Those are $550 for a heavily-used model -- and even then you cannot get them for a few months. http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Rifles/m1garand.htm#Service For that money, you have a lot of other options.

Don't get me wrong. I would LOVE to have an M1. The Springfield SOCOM looks pretty nice. But, unless you know some bargain-hunting tips that I don't (which may be possible), those are NOT for a person on a budget.

The original poster asked about a single-shot rifle that (if memory serves me correctly) goes for well under $200.

Also, note to Feral. If you are thinking about getting food, just go for the Rossi. You can trade up later when you have more money. For defensive use, as others have stated, you should be able to get an SKS for around $200 that has never been fired. You will need to spend hours cleaning out the cosmoline and polishing the wood -- but to some people that is fun. Those things also simply cannot take a scope unless you buy an expensive mount or are willing to cut the wood (ruining the collector value). Cheap scope mounts, the ones that replace the top cover, are simply junk as they will shift around after each shot. But an SKS is affordable, and they are fun to shoot. Just check for the legality in your area. Yugoslavian SKSs have been common lately. They have a bayonet and grenade launcher, which may be illegal in your area. But if you "modify" the barrel so that the launcher and bayonet can never be attached again, you should be OK. But I think that there are some states that outlaw the "evil" top gas tube.