Hi all, just had a scope roll off a shelf in the gunsafe and get a dent in the objective bell when it hit the floor. I'm wondering how to best straighten it, I think I'll make a supporting cradle out of wood and use a C clamp to pull it back into position, with a small wood pad on the clamp.

Is there a better way of doing this? It is a large aluminum ring, 64 mm OD.

It landed on wood so I hope nothing inside is broken just this slight dent, everything else appears OK from the initial inspection.

Best thing I could recommend is return it to the manufacturer. You didn't mention what make it is but, if it's a Leupold, they'll fix it free. Any "wrenching" you may do could make matters worse. If it hasn't affected function, you might want to leave it alone. My instructor at gunsmithing school once said, "Only fools and optitions mess with scopes and you're not an optition".

Mark -

As I am sure you already know...denting the rim of a scope bell increases its total linear circumference. Bringing it back to "round" also requires decreasing the linear circumference.

Not something I'd want to try.

I agree with the above poster...let the factory try fixing it, if they will. If they won't, it's likely for a reason. In that case, I'd just grimace and learn to live with it.

One of my yard maintenance workers once got sent to jail for DUI. He was scared to death and asked an old Con in there how he handled problems he ran into "inside". The old Con said "I just spit and hope for the best.." Sometimes that is good advice, I find.