Today’s feature is from our companion service SHOOTING NEWS WEEKLY. Images by Travis Pike.

I wanna be transparent, so I’ll disclose that I know a fella at C&H Precision. We took a two-day class together and later met at SHOT Show. We aren’t close friends, but I would call us friendly. After seeing the EDC Enclosed at SHOT, I reached out to request one, and they sent one to test and review. I made no promise of a positive review.

The EDC Enclosed is an affordable enclosed emitter optic.

As the name makes clear, the C&H Precision EDC Enclosed has an enclosed emitter design. Enclosed designs protect the emitter, preventing rain, dirt, snow, and other debris from getting between your dot and your lens.

As a (loud and proud) Florida Man™, I often deal with crazy weather, namely lots of rain. It even snowed here while I was at SHOT Show. That means that as a Florida Man™, I’ve seen open emitter optics wash out due to light rain, so I have moved toward enclosed emitters for my serious-use guns.

Enclosed emitters are the future of defensive firearm optics.

Manufacturers like Aimpoint, SIG SAUER, Steiner, Holosun, Trijicon, Riton, and Gideon produce enclosed emitter pistol optics. Those are great optics, but many are large, designed for use on full-sized handguns. The C&H EDC Enclosed uses the RMSc footprint and targets compact handguns.

The EDC Enclosed – The Little Guy

The small gun world knows the RMSc and Holosun K footprints well. Guns like the P365, the Hellcat, and the GLOCK 43X/48 require a smaller optic and their RMSc footprint allows for those. I appreciate that you don’t need a unique cut for the EDC Enclosed.

The EDC Enclosed’s RMSc footprint makes mounting simple.

The EDC Enclosed red dot puts the majority of the optic inside an enclosed housing with two screws in the rear to secure it to your slide. Attaching it to various guns isn’t challenging since C&H includes a wide variety of screws with the optic and provides a guide as to what screws go to what gun.

With a battery installed, the optic weighs only 1.23 ounces. It measures 1.61 inches long, .94 inches tall, and .98 inches wide. The lens has a 21mm diameter. It’s a little optic and falls into the micro-sized optics category. It is a CNC machined one-piece aluminum body.

The buttons are solid and responsive to touch.

The system uses a 1620 battery system that will last for a reported 50,000 hours thanks to its shake-awake battery-saving feature. The battery has a compartment on the side for easy hot swaps without removing the optic for battery replacements.

The side-loading battery compartment means no removing the optic to swap batteries.

C&H includes a notch at the rear that acts as a rear sight. Too many guns remove the rear sights when installing an optic, and this fits with suppressor height sights.

The Reticle Game

The EDC Enclosed optic comes in two configurations: a single reticle and a multi-reticle design. My example has the multi-reticle system, which integrates a 2.5 MOA red dot, a 34 MOA circle, and a combination of the circle and dot.

Multiple reticles offer multiple benefits. First, the optic has numerous use cases. Sure, it’s well-suited for small handguns, but it would work well on my Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical too, which has an RMSc-style cut for optics.

The 34 MOA circle is perfect for shotguns.

If I change the 34 MOA circle, I can use that as a bigger, easier-to-see reticle that I can use to pattern my buckshot. I can use that 34 MAO circle and then learn the distance of my buckshot patterns inside that reticle. With Flitecontrol shells, it’s perfect for use within ten yards.

Shooters with astigmatism might find the 34 MOA reticles easier to see. Astigmatisms are different, so it might work, and might not. Some folks prefer bigger dots, and the smaller the gun, the bigger the dot is a good rule of thumb.

Reticle pics are a pain.

We get 10 brightness settings with the EDC Enclosed, the first two suitable for night vision. The EDC Enclosed gets quite bright and delivers enough brightness to see the optic in any lighting condition.

To the Range With the EDC Enclosed

I affixed the EDC Enclosed to my new CZ P09 Nocturne, a gun I like a lot. The RMSc footprint on the top and the enclosed design of the C&H optic made it a perfect pairing. With the optic equipped, I did a quick standing zero at 15 yards with a check at 25. With everything on target, I started shooting.

I used the bigger reticle for up-close shooting and preferred the 34 MOA with dot over the empty 34 MOA. The big reticle makes it easier for me to see and find. It allowed me to start putting lots and lots of holes in various targets. The big dot finds your eyes well, but it will obscure a good portion of the target.

The EDC Enclosed performed like a champ.

For B8s, A-zones, and most steel, it’s perfect. You might want to swap between reticles if you start shooting playing cards or get to extreme ranges. Hold down the brightness increase button for a few seconds, and the reticle swaps. If you want to step back to greater distances, it’s easier to use the 2.5 MOA dot.

The refresh rate seems to be more than suitable. The dot doesn’t lag and becomes a consistent streak of red as you shoot. It’s easy to see and track for those long strings of fire. The reticles are very crisp and easy to see, with the 34 MOA circles being quite impressive.

The closest thing we have to a downside is a very aggressive notch filter. It gives a blue tint to the world in front of you. It’s not terrible or as dark as Ruger’s little optic, but it’s noticeable. Also, if the brightness is too high for the environment, you’ll start to see the 34 MOA circle even when it’s just on the dot setting

The New Guy

The EDC Enclosed seems to be a very solid, affordable choice for the small pistol market. At about a hundred dollars cheaper than the Holosun EPS Carry, it’s a formidable contender for small gun supremacy. I’m quite impressed, to be honest. They fit a lot of optic into a small price point of about 250 dollars.

The EDC Enclosed is a solid mix of value and performance. It held its zero and has been bouncing around in my range bag for the better part of a month as I shoot the P09 C Nocturne constantly. It’s yet to give up the ghost as I crest over 500 rounds. CHPWS has a winner in their hands, and this optic makes me want to check out the rest of their lineup.

— Travis Pike