C&H Precision buys stake in 5,500-acre Texas adventure park
What's the deal? C&H Precision (CHPWS), a Georgia-based maker of optics and pistol slide upgrades, has acquired an ownership stake in Merus Adventure Park — a 5,500-acre outdoor destination near Palo Duro Canyon in Amarillo, Texas. The company's owner, Buck Holly, will help lead development of long-range hunting, precision rifle training, executive retreats, and hosted industry events at the property.
Merus already offers overlanding, off-road trails, hiking, mountain biking, cabins, and camping. Under the partnership, it will add guided hunts for free-ranging Aoudad, mule deer, whitetail deer, and feral hogs, plus monthly precision rifle events with steel target engagements from 350 to 1,800 yards.
Why now? The deal signals C&H Precision's push beyond product manufacturing into what it calls "experiential outdoor lifestyle programming." The company wants to connect customers, partners, and industry leaders directly to its brand culture — a bet that destination experiences can deepen engagement more than gear alone.
"This partnership is about building experiences and creating a destination that brings people together around the outdoor lifestyle," Holly said. "We saw an opportunity to take it further by building a true destination for long-range precision shooting, western hunts, executive retreats, training programs, and industry collaboration."
What could go wrong? Running a sprawling outdoor venue is a fundamentally different business from manufacturing precision optics. Managing guided hunts, corporate retreats, and large-scale events requires hospitality, logistics, and safety expertise that a hardware company may need to build or hire from scratch. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, making it hard to gauge the scale of the bet.
The signal: Outdoor and firearms brands are increasingly moving toward experiential marketing — turning customers into participants rather than just buyers. Corporate retreats, influencer activations, and content production on owned properties give brands a controlled environment to showcase products while building community.
Future plans for Merus include long-range competitions, precision rifle schools, tactical training programmes, branded outdoor events, and large-scale media production. If it works, expect more gear makers to follow the playbook of owning the venues where their products get used.
Read more: theoutdoorwire.com
