Not what you're looking for... but fun to look at...
Go to Wal Mart or K-Mart.
Buy a Marlin .30-.30 lever action.
You will have it for life.
First things first. How much money are you looking to spend?
Use slugs in your Mossberg. Save the money.
I hear good things about the remington 700 series.
A good beginner rifle would be a Remington 7600, comes various calibers (I would recommend the 30.06 or the .270, but it really depends on what you'll be hunting), it's a pump action rifle.
I use a Remington 700 BDL in 7mm Rem Mag. Can't go wrong there. Roughly $700.
I also own a Marlin 30-30 Lever Action, roughly 300 bucks, good rifle, but not the the gem the Remington is.
I recommend a metal rifle.
Tell me what you will be hunting for first.
Rule #1: the firearm should be sized for the expected game. What is good for a 300 pound deer would be inadequate for a 1000 pound elk or moose. All firearms are accurate enough if you are within the range. Long shots are frowned upon, as are shots in heavy brush.
You huntin' heffalumps, or woozles?
Not what you're looking for... but fun to look at...
Where are you hunting? You might be restricted in what you can carry. Back east, there are areas where you can only use slugs. Even if you can carry a rifle, there is nothing wrong with slugs if you are hunting in timber or if you will be shooting less than 100 yards.
A decent bolt action in 30-06 is good medicine for about any medium/large game in the states. Remington 700 has a good reputation.
I get most of my deer with a bumper attached to detroit steel.
I'd get a .308 if you want to spend hours on the range. You can get cheap, military surplus rounds for playing around, and get a box or two of high quality rounds for deer hunting. Just my 2 cents worth anyway.
What is your quarry? Squirrels or rhinos?
The 6.5x55 has a mild recoil and is a flat shooting round with real good penetration power.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/shooting/article/0,13199,1139635,00.html
Field & Stream list of best used deer guns.
save your money...
good luck
"Need Advice on Hunting Rifles"
1) Always hunt for rifles in the early dawn hours.
2) Be very quiet as the pistols will alert the rifles as to your presence.
3) Smear deer urine (or any urine) on yourself. If unavailable, use gun cleaning oil.
4) Be careful that the rifle doesn't get you in it's sites before you target them.
They've got Remington 700's with a scope for less than $300 here in Texas. The synthitic stocks are great because they weigh so little.