If you want a beater build a palmetto state armory. Put mine together for $540 with a chrome lined 1 in 7 barrel.Put a DNZ mount and vortex 2-7x32. Any dpms in the lower price range will not have a chrome lined barrel.
Modded 7.62x54r because somtimes the bad guy tries to hide behind shit...
That's when my .338 lapua comes out to play
Boss has one of those, its a nice shooting gun. Too rich for my blood, i have a whoping $180 in that mosin, building an archangle now. I just have become addicted to those russian guns. Its fun to work on them, polishing the bolt shaving some here and there to see what helps and what doesnt. And it alot easier to replace a cheap gun then a big dollar one
Chrome lined doesn't meean it's "better". A 1-7 barrel also limits you to some pretty heavy bullets. Not going to be the greatest for 55 grain plinking. Unless your doing competition shooting with matchgrade 70+ grain ammo I would either stick with a 1-9 or 1-8 twist.