I've spent a fair amount of time shooting in the course of my life, but never took it seriously. Never spent much time shooting rifles, mainly pistols. So I'm kind of lost when it comes to terminology for a lot of the parts. So I apologize for some of my ignorance and I may ask some stupid questions. I bow hunt, but I'm looking for a way to spend some more time shooting with my dad who is getting older. I have decent mechanical skills, shop, and tools. Just missing this niche knowledge. That said...

I picked up this Stevens 110E 30-06 for a pretty decent price. Stock seems a bit beat up, but barrel and "action" (?) seem in pretty good shape. I'm never worried about pretty, just function. I spent some time Sunday at the range with it, and it shoots pretty good. The trigger is absolutely miserable. It kicked my shoulder to the point where it wasn't fun to shoot anymore.

I have a couple questions. I investigated the trigger a bit after watching some youtube videos. Adjusting it didn't seem to help much. If I took any tension off the spring, the trigger wouldn't engage at all. With no tension on it, it was very gritty and didn't really like moving. Should I just ditch it and get an aftermarket? I don't mind spending money in the name of making a day at the range more enjoyable.

The plates that the scope rings bolt to, what are they called? Do they look right in these pictures? Everything related to mounting the scope seem kind of cobbled together and kind of mangled. What would be the correct way to mount this, and am I able to remove and remount a scope without losing the accuracy I established at the range the other day?

Of course the recoil took all the fun out of the day, so I was looking at the Pachmayr Slip on Recoil pad. Is this a worthwhile investment? Seems cheap enough. Also, my local sporting goods store had limited 30-06 loads. Is there a reputable place on the internet to get reduced recoil loads?

I'll stop with the questions for now. I have a dozen more...