Mil-Dots for ranging?

[Jon A]

1/4MIL= (3.6/4)/100= .009"/Yd, or 3.438/4= .86 MOA

You're right, it should read .86 MOA. It was a typo.

How do you get .9"/yd?

That's just abreviated to differentiate between yards and meters, the 100 is assumed.

With that reticle, measuring down to the .05 Mil isn't impossible with enough practice.

 

[sscoyote]

That's why i like the TMR. It has the capability of .02 mil interpolative accuracy with .2 mil stadia. That's a little better than what could be expected from 1 MOA or IPHY stadia.

 

[Viking]

I use mil dot scopes on all of my rifles and "practice" using them to range every chance I get, but I will use a laser at the drop of a hat if given the choice. That is if I have one with me, it is working with batteries and can get a "good" read with what and range I have to work with. In other words, the mil dot range is my plan B, but sometimes that is all you get.

 

[victor]

I make a picture of a mil-dot reticle on paper. The size of the paper fits into the inside cover of my Butler Creek Scope cover.
The distance between the dots is 3.5 MOA (You need to know what power setting that is true at on your scope). Then I print out a chart using exbal for my particular load. I then write the yardage distance point of impact for each dot.
Then I cut this out and paste it into my Butler Creek Scope Cover on the Eye piece cover. When I open the cover, I am looking right at the chart. I then use my range finder to determine distance to target. In hurried conditions, I look to see which dot to hold near to hit my target. This is not a perfect method, but gives me a very refined guess for the proper holdover.

In my particular setup, with a 200yd zero, the second dot is has a 536yd POI. If I range an elk at 500 yards, by looking at my little chart, I know to hold the second dot just near the bottom quarter of his chest to put a bullet thru the center of his chest.

In a ddition to this crude scope cover chart, I also have a piece of paper taped to the side of my rifle that has a full break down of Yardages in 25 yard increments out to 1000yds, with a listing of how many MOA I need to dial into my scope. That is what I would use for long range shots if I had more time to setup. It is the more accurate way of shooting.

But if time does not permit proper setup, I can use the mildot holdover chart for getting close. It's still a lot better than just guessing.

So no, I don't use the mildots for ranging. Even though an elks chest is approximately 34" tall, as another poster mentioned, they do vary and so does your angle of view on the animal.

I always use a range finder and dial in the proper elevation. The Mildot is a back up system, or if the exact range just happens to be the same as one of my dot holdover points, I will just use that for holding dead on my target.

That's how I use the mildot reticles.

Regards,
Vic

 

[tackb]

Hi, I know how to use mill dots and carry a milldot master but only just in case my crf 1200 sh1t's itself . one of the best uses I find for milldots is for spotting misses and correcting your scope, It's easier to correct for a good second round hit when you can see it's one milldot low so you need to come up 3.6moa etc. I use a leupold tactical spotting scope with reticule and although it's image isn't quite up there with swarovski/leica etc the reticule more than compensates in my opinion?

as a side note sort out with your spotter what corrections to use before you start shooting that way you should both be singing the same tune!3 moa is a lot different to three milldots and alot of people find milldots a very dark science !!

regards,Russ

 

[Catfish]

I use mildots exclusively for ranging and using holdovers. Right now I can holdover up to 700 yrds comfortably. And for though's who say marginally at best well, have you tried it. To get good at it you have to practice. Now that I'm used to it I'm not even interested in LRF. With mildot ranging and holdovers I find it pretty fast.
Tools to help in trainning
Mildot Master
ShooterReady
And if your not in a rush another cool tool:
https://www.511tactical.com/index.asp?dlrID=511&dept=53
IOR - Valdada Premium European Optics

700 yrds. is a long way for reliable mil-dot rangeing. If you were doing it alot and know the size of your game and use a real flat shooting round you might get good enough for deer or carabo size game, but definately not varments. I`ll continue to carry my range finder and dial in my moa.

