of them are in cartridges that are expensive, obsolete, hard to find, or any combination of the three.  To make things worth, pricing is all over the place.  I have personally never seen an Enfield rifle in a shop for less than $450, and most of those were “sporterized” to hell and back.  Mausers have become a little harder to find, Mosins were snapped up by the crate-load as soon as Ukraine melted down, and US Surplus has been going up and up in value to the point that I honestly have never found anything remotely close to poorfag prices.  Maybe you'll get lucky and find an old 03 Springfield that's been molested beyond collectability, wrapped in a molded stock and taken down to the white by someone who half started a project, then decided it wasn't worth it.  But if it isn't ready to go off the rack, you can very easily find yourself looking at an expensive project that won't perform as well as a new rifle.

Marlin 336 ($400-500)
For the Cowboy in all of us.  Chambered in 30-30, this is a beloved deer gun up north, especially in Michigan (although the .35 Remington is the true Michigan cartridge... but we'll let that go for now).  Not much to say about this, other than it's a fun gun to shoot, although it's expensive to feed at $1/round.  Keep your eyes open for Rossi copies, dubbed the Rio Grande—for some reason, they never really caught on, but they're not bad guns.

AR15-BUILD IT YOURSELF ($350-whatever you can afford, dude)
I cannot emphasize how cheap it is to build an AR these days, and how necessary it is to do so.  Remember that every rifle on the streets is a rifle that can't be banned.  Saving a few hundred bucks can get your gun to you sooner, and make “them” that much less sure when the next AWB comes to congress.
“But Anon, I'm not a gunsmith!”
You don't have to be.  Palmetto State Armory makes completed uppers AND lowers that are 100% reliable and useable.  Don't listen to /arg/ or the many naysayers that will tell you a PSA rifle is garbage—it's not.  PSA outsources to known providers of components to the military and law enforcement, meaning you're still getting a quality gun, if a little rough around the edges.  They also sell mags on the cheap, as well as optics and ammo—pretty much every other weekend they're selling 1000 rounds of 223/556 for $300, shipping included.  Aside from PSA, there are lots of options out there for building a cheap AR.  /k/ usually can help guide you to the best spots, and more importantly what to avoid.

AK ($450-500)
Ten years ago, both an SKS and AK were good, cheap options.  Things have changed a lot since then. Most of the eastern European surplus has dried up, the good AK kits are getting harder to find, and the cheap surplus ammo has been banned.  Most Aks right now go right at the top of the $500 range to begin with, and only go up from there.  That isn't to say an AK is a bad choice; they're fantastic guns that have stood the test of time around the entire world.  But there's more than a few cheap ones out there that aren't worth the money—complaints have been fielded about Century Arm's CV32, the NPAP, and the AMD65—all guns that fall well within the $500 price range but might be a bad investment.  For consideration, PSA does make their own AK that isn't well received, but does come with their fairly decent return and exchange policy.

SKS ($300-450)
The SKS looks good on paper, even if they’re getting to be pricey... except that the cheapest ones go for $300, and you're usually looking at a Norinco export model made specifically for retail sale.  Meanwhile, an AR can be built for $350.  However, it is one of the few semi-auto guns that isn't hard to get in a ban state.  Prices will be different because of that, but if an AR/AK isn't an option, the SKS will do you good.  If it isn't in its original stock, with its original magazine, walk away.  Too many of these were turned “tactical” after a quick stroll through the Tapco catalog, and are just a pain in the ass to find original stocks for.

Guns to avoid

There's lots of cheap guns that are good, but there's a select few that range from useless to downright dangerous.  In addition, some of these guns just aren't enough bang-for-buck to make their way on the list.  This is not by far a comprehensive list, but a few infamous names are:  Raven, Rohm, Jimenez, Bryco, Jennings, Phoenix, Vulcan Arms, Cobra, and AMT.  In addition, as a rule stay away from any H&R break action revolvers, unless they're the old Trapper .22's.  They're almost all beat to shit and chamber only the most expensive, hard to find, and anemic revolver cartridges still available, if at all.

