I wasn't sure if I should start this here or in Sports (many people think shooting falls along those lines), but ultimately I decided here was best after RC-1136 said we needed to start one as evidently there are a few of us who like this. I thought it was a great idea.
My background into firearms is that I grew up with them. Probably the biggest tradition in my area growing up with the week at the end of November when everyone got together to deer hunt. I can still remember the buckwheat breakfast my grandma would make before everyone went out. Being able to join that breakfast as a hunter myself the first time is one of my fondest kid memories. I still deer and turkey hunt, not as much as I used too, but I still go a few days to remember my heritage if you will.
Tack on a stint in the army and being a certified hunter safety instructor in WV I have found I just enjoy a good built firearm, optic, and shooting as much as anything anymore. My latest fun has been with my first pistol purchase, a Canik Tp9Sfx. I have wanted one for a long time (I am mainly a rifle guy) and after doing a lot of research and wanting to use a holo site (for me Burris Fastfire 3) this one seemed like a good bet. The set up and mounting of the optic was simple as was the takedown to clean it before I fired it for the first time. Here is a better look at it and my first grouping with it at 25 yards (it took me just one adjustment on the red dot site to hit the bull). This was just me resting off my banister on my front porch (I live in the middle of the woods).
I liked the red dot site so much (Burris Fastfire 3) that I bought another one and mounted it on my Turkey Shotgun (I will do pics with it later on when I site it in). The optic has a pitcanny accesory if you need it and will co-witness with regular iron sights on most firearms. The best thing about it too is it has a lifetime warranty with no questions asked and you don't have to send in a warranty card. I like that type of dedication. It also withstands a ton of recoil. I think you could use it on an elephant gun. The power button is simple too with just four modes ( first is auto adjust with available light which I always leave it on), two is bright, three is less bright, and four is dim, while another push turns it off. It stays on for 8 hours if you forget to shut it off, but this is nice for forgetful people like me. It is so nice for my old eyes which have a hard time focusing on closer ranges anymore.
I have another red dot sight called a Vortex Spartan I put on a souped up tactical SKS I have (pics on that one later) that is nice too, but I haven't even shot it or sighted it in yet. I might make that some of my fun for next week.
I also have quite a few hunting rifles I can share pics of if folks want; most bolt-action rifles in various calibers. I have either an optic problem or some type of problem with my 7mm Rem Mag I need to flush out in the near future too. It seems to be throwing shots and won't line up with the scope. I also have a few AR type rifles and some military surplus stuff and a crossbow (it shoots almost like a gun) too. Anyhew, I figure this is enough to get us started.