Yes, good points. My point was simply that if the purpose was to show that someone new to hunting doesn't have to spend a fortune, then the prices have to reflect what is in the realm of possibility for a new hunter. I would think that a good deal that comes around once in a great while is okay as long as it is recent enough to be relevant. Prices from 40 years ago, or heck, even 10 years ago aren't really relevant.There are more than a few variables to consider. My example admittedly is not what somebody getting into hunting can expect. If they have to foot the bill themselves $5 ain't gonna cut it obviously. But there other good rigs that can be had for $350 or less, depending on the deal you find and what your hunting conditions may be. You can buy a used Marlin 30-30 and put an old Weaver k4 on it for under $350 all day long and that is certainly an acceptable deer rig.
You can buy a Remington 870 (or Mossberg) for less than $350 too, which will do a lot for you.
Also if you have time to wait you can find good deals. I bought a Winchester Model 70 chambered in 270wsm at the last gun show I was at for $335. It's in perfect condition, came with Leupold rings/base and a Pentax 3-9x scope. Most people aren't interested in that caliber, but if you really are on a budget you need to kinda take what you can get. I would have preferred a 7mm mag myself, but for the price I took it. I'm gonna handload for it either way so the 270wsm caliber is not a big deal. Now do these deals come up every day? Heck no. You gotta waste a bunch of time online or on backpage.com or gun shows or whatever until you find one. IF you are willing to do all of that then you can find a good rig for the money.
$350 can scrape you by, but you probably aren't buying new and your optics are gonna be low end. It depends on how bad you wanna go I guess.
Then you have all the other expenses; ammunition, range time, binoculars, gas, camping gear, knife...there's more than just the rifle to worry about
Also, a sweetheart deal that your buddy/grandpa gave you isn't realistic. I think the key question is, if you had to sell the rifle in question, what would you consider a fair price?