“I saw that gun online but I've never bought a gun through the internet.”
Don't panic!  Most if not all online gun vendors have a list of local FFLs that will do your transfer.  Some (like Buds Gun Shop) also list the last reported fee they charge.  Here's a breakdown for your first internet purchase:
-Find the gun you want, from the vendor you want to buy it from
-Select your FFL.  Don't see the guy you want to transfer through?  Call the shop you want to deal with, and ask them to send their FFL to the vendor.  Is the shop in question giving you static, trying to convince you to buy a gun from them instead?  It doesn't hurt to give them a visit, but if they're making the process any harder than it has to be (IE, charging a fee for transferring a gun they have in stock, quoting some exorbitant price then telling you they can work a deal, or otherwise giving you a hard time), hang up and call someone else.   Like I said, vendors keep a list of every FFL they've dealt with, most of which have no problem doing a transfer for you.
-Pay, and wait for your gun to arrive at your FFL
-Do your background check, pay the transfer fee (anywhere from $20-45 depending on the state and the area you're in), and walk out with your new gun.
That's it!  No “gun show loophole,” no back alley dealings.  Just a straight transfer, a fee, and if the price is right, you can grab your ammo on the way out too.
“But /k/omrade, who do I shop with?  There's so many options and I have no idea who'll fuck me sideways!”
There's a few companies /k/ has had good success with.  Here's a few:
-Classic Firearms.  Sweaty Ben is an OK guy that sometimes finds weird surplus and sells it cheap.  He was one of the last guys that snagged SKS's from overseas, and typically carries at least a few cool milsurp guns that are actually serviceable as a carry gun or innawoodsin' piece.  He also has some cheap AR barrels, if you're the kind of guy that wants to spend the time and money putting your AR together from pieces.
-Buds Gun Shop.  Every gun that's in current production, and they even offer layaway (don't fall for the meme; responisbly laying away a gun is perfectly fine).  They do occasionally do annoying things like put a gun you want on their “Team Buds” buyer only list, meaning if you haven't given them $35 to be part of their super secret buyer club, you're not allowed to order it.  Most of the time, however, this is temporary.  Most gun prices in this guide were taken straight from Buds, if only because they're kind of the defacto source for said gun prices.
-AIM Surplus.  These guys get a lot of police trade-ins, and occasionally get something cool, like weird Euro revolvers or a crateload of Jericho 941's.  Be forewarned, they occasionally get something cool in that sells out in minutes—by the time you open the email they sent you at 6am, the guns are already spoken for.  They also carry just about every accessory known to man, and sell ammo.
-Palmetto State Armory.  If you're ready to build your first AR, this is it.  They have daily deals that look awesome the first time you see them... then start getting boring when you realize they've been doing the exact same deals for years.  But they'll sell you a sort-of complete rifle for $350 (complete upper and lower, sold separately), and they sell ammo and mags like no tomorrow.  For about $500, you could put together an OK gun from them, and have enough ammo to sight it in.  They also sell a few other guns, and of course, accessories for your new range toy.

Black Powder
This gets brought up a lot in conversations about cheap guns.  Mostly because a black powder handgun can be bought for as little as $150 for a single shot kit, and for $350 or so you can get a revolver that comes “shooter ready”--ball, wad, caps, and a dipper, just needing powder to go to the range.  And, of course, they ship right to your door, no background check or FFL required.  However, black powder as a whole is a messy, slow, and sometimes aggravating process to the uninitiated.  In addition to this, you'll have to find a range that will let you shoot, because most if not all indoor ranges ban black powder outright.  Unless you have your own land, or know of an outdoor range that you can shoot at without being molested by an overzealous RO, you'll end up sinking a good chunk of money into a gun you'll rarely get to shoot.  By the time you've bought your third wondernine and are starting to get bored with modern firearms, you'll have a good appreciation for shooting as a sport and will find that black powder is a fun and cheap alternative to the high-speed-low-drag dynamic of today.  Until then, however, stick to modern guns.

