RE: Gun/Scope question...
Tasco makes good scopes if you get a "world class" or "world class plus" other than that they leave a lot to be desired.
I have a pair of world calss pluss binos I got a couple of years ago for next to nothing and they hqave performed very well for me. No problems at all.
Also for $200 I would forget about a bottom of the line Leupold and get a Bushnell elite 3200 for under $200. The Nikon buckmaster is a good scope but it has a two piece tube and the bushnell is a one piece that uses titanium alloy instead of alluminum.