'Good' is relative in this, I'm afraid.
You can get soft point ammunition made by Sellier and Bellot (which Winchester packs into its own boxes- don't waste your money), as well as Norma, Brown Bear (steel cased and HEAVY bullets), and Igman is still available from Aimsurplus.com.
I say good is relative, because that's pretty much all that is available for 7.62x54r. These rifles are still commonly used for hunting in eastern Europe (around the globe, really), and ballistically they are close enough to 30-06 for you to make a judgement based on that cartridge's capabilities.
You can roll your own cartridges of course, using .310 or .311 diameter bullets, which are made by Sierra and a few others, in a variety of styles.
Really, softpoint will do a number on anything you'll try killing in North America and North Europe for that matter. I wouldn't try African game with it, but you could do worse. Bambi is dead, dead, dead with any softpoint in this caliber you put on target, have no doubts.
As far as stumbling blocks... the rifle itself comes in a variety of versions. There is the M91 and M91/30, which are commonest full length rifles. Then there are the M38 and M44, the carbine-length ones, and all of these can be found with excessive ease where-ever surplus rifles are sold, for under $100 or even under $70 in many cases.
Then there are the Finnish variants, which are harder to find. The most common of these lately are Finn-capture M91/30 rearsenals, and the complete-rework M39s. All of these have excellent accuracy.
All of these versions should be checked thoroughly before purchase if possible, for worn barrels, cracks in the wood, rusting spots, the general wear and tear stuff. Look inside the muzzle crown to see if it has been drilled-out during re-arsenaling to compensate for cleaning rod wear, or if there are any gouges in the crown that will affect accuracy.
Accuracy with these rifles varies widely based on the particular piece. All could shoot a couple MOA or better when produced, and sniper or Finn versions will do better. You will have a hard time finding a nice-looking specimen that won't shoot well enough to take a deer at open-sight ranges (for me, 150 yards is the limit- need new glasses).
The sights are archaic at best, though the Finns made the best version for their M39s. Practice will be required, and it should be noted that each brand of 7.62x54r will usually have a different point of impact for various reasons.
Putting a scope on is possible, though quite a bit of work that may not be worth it to your brother. The easiest way to do so is to acquire a Scout Mount scope, which replaces the rear sight leaf, and a pistol or long-eye-relief scope in whatever power suits him. There are also kits for putting on a standard scope, but that requires a modified bolt, and drilling and tapping the receiver, which is quite a bit more work.
So, here's what you do:
Find a good looking rifle that doesn't have a lot of use wear or damage.
Get some softpoint ammo wherever, online is cheapest; I recommend Aim Surplus, because I use them. YMMV.
Practice with it, and if necessary adjust the sights.
Have fun, and enjoy a piece of world history.