A few years ago, I would have said without a doubt to save the money and go with the SKS. I have changed my mind. Years ago you could pick up a brand new Chinese SKS for $79 out the door, they have at least doubled in price since then, AK's are only a bit more expensive, back in the early nintes you could get a brand new MAK90 for about $210. The SKS is a great rifle, I have some, including two SKS-M models with the factory AK mag conversion that I paid well under two hundred bucks for each, back when I bought those (I already had a couple regular SKS rifles) I had no interest in owning an AK, and could not im imagine paying that much for one. Ever since I bought my first AK the SKS's have been sitting in the safe unused, I still like them but they just don't stack up well to an AK when it comes time to take something out to shoot. You mentioned hunting, the AK does have a shorter barrel than the SKS, but even if you had a three foot long barrel the cartridge they fire just won't cut it much past 150yds, at that range the AK will shoot as well or better than the SKS. Plus if you change your mind and decide you do want a scope, a SAR-1 is already set up for it, and well the most popular method of mounting optics on an SKS leaves something to be desired, and the less popular methods can get expensive if you can't do the drilling and tapping yourself.
As was already stated, the SKS will set you back $175(for one in like new condition), another $50 minimum for a synth stock, and maybe another $45-100 to mount a scope if you want to, and in the end you will have a rifle with all the drawbacks of an AK without most of its benefits. As far as the magazines go, there are plenty of five and ten round mags available (I believe that a NIB SAR-1 comes with one) for cheap, and they are still damn near giving away the thirty rounders, with the SKS you can use on of the available duck bill thirty rounders that will probably work fine, for about thirty bucks. Plus if the AWB does sunset your SAR-1 is an American rifle and could be reconfigured anyway you like as long as you watch your parts count, while the C&R eligible SKS is foreign and will still be subject to the executive orders concerning foreign assault wepons.