I'm going to go against the grain and advise that you get a rifle that really appeals to you.

My fist firearm was a Mosin Nagant 1891/30 that I picked up for $145 at SIR. I really wanted a Lee Enfield but I didn't want to make my first firearms purchase over the internet and the local supply of Enfields, at least at major retailers, was nil. Having nobody to guide me, I bought the Mosin because it was close enough. I like my Mosin well enough, but I like my Enfields far more for reasons that have nothing to do with the rifle's performance or ammo.

I would suggest to you that you find out what about a milsurp rifle appeals to you. Is it history, looks, country of origin, familial connection, performance, or is cost a significant factor. Giving us an idea of what you're looking for would help.

I'm not sure from what experience you come from, but I'm going to assume you own other guns. Milsurp shooting and reloading goes hand in hand out of necessity and expense. Current availability of cheap surplus ammo is limited to 7.62x39 (SKS), and 7.62x51 NATO. I highly recommend that you get involved in reloading. If this is not possible, I would suggest staying with a rifle that shoots commercially available ammo. I'm going to assume you're from Canadaicon, at which point I'd recommend an Enfield that shoots .303, an SKS that shoots 7.62x39, a Garandicon that shoots 30-06, or a Mauser that shoots 6.5mm (Swedishicon) or 8mm (Germanicon). If you reload, and don't mind paying a premium for brass depending on the caliber, the sky's the limit.

As to buying a milsurp, CGN is pretty good but prices can vary from the obscene to steals. I have not personally bought from P&S, but Jean at P&S Militaria is very highly recommended. He's not cheap, but you'll be getting a good quality product.

Oh, and I second the 'you will make mistakes' advice. I stripped the finish on my Mosin and applied a clear coat polyurethane. Heck, when I bought Claven's NRF SMLE last fall I hadn't even heard of NRF (rumor has it they're somewhat rare).