Less often, Im surprised Im wrong.
Yes, Id like to see that scope.
But honestly, it may not be my bang out.
For testing, the author mounted the Blackhound 2-12×44 Emerge scope on a Springfield Armory Waypoint in 6mm Creedmoor.
The Blackhound label was new to me.
It had a, well,tacticalring.
Ive tired of the word.
The Blackhound Emerge series has a fast-focus, helical eyepiece to focus the reticle. This scope offers a variable magnification range of 2x to 12x.
Websters pairs it with short-range military objectives or cleverness or skill applied to such ends.
As riflescopes have no will, they neither plan nor execute military action.
First: The Details
The 2-1244 Blackhound Emerge is one of a series of three.
Blackhound includes just about everything you need to mount the scope including a battery, battery cap tool, scope rings, a bubble level and the above tools.
A 3-2456 and a 4-3256.
All feature 34mm main tubes with illuminated reticles in thefront or first focal plane (FFP).
The 3-2456 and 4-3256, youve surely noticed, have eight-times power ranges.
Blackhound supplies a non-marring tool for removing the battery compartment cap. No more damaging the scope’s finish with coins or screwdrivers.
That is, top magnification on the power ring is eight times bottom magnification.
The 2-1244 not only has a tidier 44mm objective but a more limited six-times power range.
Now, describing a six-times power range as limited can mislead.
The Waypoint’s rail, a well-placed turret and 4.7″ of free tube made this 2-12x scope easy to mount.
Until recently, six times was an impossibly broad span!
For decades, the three-times range of 3-9X scopes was adequate.
Then, threatened by marketing teams and accountants, optics engineers managed to cram a four-times spread into scopes.
The 2-12x’s capped dials are big for easy grip. Numbers are neat, sharp, visible from behind the rifle.
Hence the 4-16x and 6-24x.
clamored sales departments, noting shooters couldnt wait to empty wallets for wider ranges and necessarily bigger tubes.
Five-times and six-times scopes followed.
The author stated the scope is lighter than it looks. Further, he believes the Blackhound complements the Waypoint’s profile, balance and accuracy well.
Recent 34mm, 35mm, 36mm and 40mm scope tubes beg the question: Why?
The law of diminishing returns and economy of scale whistle for a halt to this bigger-is-better scrum.
A big tube does have advantages.
The author felt that 6mm Creedmoor Match loads delivered excellent accuracy from a Springfield Waypoint with the 2-12×44 Blackhound scope mounted.
All else equal, bigger internal lenses improve resolution.
Either way, people who put the innards in scopes get additional space for tools and fingers.
That makes them smile.
The author chose the 2-12×44 over more powerful Emerge models because its size, weight, power range and capped dials best suited it to his field use.
And long-range shooters fret little over thicker, heavier hardware.
These retail at $450 to $900.
Such prices surprised me.
Hands-On
A 2-1244 Blackhound soon arrived.
I preferred it to its more powerful siblings for three reasons.
Except in rimfire prone competition or long-range events, Ive seldom used more than 12x magnification in riflescopes.
Even for pestering prairie dogs, its enough.
As high power makes targets grow, it boosts the bump of pulse and distortion sparked by mirage.
In dim light, it reduces brightness.
The 2-12s modest 44mm objective lens permits use of lower rings than needed under 56mm glass.
At 29 ounces, this scope weighs 6 less than its brethren.
Finally, only the 2-12s W/E dials wear caps, a must on a hunt.
This scope quickly found the rail of my Springfield Armory Waypoint rifle in 6mm Creedmoor.
Well-balanced and lighter than it looks, the Waypoint has a slick, reliable action and a good trigger.
The 6mm Cm is one of my favorite new cartridges, efficient and easy in recoil.
Like the Waypoint, it seems to favor snug groups.
Next, it was 24 down, then 24 left and finally 24 up, firing at each setting.
My limited supply of each load denied me three-shot groups in this exercise.
But rifle and loads shot tightly enough to show W/E adjustments were consistent as well as repeatable.
I pay little mind to how closely point-of-impact shift in MOA or MILs matches specs.
There its easy to check at a glance.
Changes are easy to make and reverse in the field.
The black finish is neither dull matte nor glossy.
Field at 100 yards: 55 to 9 12 feet.
ER commonly shrinks at high power tweaks, in some scopes to an alarming degree.
I noticed very, very little change in ER across the Blackhounds magnification range.
Numbers on these W/E dials are easy to read and thoughtfully placed to be visible with the rifle cheeked.
Big enough to grip easily, the dials move with snappy precision.
There are 30 MILs of elevation, 30 of windage, 10 MILs per dial rotation.
The caps spin smoothly on and off, but snug up securely.
Useful reticle graduations on this Blackhound help with off-center holds.
Like the focus/parallax dial, the brightness dial is deeply knurled.
The two are adequately separated for no-look adjustment.
Both turn smoothly, but with enough resistance that neither will yield to an accidental nudge.
Yes, those big split rings are included!
In profile and performance, its a perfect fit for rifles like Springfields Waypoint.
I cant imagine a shot, long or short, that it wouldnt make handily!
Go to forum thread
