New guy needs a bit of help (re-assurance) here. My brother leaned my new Optima with Nikon Omega Scope up against the service door in the garage....which was not shut all the way

Door glided open and the gun fell on the concrete right on the top of the scope...with me about two steps behind

Been worried about possible scope damage and todays shooting session wasnt great. This gun is brand new to me and I'm shooting with only a glove and a deck rail for a rest. 3" group of 5 shots from 50 yds.

Its a Nikon scope so I would THINK that it would be durable enough to handle this fall.

But my question is, how can I tell if the scope is damaged on a gun that I'm just getting used to? No glass fogging or cracks or anything. Rings and base seem rock solid.

Any help? I've hunted for 15 years but only now am getting serious about "shooting" so I have no experience here

To be clearer....how can I tell if a scope is busted? Havent had that happen before that I can tell?

There is no way anyone here on the board can advise whether you've had internal or external damage to the scope with the information provided.

Did you "square" the shot group? That means shooting a group, moving the adjustments down, say 25 clicks, move them right or left an equal number of clicks, go up the same number, then right or left (opposite of what you did previously) and see if you still shoot in the same POI?

Did you look into the scope from the objective end to see if you can see anything broken internally?

Do the adjustments move easily, or do they bind?

If you're not sure if you can determine the scope's integrity, best to send it back to Nikon with a note honestly explaining what happened and ask them to check it out. Not sure about Nikon - Leupold has a "no fault" warranty where they repair any damage free of charge, no matter if you're the original owner or not.

__________________
NRA Benefactor Member
NRA Certified Police Firearms Instructor
NRA Certified Range Safety Officer
NAHC Life Member

"Firearms only have two enemies - rust and politicans" author unknown

had a nikon i got on a trade that had a dented bell from the previous owner. sent it in to nikon with a note explaining i was not original owner and had just gotten the scope. two weeks later i had a brand new monarch shipped to me. if you end up with a problem with that nikon my money is on nikon taking care of it.

If it were me the first thing I would do is shoot it off a good solid rest and determine if it holds a good group. Then you could do the box test as stated above to ensure the adjustments are working correctly. It that checks out then I wouldn't worry about it.