you wrote that "gun kicks like a mule so it's hard to shoot " [1] get a LIMBSAVER RECOIL PAD ....buy 2 boxes of amo of the same make and grain ..put your rifle on sandbags at the range ,scope on 8x at 100yds and fire a group of 3 to see how it groups ..other posibility cheap bases ,rings and scope if they move u will never get good groups ..also if u fear the recoil and anticipate the recoil you will always FLINCH ..get a .243 rifle for deer hunting it has almost no recoil ..