Even before the greed and covid taxes, it is hard and a bigger hobby than you think to set up with the never ending list of must haves.
I was going to start with a cheap .22 like a Savage or Marlin but a few hundred more got me a CZ. Cry once and got a 22 for life. I laughed at what they wanted for 2nd hand guns and lots are duds that blokes just sell, it's a suss thing and I found it better to buy new in stock rifles on sale. Everyone needs a 22, so why not buy one first and send thousands of rounds of cheap ammo through it.
I shot mine for over 6 months and was shopping for a shotty. The Akkar was about $1,200 but shotties have to fit and handle well and when I picked up a Beretta Silver pigeon, I knew it was for me and got one on sale. Shooting clays the cheap ones may give problems but should go fine in the field not shooting as many rounds.
If you go one project at a time you can put the thought into the next and not make the common mistakes like buying a varmint and a 6-24 power scope to hike in the hills for 6 hours with. Also think hard on cal choices for the same reasons.