MILS vs MOA

ENCORE

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2011
Messages
1,402
Location
Near a lake with no fish
Let's talk MILS vs MOA

They're different units of angular measure used to graduate scope adjustments.
One is not inherently better than the other, but there are differences. Here are some things to consider...

* A single 0.1 MIL click is 'bigger' than a 1/4 MOA click, 38% bigger to be exact. Based on that, some make the argument that MOA is better because the adjustment is finer. OK, but how practical is that difference? Usually doesn't matter in application but there are some cases where it might.

* When deciding which to select, consider what others shooters in your discipline are using. If everyone on your F-class team is using MOA and you show up with MILS, there are going to be communication errors.

* Due to MILS being larger subtensions, holding reticles tend to format better with MILS vs. MOA.

* 1 MIL is defined as 1/1000 of the distance. For example, 100 yards is 3,600 inches. 1/1000 of that is 3.6 inches, which is exactly what a MIL is at 100 yards. Likewise, 1 MIL at 100 meters is 0.1 meters, or 10cm, making each click 1cm at 100m.

* When dealing with iron/aperture sights, the click value (MILS or MOA) is dependent on the sight radius, which is usually different from one rifle to another due to differences in action length, barrel length, and where the front and rear sight are mounted. No matter how expensive your aperture sights are, the click values won't be true unless your sight radius is exactly as intended for the screw threads.
 
Top