There are a lot of optics on the market these days, and what’s out there can be overwhelming. It’s easy to get into the rut of just sticking with the big three or four brands you’re familiar with, but you’d be missing out if you do. There are some great optics from companies that you may not know yet and the ERD-1 from C&H Precision is probably one of them.
The ERD-1
I’d been seeing C&H optics pop up in my social media feed for a while now and decided to take a closer look. The optic I picked up for review is their ERD-1. The ERD-1 is a large window, 1x magnification, enclosed optic designed for rifle and carbine use. Rather than the common round format, the ERD-1 has a square window which gives you more viewing area. The optic is Parallax free to 100 yards.
It uses a red 2 MOA dot surrounded by a 56 MOA circle, but also has a selectable multi-reticle if you want other options.The ERD-1 uses a single CR 2032 3V Lithium battery, and has a 50,000 hour battery life. Coupled with its shake awake feature, you aren’t going to be swapping batteries in this one very often. There are 10 brightness settings including 2 night vision levels.
One of the things that intrigued me about the ERD-1 was that it appeared to be a very rugged build. Getting it in hand just reinforced that. The ERD-1 is solid. It isn’t the lightest optic out there, at 352g, but it makes up for that in robustness. It uses a one piece, CNC machined body and is both shockproof and waterproof. It’s rated for all rifle rounds, and has an ipx7 waterproof rating, which is good for 1 meter submersion for up to 30 minutes.
It mounts to a Picatinny rail through the use of four bolts. Yep, not one or two like most optic mounts, but a full four bolts. Solid is an understatement when you have the ERD-1 locked on to your rail.
Range Work
I got the ERD-1 just in time to work with the MEAN Arms Bearing Delay Upper mounted on my SIG M400 lower. The MEAN is a slick 9mm set up designed to be a drop in 9mm conversion for your rifle caliber lower. Mounting the optic was easy, although you are cranking down four screws instead of the usual two. Once in place, the ERD-1 almost seems like a monolithic feature of the upper. It isn’t going anywhere once its secured to your rail.
Battery installation was simple, using the side mounted battery tray. No removing the optic to swap batteries. Not that you’ll have to do that often with the ERD’s battery life and shake awake feature anyway.
Speaking of shake awake, I have to say that it works well. I’m still old school I guess and don’t always trust the shake awake system. It seems to work quite well on the ERD-1 though. Any time I grabbed the rifle, even after it had been sitting days between use, the sight was on by the time I put the gun to my shoulder. The timeout is 5 minutes of no movement, but the on works as soon as any movement is detected.
Optics clarity on the ERD-1 is excellent. The image is clear, and it’s easy to see through the big 27.5 x 36mm window. The circle-dot reticle was easy to pick up, and the brightness setting range was more than enough to accommodate even bright summer sun on the range.
Sight in was quick and easy as well. The windage and elevation knobs are well marked. They have a 45 MOA range (90 MOA total), in 1 MOA per click adjustments. I’ve used the term easy a lot so far, but it’s the truth. Things just worked with the ERD-1. It’s solid and well thought out and things performed as they should. I’m a fan of things that don’t need fidgeting with to do their job.
If you want to try the other reticle options on the ERD-1, switching back and forth is simple. Just hold in on the “+” button and the reticle will blink then switch to the next setting. Let up on the button to confirm your choice. You can opt for just a dot with no circle, just a circle with no dot or the dot and circle reticle, which is what I prefer.
9mm isn’t much of a recoil test. Especially on the MEAN Bearing Delay Upper, which barely moves at all when shooting, so I also tried the ERD-1 out on my Aero Precision .308 SBR. With a 12-inch barrel, it’s a little feisty. Re-sighting in from the 9mm to the .308 was again quick and uneventful. I didn’t run thousands of rounds through the Aero, but I did run a couple hundred. The ERD-1 was unaffected and held zero without issue. With its rugged mount I think it might find a permanent home on the .308, especially if I pair it up with a magnifier.
Overall I used the ERD-1 throughout the summer and into early fall and probably have put 1,000 or so rounds of 9mm and .308 through two different platforms using it. It’s held zero without issue and has performed well in lighting conditions ranging from bright summer sun to dusk. Temperature ranges were from the high 90s to the mid 50s. Nothing super crazy or extreme, just your typical Western Pennsylvania weather for this time of year.
I didn’t do any torture tests, but neither did I baby the optic. It rolled around in the back of the Jeep without a case on a few trips, and had a couple spills where it was knocked over in my shop and at the range. Again, nothing crazy, just normal use with the occasional bobble, but it’s withstood all of that just fine.
Wrap Up
If you’re in the market for a rugged optic with great features, you should definitely take a look at the C&H Precision ERD-1. If anything, it’s overbuilt, which isn’t a bad thing if you’re dropping it on a gun meant for competition, hunting or defense. C&H backs it with a solid warranty against any manufacturing defects and a 5-year warranty on the LED components as well. MSRP on the ERD-1 is $495 and they’re available directly from the C&H Precision website.
Features & Specifications
10 Levels of brightness (1&2 are night vision compatible)
Motion Control (shake awake)
Shockproof (Rated for All rifle ammo)
Waterproof (ipx7, 1 meter for 30 mins)
50,000 Hours Battery Life
CNC Machined One-Piece Body
Magnification: 1x
Lens Diameter: 27.5 x 36mm
Elevation/Windage adjustment range: 45 MOA (Total 90 MOA)
Click Value: 1 MOA per click
Dot Size: 2 MOA (2 MOA and 56 MOA circle in multi-reticle)
Dot Color: Red
Parallax Free: 100 yards
Dot Brightness Setting: 10 levels (2 NV)
Power Supply: 1x CR 2032 3V Lithium battery
Auto Wake/Sleep: 5 Mins after no movement
Shockproof & Waterproof
Dimensions: (LxWxH) 93.5mmx44.3mmx63.8mm
Weight (with battery installed): 352g (approx.)
MSRP: $494.95
Where To Buy
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