Optics
Another hazy area of uncertainty for new shooters.  There's plenty of good red-dots out there, but there's also a lot of crap.  When it comes to proper rifle scopes?  I'll be honest, you're better off asking /k/.  For right now, here's my advice:  Holosun, Vortex, Bushnell, and Aimpoint all make good glass within a $500 budget.  Expect to pay at a minimum $150 for something you're not going to hate.  Keep your receipt.

Common calibers and what to expect
*A WORD OF CAUTION:  Be careful to NEVER RUN +P AMMO IN A GUN THAT ISN'T MARKED FOR IT.  At best, you'll wear the gun down faster than normal, at worst you'll turn your new favorite toy into a hand grenade—emphasis on “hand” because it's going to be in yours when it goes off.  If buying new, the manual that comes with your gun with explicitly state whether or not it's +P rated.  When in doubt, err to the side of caution and ask questions.  Also remember that even in a gun rated for it, +P is still going to beat it harder than regular ammo.  Smith and Wesson retroactively rated all their Model 10 revolvers as +P capable... but do you really want to wear out a nice old gun?  +P is definitely best reserved for when the moment calls for it.

Another word of caution:  Bullet Setback is a real thing, and can create catastrophic failure.  When a gun is racked, the cartridge slams into a feedramp which tends to push the bullet back towards the casing.  Now think of how often you might load your gun before you CC, and how many times you make the gun safe after you get home.  Or how about when you leave your gun loaded in your night stand, but unload the magazine to take it to the range because Tula is way cheaper than Critical Defense.  Once or twice isn't going to hurt the cartridge, but multiple times will run the risk of pushing the bullet into the casing.  Modern gunpowder (smokeless gunpowder) burns at an exponential rate, and with less room to burn, chamber pressure will spike, sometimes above and beyond what the gun is expected to handle.  My best advice?  Buy an extra mag for “around the house,” and never rack a round more than once.  After you extract it, throw it in a box somewhere to be burned on the next range trip.

.22 Long Rifle (LR)
A cartridge that has it's roots from all the way before the civil war.  When Smith and Wesson introduced their first cartridge revolver, it was in the .22 Short, from which this cartridge is directly developed.  Today, these rounds are sold by the bucket.  While absolutely horrid for self defense, it's a great round for practice and varmint hunting, and it's cheap.  It's also an easy round to stockpile, as you can buy literally thousands of rounds for less than $100.  If you want to practice often and get good, a .22 is your best friend.  Buyer Beware:  Though not common, there are variations on this cartridge that will give you a headache if you try to feed them through your gun.  They are:  .22 Short, .22 Long, and .22 Magnum.  They're fairly hard to find (especially .22 Short) but make sure to read the packaging before you buy.

.25 Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP)/ 6.35 Browning
I'll be honest with you, it's really not worth it.  Barely more powerful than a .22, harder to find than any other centerfire pistol round (outside of calibers like 7.63 Mauser and 9mm Largo), there's absolutely no reason to get a gun in this caliber.  Hi-Point didn't even bother to chamber a gun in this caliber, and they made a rifle in 10mm auto, a round nigh impossible to find on a gun store shelf.  When you get bit by the collecting bug, there's a whole slew of older Brownings and Colts in this caliber that you'll want, but for practical purposes it's not good.

.32 ACP/7.65 Browning
A cartridge from the early days of autoloading pistols.  For the first half of the 1900's, this was incredibly popular.  Today, it's been surpassed by the .380 in our neck of the woods, and today's options for ammo are a little limited.  It's still an adequate round for self-defense against the common thug, but there's better options.

.380 ACP / 9mm Kurz
Developed as a lighter, friendlier version of the 9mm Luger, this actually isn't a bad cartridge.  While more expensive than its larger sibling, it's a nice, light caliber out of pocket guns, and it will hurt whatever's on the other end, especially with today's self defense bullets.

9mm Luger/Parabellum/x19/NATO
The caliber that gave us one of the first practical pistols from the turn of the century.  There's a lot of history here, but the important part is that this is probably the most popular handgun cartridge across the world.  Nearly every military trusts it, most police departments are switching back to it, and it's damn near impossible to find a store that doesn't have at least one box.  It's the best blend of power to size; most double stack handguns in this cartridge hold at a minimum 14 round and go as high as 18.  A great cartridge for a beginning shooter.

