Get a Savage or a Marlin. You will have to spend more money on upgrades to get a Ruger to shoot as well as a Savage or Marlin right out of the box. The old Mossbergs are ok, but the triggers are not.
The 10/22 can be a bottomless last-fraction-of-an-MOA chasing rabbit hole. They shoot fine out of the box. There's a TON of free, cheap & aftermarket parts that help them shoot better. If you like to tinker, this is your gun.
If you want more accuracy and don't want to tinker, get a 77/22 (classic bolt) or a Ruger precision 22 (modern tactical).
Henry lever guns! Those are loads of fun.
S&W 15/22. AR15 style. Very fun. Not real accurate.
Tippmann M4-22 AR. Very accurate. AR15 style.
Are you plinking for general marksmanship or trying to drill a specific manual of arms? I just sold one of my 10/22s to finance a Tippmann for this reason.
I have never liked the old Mossbergs, in feel or look.
Of all the 22's that i have shot i would have to recommend the Henry classic lever 22 as one of my favorites. It comes with me almost every time I go to the range and it is easy to teach anyone how to shoot it. I use it to introduce new shooters to rifles.
You've never really had any class.
I'm a small group chasing junkie. I sometimes spend too much time & $ trying to get a poor platform working up to my standards. That's all too easy to do with a 10/22 & a S&W 15/22 imo.
I'm trying to get my guns to hold a consistent 1.5-3.5 MOA group size but prefer sub MOA of course. Who wouldn't?
I've been modding a 10/22 for a while now trying to shoot dimes at 100 yards, unsupported, prone position. I've trying to beat the guys shooting the >$5k kits without spending that in mods myself. Everyone's goals can be different of course.