Test: how does the all-round compact Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC riflescope perform when mounted on a Blaser R8 Professional Success in the hunting grounds?

According to the optics specialists from the Blaser Group, based in Wetzlar, Germany, the Blaser B2 riflescope series was also designed with the use of clip-ons in mind. The housings are therefore more robust than usual. In addition, the optic was also fitted with appropriate weights during the shock tests, which are intended to simulate live fire, and also during the live fire tests, in order to simulate the additional load that a clip-on device places on a riflescope during firing. Last year, we already presented the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC riflescope, which the manufacturer describes as a true "all-rounder", in detail here on all4hunters. With this model, the developers have focussed in particular on an even more compact design to make the attachment even more convenient for hunters to use. There is no doubt that a shorter riflescope also allows better access to the attachment when shooting. For this reason, we have focussed our test exclusively on the B2 1.7-10x42 iC itself and will tell you here what the optic can do without a clip-on device.

Design features of the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC riflescope, which can be used for driven hunts, stalking and rised hide

As with all riflescopes in the B2 series, Blaser surrounds the lenses and the mechanical and electronic components of the B2 1.7-10x42 iC with an extremely rugged housing. This is nitrogen-filled to prevent lens fogging from the inside and Blaser also offers a temporary waterproof guarantee for the B2 1.7-10x42 iC up to an immersion depth of 5 meters. The lenses of the Blaser riflescopes are also protected from the outside by means of Smart Lens Protection (SLP), a water-repellent lens coating. The field of view at a distance of 100 m is 24 m at the lowest magnification, and is reduced to 4 m at maximum magnification.

The current Blaser B2 model has a 30-mm main tube diameter and uses a click adjustment of one click per centimeter at 100 m. Windage and elevation adjustment range is +/- 145 cm at 100 meters. With a length of 315 mm, the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC is quite compact and is therefore – as mentioned above – particularly suitable for night hunting in combination with clip-ons.

At Blaser, the "iC" in the model name stands for "Illumination Control", the intelligent automatic switch-off system for the illuminated reticle. This is controlled by a magnet in the cocking lever for manual cocking on the buttstock wrist and a sensor in the riflescope eyepiece. The iC automatically activates the illuminated dot in the reticle when cocking and deactivates it when uncocking. The iC function is now integrated into the cocking lever as standard on all R8 models from 2017 and other Blaser rifles with a manual cocking system.

Blaser also offers a Blaser CM attachment mount specially developed for the B2 1.7-10x42 iC for attaching night vision or thermal imaging clip-ons. This clip-on mount enables the hunter to attach the optical device to the riflescope easily and with repeatable accuracy in just a few seconds and in just a few steps. The special highlight of the Blaser CM attachment mount is that it can be attached just as quickly, even if a Blaser flip cover has already been mounted on the lens. This is a clever solution, because the protective cover, which is folded upwards by around 270°, lies flat on the objective lens bell and its hinge serves as a guide for the repeatable attachment of the clip-on adapter.

Blaser provided us with the B2 1.7-10x42 iC S version for the test. The "S" at the end of the model designation reveals that this is a version with an inner rail on the underside of the 30-mm main tube. The RRP is 1,953 euros. Alternatively, the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC is also available with a 30-mm centre tube without rail for ring mounting. For our test combination, Blaser had married the B2 1.7-10x42 iC S to the test rifle using its own in-house saddle mount. The saddle mount is an extremely repeatable and very easy-to-use quick-change mount that has been tried and tested for years, but requires the appropriate four small mounting notches on the barrel. Incidentally, Blaser offers the B2 1.7-10x42 iC without inner rail for €1,899 (RRP).

As the base for our test of the B2 1.7-10x42 iC, Blaser had supplied us with an R8 Professional Success, i.e. the version of the straight-pull rifle with the synthetic thumbhole stock, and in this case in the black and brown stock version. The stock was fitted with a standard R8 action with an equally standard 58-cm barrel in .308 Winchester caliber. The R8 configurator on the Blaser website gives the price for this R8 variant as €4,604. It is therefore currently the cheapest R8 Professional Success version, which – for the sake of completeness – is also available with a dark green thumbhole stock with black inlays at the same price. 

Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 IC and B2 1.7-10x42 IC S all-round riflescopes specs and prices

Shooting range test with the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC riflescope mounted on the R8 Professional Success in .308 Winchester

Before we took the test scope out into the hunting grounds, we took it for a spin on the 100-meter shooting range. In addition to checking the point of impact of the optic already zeroed by Blaser on the R8 Professional Success, we also took the opportunity to carry out the classic box test. To do this, after shooting an aiming point, which served as a kind of marker for the "zero position", we first adjusted the click adjustment by 10 clicks to the right and then fired another shot – still with the same aiming point. This was followed by 10 clicks downwards and the next shot on the target, followed by 10 clicks to the left and another shot, and then 10 clicks upwards, still with the original aiming point. As this test is about the repeatable accuracy of the scope mechanics, we did not use hunting ammunition for this, but match ammunition, specifically the RWS TARGET ELITE PLUS with a 168-gr bullet from the previously cleaned barrel. After the test, the bullets were distributed on the target in such a way that they were directly on or within a finger's width of the imaginary side lines of a 10x10 centimeter square. The two bullet holes in the top left corner (first and last shot) were also only 12 mm apart. All in all, the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC passed our box test with flying colours and the click adjustment also proved its repeatability.

How does the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC riflescope perform in the freeze test and in the hunting field test?

In addition to the live fire test, the Blaser optic also had to pass the obligatory freeze test and was initially banished to the freezer, which was set to -21°C, for 24 hours. After opening the door to our improvised cold chamber, the first thing we noticed was that neither the eyepiece nor the objective lens were iced up. As expected, these then fogged up within a few seconds after the cold riflescope was removed from the freezer and the prevailing humidity in the room condensed on it, so that the entire surface of the optics was covered with a fine layer of frost within a few seconds. In this condition, we then checked the movement of the zoom ring and the focus ring: both adjustment rings could be moved with the same resistance as the day before, when the B2 1.7-10x42 iC was still at room temperature. The reticle illumination control on the right turret could also be easily pulled out and adjusted with the same amount of force as before to increase the illumination intensity clockwise and to dim it down anti-clockwise.

The electronics also worked perfectly. All in all, it only took a few minutes for the layer of frost and the layer of dew that had formed in the meantime to disappear completely and the optics were ready for use again. To be on the safe side, we checked all the critical areas where moisture could have left traces, but there were none to be found under the protective caps of the adjustment turrets, in the battery compartment or in the area of the adjustment rings. The corresponding O-rings and sealing greases had obviously done an excellent job there! This should be the case with a riflescope for which the manufacturer promises a water resistance of 5 meters – but we have had different experiences with some test scopes from other manufacturers.

For the final technical and optical assessment of the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC S, we took the test scope out into the field on a changeable day. The fine fiber illuminated dot in the centre of the classic 4-element reticle could be perfectly adjusted to different light conditions and backgrounds. Only unlocking the rotary switch and pressing it in took a little getting used to at first. The interaction between the cocking lever of the R8 and the Blaser iC optic worked smoothly: the illuminated dot in the B2 1.7-10x42 iC switched on as promised when the rifle was cocked and switched off again when it was uncocked. There was also nothing to criticise about the optical performance of the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC. The riflescope delivered an extremely true-colour, high-contrast image across the entire magnification range that was sharp well into the peripheral area without any noticeable distortion. On closer inspection, only marginal colour fringing, tending towards violet, can be seen at the transitions from bright to dark image elements, but this does not detract from the very good overall impression of the imaging quality of the test riflescope. The apparently very high-quality coated lenses have a positive effect: the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC continued to show a true-colour and bright image for a relatively long time even after the onset of twilight, which speaks for the aforementioned coating of the lenses and the resulting high light transmission.

all4hunters.com test summary of the Blaser B2 1.7-10x42 iC S riflescope

Overall, with the B2 1.7-10x42 iC, Blaser delivers a very rugged all-round scope that can be used in almost all light and weather conditions for both stalking and raised hide hunting and that, thanks to its short design, is the ideal counterpart for clip-on attachments. At the lowest magnification, the combination of a central illuminated dot and a sufficiently large field of view also allows the riflescope to be used when hunting on the move; at maximum magnification, the hunter can also confidently take a shot at longer ranges, making this scope from the B2 series a truly universal model. With a price of €1,899 for the version without inner rail and €1,953 for the version with inner rail, Blaser's B2 1.7-10x42 iC, which is already commercially available, is priced in the transition from the upper middle to the top class. And in our opinion, that is where this all-round scope belongs.

You can find more information about the Blaser B2 riflescope we tested and other Blaser riflescopes on the Blaser website.