Thanks for the suggestions you all made. I would have responded sooner but i took off south for a couple days for the last week of muzzleloader here in NY. No luck incase your wondering. My 300 win mag is a savage and its all synthetic stock on it. It wieghs only a few pounds and i think thats why i does a number on my shoulder. I can shoot shotguns all day long minus a 10 gauge. My plan for next year is to purchase the right bullets and practice till i feel comfortable with the gun so i can make good shots. Thanks!