9mm Largo
If you see a gun marked with this ammo, understand ammo is a bitch to find.  These guns are usually collector-only tier, and not practical for daily use.  But when you get your finances flowing better (and you are working on that, aren't you?), and you want to expand your collection to “cool” stuff, they're fun guns to own.

.40 Smith and Wesson
This one is hard to peg.  Is it a bad cartridge?   No, not at all.  Is it a great cartridge?  No... not at all.  A cartridge born out of a compromise, it never really shone until the Assault Weapon ban of 1994, in which all handgun magazines could only hold ten rounds.  The prevailing logic was that if you could only have ten, you might as well have ten big ones.  The classic selling point of a .40 is that it's more powerful than a 9mm without sacrificing much capacity.  In reality, it doesn't offer a significant power advantage over a 9mm, which kind of negates the capacity argument.  But it'll kill something just as dead, and if you see a great deal on a gun in .40S&W, there's no reason to let it go.  Rounds are a little bit more expensive, but just as widely available as 9mm.

.45 ACP
A cartridge that's been around about as long as the 9mm, and for just as good reason.  If the 9mm's selling point is magazine size, then the .45's selling point is that whatever's on the end is guaranteed to take a severe beating.  There aren't a lot of people out there that can take a .45 to the chest and keep doing whatever it was that they were doing to get shot in the first place.  The tradeoff is that most magazines are going to be limited to about 10 rounds, even in a double stack offering.  Single stack?  You're looking at about 8 rounds, max.  If you don't mind losing about half as many rounds, the .45 is definitely going to do the job right.

.38 Smith and Wesson Special
The classic revolver cartridge.  While no powerhouse, it's a solid round that'll put hurt into someone.  And if you absolutely have to have a revolver, these are pretty much the standard of pocket guns.  Newer guns can handle the +P ammo that's available now, and out of a snubby it'll ruin someone's day.

.357 Magnum
Derived from the .38 Special, the .357 is a more powerful cartridge made in the days where a .38 might not make it through a car door.  Out of a full sized barrel (4” or more),  it's fairly powerful.  However, in a snub nosed gun, most of the powder doesn't burn before the round leaves the barrel, resulting in a terrific fireball but marginal improvement over the venerable 38.  The nice thing about 357's is that they can be loaded with the cheaper .38 special, including +P rounds.

.44 Special
Charter Arms is pretty much the only company making guns in this caliber, which is a good enough reason to avoid it.  The history of the .44 special is the same for the .38 and the .357—a once-popular revolver cartridge bumped into magnum territory to make a new, more powerful round, the .44 Magnum.  But unlike the .38, ammo can be a pain to find.  They never really stayed popular like the .38 for some reason, and even the .44 Magnum is starting to taper off because the .357 is “enough.”  The chances of a .44 special being the only gun available to you are pretty slim, so never mind this one.

.44 Magnum
As mentioned above, a bigger and meaner version of a smaller cartridge.  Taurus sells a Tracker in .44 mag that's of a decent quality, but ammo is expensive.  Like, prohibitively so.  Just like the .38 and .357, .44 Special can be used as a cheaper plinking round... if you can find it.  Scratch your Dirty Harry itch later, when you have the money to pay $1/round for a handgun.

Rifle Cartridges
This section is very small, because to be very honest there's so many different rifle cartridges out there, it's more difficult to find the ones that are important than it is to dismiss the ones that aren't.  I covered a few that I personally have owned, shot, and liked.  As always, do research, ask /k/ nicely, and think about what it is you actually want to DO with the gun.  Rifle rounds aren't as straightforward as pistol or even shotgun—do you want to learn to shoot long-range, or are you more interested in the closer stuff?  Are you looking for high-speed-low-drag, or good ol' boy treestand hunting?  Are you hunting with this, and if so how serious are you going to be?  Nothing sucks harder than dropping hundreds of dollars into a rifle, sighting it in with expensive ammo, then realizing that your 7mm Magnum is way overpowered for whitetail deer at 40 yards.

