I've messed with the milsurps off and on for more yars than I care to count and sure as God made little green apples, you get one and it won't be long before you want to "upgrade" it.
Case in point, the year was 1957 and my whole take home pay was $75 a week. A bit more if I got some overtime. I bought a very cherry 1917 Enfield by Winchester for $25.00. That's real old timey solid American dollars BTW, not the current funny money prined by the feds. Well first thin I did was get rif of the handguardm shoerten the fron part of the stock and hunted it that way for a year. I then dropped it off and my friendly gun smith who shortened that 26" Barrel to 22" put it in a Bidhop of fjen sporter stock, I forget which, driled and tapped it and mounted a Weaver El Paso scope on the gun. Those ugly ears were also ground off the rifle. If memory serves the final tarfiff was just a bit over $250 solid American money. That rifle cost me just under 3.5 weeks of hard work. My latest custom on a milsurp is my .280 Rem. on a 1909 Argentime Mauser ithat I had done two years ago. THat one ran me $3,500 and change and the gunsmith gave me a break on the job because I'd sent some business his way, not to mention all the work he's done for me. Based on what I was making when I retired, that gun cost just about 4 weeks of labor. As custom rifles go, mine are peanuts compared to a darcy Echols or david Miller gun. Those run in the $20,000 and up range for a full bore go all the way rifle. Echols has something like a 10 year wait for one of his guns. Guess than even if I had the money I'd pass. At 75 I doubt I'd live ong enough to see the finished gun.
There is a gentleman who goes by the name of Bullet on a coupe of forums who did a review of the marlin XL7 and Ruger American. His opinion was that the Marlin was the better of the two but either one was a good rifle. I'm guessing the Marlin just felt a little better to him. How a rifle feels can be vey important to the shooter. One day while cruising a gun show, I spotted someone's custom .35 Whelen at an estate sale. Very nice looking rifle. Forearm and grip cap solid elephant ivory, excellent chechering so I sked to see it. I snapped it to my shoulder and the fit was so perfect that when he told me the price, I didn't even bother to haggle. On the three hunting trips I've used it, it's been a very lucky rifle. Didn't get a deer on that hunt although I could have taken one. Problem was the buck was standing with a bunch of does. easy shot that would have taken thar deer and probably a couple of does as well. Never saw another legal buck that I wanted. On the other two hunts for elk the gun is two for two fo two. Two shots, two elk on two hunts.
I know money can be tight. Been there and done that. The thing is, get the vey best you can afford and live with. Forget the milsurps. By the time you scope it (gunsmiths ain't cheap. Mine charges $20 a hole.)
You might want ti hit the gun shows. You can find some very good deals there.
Paul B.