Another vote for the Marlin 336 preferably one manufactured before the cross blot safety which to me spoils the look of the receiver. I bought mine in early Oct. and absolutely love it, It's a 1971 336 chambered in .35 Rem, It's an absolute blast to shoot and shoots very well with the Williams 5D receiver sight on it. You should be able to pick up a used 336 in .30 WCF for under $400 which leaves you at least $350 for ammo or dies and components if you reload. Average price for .30-30 ammo here is about $20/box on sale so that translates to about 17 boxes of ammo (340 rounds). Plenty of practice ammo and if you reload you can load more than that.
Here's mine before the receiver sight:
Stu