 

[overbore]

Mil Dots

are the first "older technologies", about Nam era good for "minute of man" and may be used for finer adjustments if you practice, practice and practice AND, the big qualifier ( for a clicker) if your scope reticle accurately moves to the specified clicks. USO, NF and Luepie only are the scopes that I know of the meet those requirements. IMHO, as an Older Generation myself, I like the KISS Principle : keep it simple stupid: clicks and reticles are the same in MOA in a quality scope.
Just my opinion and findings trying mildots, Mildot Master, footballs, metrics etc. I don't think in metric but it is more adaptable and simple for those who can reprogram their thinking into cm, meters and "Clicks" ( both kinds ). Overbore

 

[Inukshuk]

700 yrds. is a long way for reliable mil-dot ranging. If you were doing it a lot and know the size of your game and use a real flat shooting round you might get good enough for deer or carabo size game, but definitely not varmints. I`ll continue to carry my range finder and dial in my moa.

I do practice as aften as possible and get my ammo by the case. And yep I pretty well the sizes of my prey. Also agree that dialing in is more precise and for a good distance that's what I do. But so far holding over & under has been good.
Practice Practice..............

 

[dmgreene]

I ran some numbers and this is what I come with. Take for instance you mil a deer at .6 mils and you are using 16" for your target size. After doing the math it comes out to 741 yards. Now suppose the actual mil was .7 mils(only off by 10%). The actual range is 635 yards which is a 106 yard difference.

Now suppose you get the mil reading exact, which would be sheer luck on an animal that is moving around. The mil reading is .6 mils and you are using 16" for your target size which puts it at 741 yards. Well it turns out that the target size is 15" (not quite as big of a trophy as you thought he was), that puts you ranging him at 694 yards. Thats a difference of 47 yards.

IMO this method is not accurate enough for hunting game at long range, you are trying to kill it, not just hit it. Steel plates are one thing and animals are another. Steel plates are sitting still and you know their exact size. Animals are moving around and standing at all different angles and you don't know the exact size of your target. There are just too many varibles.

As for me I going to the LRF. David

 

[lucasgreff]

For now I use my mil-dots for all my shooting since I have never shot a deer over 400 yards away and in that distance you are pretty much right on. Although almost all my mil-dot practice comes from shooting prairie dogs. They are great practice for mil-dots since they pop up at all sorts of different distances. Although when I someday get the dough together to purchase a LRF I think I will and use that primarily and mil-dots when the LRF is either out of batteries or the snow has made it useless.

 

[maxF]

On multiple power scopes the mil dot is only accurate at one power setting (say 10X). It helps to measure an actual 100 yards off and use a piece of pvc with black electrical tape to measure off 36" - 10 mils or 18" - 5 mils. and mark the scope to where the 10 mils accurately sizes the 36" on the pipe at 100 yards. Otherwise your measurements will be off even if you are accurate in your reading of the scope. Also on mine the mil dots are supposed to read accurately at 10X but it goes to 25X so I can mark the scope where 10mils = 18",@100 yds., and use a 20X reading. For more accuraccy do a 20X reading and divide the reading by 1/2 to get mils to plug into the program for a more accurate reading.

 

[CS T]

I use them for ranging and holdovers. I use a laser rang finder also but at certain times of the day laser rang finder do not work well or will not work at all.

Mike @ CSGW

 

[sscoyote]

Just used the TMR for antelope buck and doe last week, and her's what i got (back to brisket figuring 15" for the buck and 14" for the doe--

The "subtension unit (SU)" for that reticle is 138.9 (.2 mil line stadia=.72" per hundred yds., so 100/.72=138.9)

1) Buck lasered 620 and occupied 3.0 .2 mil SU's-- 15x138.9/3.0=694 reticle

2) Doe @ 420 and occupied 4.8 .2 mil SU's-- 14x138.9/4.8 = 405 reticle

So far after a bunch of antelope/deer data I'm averaging about 3-5% of lasered range to about 500 yds., between many ballistic and rangefinding reticles.

 

[jwp475]

I use them for ranging and holdovers. I use a laser rang finder also but at certain times of the day laser rang finder do not work well or will not work at all.

Mike @ CSGW

Probable not a Swarovski