.223 Remington/5.56 NATO
Once upon a time, running 5.56 in your AR was a risky proposition, if you were unfortunate enough to have picked one up with a .223 barrel reaming.  Today, that's not really a problem.  Anything with a 5.56 NATO or .223 Wylde chambered barrel is A-OK to go blasting with.  On that note, the cartridges themselves are pretty good little varmint whackers, be they four or two legged.  You can't really reach out and touch someone, which is really what this round was designed specifically not to do.  It's cheap enough that it makes the purchase of even a relatively expensive AR or similar rifle worth it on ammo cost alone.

7.62x39mm
When you need to ambush pimple-faced blond American GI's by light of a signal flare, accept no substitutes.  Serving from 1945 to today, it's similar in performance to the 30-30 but comes in the ever popular AK and SKS platform.  Cheap, as long as steel cased imports are still available, but time has proven that anything that isn't domestic is at risk.

30-06
A cartridge that's over a century old, and would tell stories for just as long if it could talk.  From the trenches of Europe to the grasslands of Montana, this has remained popular for its ability to get things done.  It'll take almost any kind of venison, but can be overpowered for closer encounters.  If you're looking to get into real long-range shooting, this is a good place to start, if only because there's so much data and different ammo available.

.308
A better solution for closer range hunting.  Developed from the Savage cartridges of yore, this is actually a pretty good beginner cartridge for the aspiring Elmer Fudd.  It's cheaper than the .30-06 listed above, and comes with just as many flavors of bullets, loadings, and fuddlore.  Not recommended for those that want to reach out and touch someone.

Shotgun rounds
There's really only two that matter in this day and age—12 and 20. 12 will always have a richer market, with better loadings and more “cool stuff,” but 20 is lighter on the shoulder while being just as devastating to ducks, deer, and thieves.  However, in recent years the 20 has been fading in popularity.  As it turns out, the 12 isn't as hard on shoulders as some are led to believe, and while 20 is actually a great slug gauge, it just doesn't quite do what the 12 can.
As a general rule of thumb, buck for big animals, bird for small.  Birdshot for home defense is a bad idea.  Slugs are a good way to turn your cheap shotgun into a decent deer gun, so long as you choke properly and don't try running magnum slugs out of your grandpappy's Stevens.  The nice thing about shotguns is that most modern guns will eat anything you throw at them.
Aside from the two mentioned above, there's two more calibers I mentioned earlier that bear mention--.410 and 16 gauge.  .410 is a great caliber for squirrel, rabbit, and other small animals.  Aside from that, if you need to have a Taurus Judge for whatever reason, there's some pretty decent pistol-oriented loads out there that are actually pretty damn good out of that little revolver.  As for the 16, it's one of those “just perfect” rounds that ended up dying due to the versatality of other gauges.  16 is a fantastic clay gun round, and similarly is great for all manners of rodents you find on the farm.  But 12 was a little more useful, and the 20 for one reason or another surpassed the 16.  Today, there's a slew of older shotguns in 16 that can be had dirt cheap, but the ammo is harder to find and more expensive.  When you move from “I need a gun for bla” to the enviable “I have money to start collecting,” a 16 is a must have (especially an A5 from back in the day, they didn't call them “sweet little sixteen” for nothing).  Until then, focus on buying something that's cheap to feed so you can git gud.
Also, I shouldn't have to say this, but don't bother with 10 gauge.  You just don't have the money, and if you need that much power, there's 3.5” 12's for a reason.

Remember that this is just a guide.  There are plenty of good deals on guns that aren't listed here.  Walk around, check out your local stores, and if you're not sure, ask /k/ in the QTDDTOT thread.  Personally,  I find that pawn shops are a great spot to get a good deal.  Most pawn shops don't like to invest a lot of money in stock, and don't like to hang on to something for too long.  Translation:  They buy and sell cheap to make their money fast.  I've seen lots of really good deals in pawn shops, and most owners will be willing to make a deal to get your money out of your pocket and into theirs.  Just remember to check guns thoroughly, and if something doesn't look right, don't be afraid to walk away.