Whenever you’re making precise shots over long distances, being able to grasp the data provided by your optic is often the deciding factor in whether you hit your target or miss it entirely. As the current optic landscape stands, there are a lot of different rifle scope reticles to choose from, with MIL and MOA style reticles are easily the most popular scope reticle variants available.
Regardless of which option you choose, both require you to make specific calculations with the information they provide, making your chances of hitting that far off target dependent on your understanding of how the reticle works. Both options allow for some incredibly accurate shots—and if you don’t know the differences between the two, we’re aiming to get you up to speed on both.
MIL (Milliradian) vs. MOA (Minute of Angle)
MIL
So, what exactly does MIL stand for? MIL, or MRAD, is an abbreviation for ‘Milliradians’, which is an angular measurement in which one milliradian equals 0.05625 degrees. Another way to look at it is, one MIL represents 1/1000th of your distance to your target. Practically speaking, 1 MIL equates to 10 centimeters at 100 meters or 3.6 inches at 100 yards. MIL reticles traditionally come with either simple subtensions on the crosshairs (think a traditional Mil-Dot reticle), or a MIL-grid, which provides added reference points that fan out on the lower portion of the reticle, traditionally starting just below the center aiming point, that provide ample data for both ranging and windage adjustments.
Each MIL subtension is spaced out at least 1 MIL apart, with some having other markings every .5, .2 or even .1 MIL, allowing you to more accurately gauge the size of your target and your distance to it. Most MIL rifle scopes will have .1 MIL adjustments, where every click would move your reticle 0.36 inches at 100 yards, or 1 centimeter at 100 meters.
Although MILs are mainly used for metric measurements, as we mentioned above, you can use imperial measurements too. Just keep in mind that if you plan on calculating using inches and yards, the mental math needed for ranging distance and adjusting can get tricky, making it crucial to keep your measurements together. If you’re ranging for yards, you would need to use inches—if you’re ranging in meters, you’d need to use centimeters, but we’ll touch more on that later.
MOA
MOA is an acronym standing for “Minute of Angle”, which is another angular measurement. In this system, one MOA accounts for 1/60th of a degree. You can think of it like the minute ticks on a circular clock, hence the name ‘minute’ of angle. Just like with MIL reticles, MOA reticles also have tick marks or a full MOA grid to compensate for range and windage. Practically speaking, at 100 yards, 1 MOA accounts for roughly 1 inch—1.047 inches, to be exact. Although this is a smaller measurement than MILs, either unit can be equally expressed in their respective systems.
Because of their smaller measurement, MOA rifle scopes are often considered to have finer adjustments, as many MOA scopes often use ¼ MOA adjustment values. This means each adjustment would shift your point of impact by a ¼-MOA per click, which is slightly smaller than the .1-MIL adjustments on most MIL optics.
Although MOA reticles are functionally similar to MIL options, they have some core differences, mainly pertaining to measurements. While MILs are a metric measurement, MOA is an application of an older angular measurement system that just happens to pair particularly well with imperial measurements, like inches and yards. In fact, traditional Arc Minutes date back to ancient times, with them being derived from ancient astronomy techniques.
Although theoretically you can use metric measurements, the ratios and conversions necessary to determine your target’s range don’t translate well when using an MOA reticle. If you’re really set on using inches and yards, MOA reticle systems can be a solid pick for you. However, keep in mind that they can be used with MIL reticles as well. If you can learn metric measurements, you’ll be able to use MIL reticles effectively, which are the standard language, so-to-speak, for professional long-range sharpshooters. Regardless, MOA reticle systems are still a popular choice in America thanks to their cohesion with imperial measurements.
Understanding MIL and MOA Measurements
Both MIL and MOA reticle systems let you pull off accurate shots at long distances when used properly, but to do so, it’s crucial to understand how each reticle system works.
Using MIL Reticles
As we mentioned before, MIL reticle systems offer a substantial amount of target and ranging information to help you better understand how to shift your aim to make accurate shots at distance.
