Two thoughts...

1) Get an SKS. Despite the recent price increases, they're still so cheap that there's hardly any excuse not to get one. I have two caveats, however. First, the milsurps SKSs on the market right now are almost all Yugoslavian, which are laden with useless grenade launcher attachments and don't have chrome-lined barrels; IMHO you should spend a little extra time and comb the gun shops for a Russian or Norinco. Second, I'd avoid detachable magazines, either the aftermarket add-on type or the Norinco factory production type. Both have a reputation for unreliability, and the fixed magazine can be loaded plenty fast with stripper clips.

2) Look at a Saiga .308. It's a .308Win detachable-mag semi-auto based on a scaled-up Kalashnikov action produced by Izhmash in Russia. It's designed to skirt the ban on imported EBRs so it can be imported with 100% gin-yoo-wine quality Russian parts (i.e. no chintzy importer-installed "compliance parts" ). It's not as accurate as most modern US-produced bolt guns or an M1A, but it's certainly good for less than 1 MOD (Minute of Deer) and it would make a dandy SHTF gun with the available hi-cap mags. The main problems are (a) most were imported with dreadful hollow black plastic furniture that exudes about the same level of quality as early 90s Kia or Daewoo interior trim*, and (b) there were some serious distribution problems last year that created a backlog prior to the post-election rush, so supply is iffy and prices have been driven up from ~$400 to $550+. It's still a good deal though.

*A handful came over with nice-quality wood, but good luck finding one.