To get a basic no frills rifle that will work great and shoot great... I would suggest you look at the NEF Sidekick or the H&R Huntsman. They basicially are the same rifle with a few minor differences.

They are a break open design which makes cleaning easy, 1:28 twist for shooting sabots or conicals, have fiber optic sights, and a great track record, a great safety record, and are American made. The last I saw the sidekick, it was being sold for around $159.00.

There are cheaper rifles out there, some as low as $89.00. These are actually a good shooting rifle but some of them have some other issues that some hunters/shooters are very concerned about, and with good reason. The topic that I am talking about is barrel pressure testing issues.... I own one of those rifles in question. I shoot it. It is a good shooting rifle. Would I buy another one??? I'd have to think on that.

I would also stick with a .50 caliber rifle. They have a great selection of projectiles for them and will do everything you need them to do...

Some other rifles to watch for on sale are T/C Black Diamonds and Knight Wolverines (or other Knight products)..

One other option is to check the used market. You can pick up some pretty good rifles for a good price there.