C&H Precision Review: Milling, Optics And More

The author’s Glock 21 took on new life with C&H Precision’s Cerakoting and milling work… and a dang nice optic from the company.

Offering a full suite of milling services and pistol optics, C&H Precision is set to take your handgun to the next level.

Founded in 2012, C&H Precision is a family-owned business based in Richmond Hills, Ga. While its roots lie in custom rifles, founder Buck Holly has steered the company in a different direction in recent years.

C&H has expanded into milling slides, manufacturing mounting plates and optics, and overall slicking up handguns to modern standards. It’s paid off. What was once a 5-employee shop has blown up into a bustling 30-person operation.

Given its recent success, I wanted to see exactly what C&H was turning out in custom upgrades. So, off my Glock 21 went to the suburbs of Savannah for a breath of new life.

Milling Services

Wanting to go through the entire process, I used C&H’s online ordering form to set up my G21’s appointment. This included everything—milling footprint (RMR), plate adaptor, cut style and Cerakote.

CH Precision 11 — The work C&H Precision did on the G21 was spotless, both in the coating and milling.

As to the style of coating, I couldn’t help but go for C&H’s signature Woodland pattern, a mix of black, OD green and hunter orange. The ordering process was simple, and the turnaround was just two weeks—quicker than expected.

Everything on my pistol was pristine out of the box, however, I did have to put their customer service to the test. The first plate I received was a couple thousandth of inch long. A quick email to the company, a measurement with my calipers and C&H had a brand-new plate to me that fit like a glove.

As to the slide, I was impressed by the machining, Cerakote job, and the fitment to my frame, it mounted up with no issues. The fit and finish of the milling were excellent, some of the best I’ve seen.

First Shots With A C&H Precision Milled Gun

After installing C&H’s Duty Optic—a closed emitter sight similar to the ACRO—I tested the slide and optic on my Glock 21. The initial rounds had light strikes, likely due to the new brass channel liner, but that issue was resolved after a few trigger pulls.

C&H milling work and optic on a glock. — As you can see, C&H Precision’s work is smooth and consistent. Also, mounting a massive optic like the Duty doesn’t seem so out of place on a large-frame 45 ACP pistol.

Once zeroed, I found the setup accurate and reliable, with the optic maintaining zero through stress testing. Before long, zeroing with cheap Tula 45 ACP I had lying around, I was clearing the plate rack in a few seconds.

I’m not crazy about interstitial mounting plates, such as C&H’s. I have seen them fail, which gives me pause. However, the company’s CHPWS are constructed with high-quality materials. With everything torqued down, I racked the gun off the sight off everything from tables to chairs. The sight held its zero.

C&H Duty Optic

With the Duty Optic, I opted for the multi-reticle red version. I typically prefer a spartan 3-6 MOA dot or in rare cases the Holosun 8 MOA circle. With the C&H sight, I used what I can only describe as dogfight crosshairs much more.

It’s a 30 MOA circle with a 3 MOA dot in the center. This reticle is great for quick shooting as well as more precise shots—during zero I stacked three 45 ACP rounds in a single bullseye.

Overall, the tactile and audible adjustment controls were spot on, though in 1 MOA increments. For the record, I prefer a ½ MOA per click adjustment. As to the sight’s ruggedness, I don’t think I could have broken the Duty had I tried. That might not hold for those who beat the hell out of their equipment.

Features:

10 Levels of brightness (levels 1 and 2 are night vision compatible)
Motion control (Shake to wake up)
Smart Power Management (auto-off after 5 mins of inactivity)
50,000 Hours of Battery Life
CNC machine one-piece body (aircraft aluminum)
100% Shockproof (1500 G for 1000 times)
Waterproof (ipx7, 1 meter for 30 mins)

EDC XL Red Dot

CH Precision 7 — The sight picture of the EDC XL on top of a Shadow Systems MR920L.

The EDC XL is on par with any Holosun, but feels to be built more stout. It has tactile buttons, a 6 MOA dot, and a battery tray to change batteries without removing the whole optic.

The EDC XL has backup rears, too. I find myself catching the dot much faster with these reference notches than with other red dots. What’s more, the ruby coating on EDC XL reduces glare and shine. I didn’t pick up reflections through the window as badly as I do with other optics of a similar price point.

I mounted this to a Shadow Systems MR920L and ran several hundred rounds through it. The sight is boringly reliable, held its zero and was good to go. It has 1MOA adjustments, a crisp dot, rugged aluminum construction and is even +P and +P+ rated so it can stand up to prolonged use with duty or carry ammo.

Features:

10 levels of brightness (levels 1 and 2 are night vision compatible)
Motion control (shake to wake up)
Smart power management (auto-off after 5 minutes of inactivity)
50,000 hours of battery life
CNC machined one-piece body (7075 aircraft grade aluminum)
Shock rated for +P and +P+
Waterproof (ipx7, 1 meter for 30 mins)

The Comp Optic

The Comp offers a nice big window and dot, making target acqusition fast.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is one of my favorite optics for competition—what it was designed for. I mounted it on my typical carry optics gun—a CZ SP01 tactical.

This red dot has what you need in this class of optics: a large window, a 3 MOA dot perfect for mini-poppers at 35, a top-load battery compartment and a rear sight in case the dot dies.

All of that said, the big window, aircraft-grade aluminum construction, shake awake functions all culminate in a sublime shooting experience. This is definitely a keeper.

The only ding I can issue across all of these sights is they don’t have an ambient light or auto-adjust—but they do have NV compatibility.

Features:

10 Levels of brightness (levels 1 and 2 are night vision compatible)
Motion control (Shake to wake up)
Smart Power Management (auto-off after 5 mins of inactivity)
50,000 Hours of Battery Life
CNC machine one-piece body (aircraft aluminum)
100% Shockproof (1500 G for 1000 times)
Waterproof (ipx7, 1 meter for 30 mins)

Parting Shots

CZ and MR920L with C&H optics mounted — CZ and MR920L with C&H Precision optics mounted

My experience with C&H as just another gun guy sending one of my Glocks in to get milled was a stellar, white-glove experience. A rep called me, verified what I wanted and the company beat its turnaround by a couple weeks.

The Cerakote job was top-notch, the only issue now is keeping a plastic-fantastic pretty. And the company’s bevy of optics and options have the ability to keep even the most discerning shooter happy.

As an aside, if and when C&H adds CZ to their lineup of pistols it mills, I’d consider sending my Shadow 2 for the treatment. I believe it would be money well spent. Given my propensity for Shadow 2s that’s a testament to what C&H provides in and of itself.