To quickly recap how they work, each MIL stands for 1/1000th of the distance between you and your target. For instance, at 1,000 yards, 1 MIL is equal to 1 yard, and at 1,000 meters, 1 MIL is equal to 1 meter. Regardless of which unit you use, this ratio will remain consistent. To adequately gauge your target distance, you’ll need to use one of the following equations:
Meters: Target Distance = Target Size Estimate in Centimeters * 10 / Target Size in MILs
Yards: Target Distance = Target Size Estimate in Inches * 27.78 / Target Size in MILs
For instance, say you’re shooting at a 10-inch-tall target that takes up 2 MILs in your reticle. Using our equation, your distance to the target would be about 138.9 yards away. If you’re using meters, your target would be 25.4 centimeters tall, making your distance-to-target 127 meters.
As you can see, while you can use imperial measurements when using a MIL reticle, it poses a slight challenge. Like other metric units, milliradians is a 10-based system and is easiest to use with other 10-based systems. The conversion between inches and yards is 36”, which is why we have to use that more complicated 27.78 number in our calculation.
Once you have an idea of how far out your target is, you can use the MIL subtensions on your reticle to hold over for windage and bullet drop. It’s important to keep in mind that bullet drop looks different depending on your caliber and the range you’re shooting at, so we recommend familiarizing yourself with ballistic charts for your specific load to make a proper hold to accommodate bullet drop.
Using MOA Reticles
As we said before, if you’re planning on only using the imperial system of measurements, i.e., inches and yards, you’ll feel right at home with an MOA reticle.
Recapping MOA—each MOA is 1/60th of a degree, with 1 MOA roughly equaling 1 inch per 100 yards. Technically, the actual value is 1.047, but within 1000 yards, you can usually just use the 1-to-100 ratio. As with the MIL reticle system, though, an MOA reticle does require you to do some math to gauge your target distance using the formula below:
Target Distance = Target Size Estimate in Inches * 100 / Target Size in MOA
Using the same 10-inch target scenario as before, if the target that fits within 2 MOA of your reticle, your distance from the target would be 500 yards. Just like with MIL reticles, you can adjust accordingly while using the reticle’s MOA dots/subtensions to hold over for bullet drop.
Choosing the Right Option
For enthusiasts who are relatively new to long-range shooting, MIL reticles and their measurements are often quicker to adjust for due to the simplicity of the metric system. MIL reticles are also more versatile, being able to use imperial and metric measurements. Lastly there are a plethora of solid resources that each go over the various aspects of using a MIL reticle. If you want to stick with imperial measurements, MOA can be a good fit for you, as it offers similar ranging capabilities and finer adjustments. Just keep in mind that on-the-fly adjustments will be more complex.
Out of the two options, we recommend using MIL reticle optics, as they offer greater versatility for ranging and have a well-spring of rich information available for them. That said, ultimately, the best optic is the one that fits your needs and preferences best. If you’re feeling that neither of these reticles really fit your needs, or you just want to see what else is out there, we highlight the ever-popular BDC reticle in our rifle scope reticle guide.
Rifle Scope Options
Now that you have an idea of how these reticle systems compare to each other, you can start looking for an optic that aligns with what you’re looking for. It’s easy to get lost when looking for an optic since there are so many high-quality brands to choose from. Below are a few notable ones to help get you started.
Primary Arms Optics: Primary Arms Optics produces a fair number of optics that can come equipped with several reticle options, including both MOA and MIL/MRAD options.
Primary Arms MRAD rifle scopes include optics like our PLx® 6-30×56 FFP Rifle Scope. Featuring our illuminated ACSS® Athena BPR MIL Reticle, it’s capable of ranging out to 1000+ yards, and is further optimized with .2 MIL subtensions for extremely precise range estimation.
For MOA enthusiasts, optics like our SLx® 4-16×44 FFP Rifle Scope come standard with our ARC-2 MOA reticle, making it well-suited for long-distance shots. With 40 MOA worth of hold overs below the reticle, you’ll have that more-than-enough adjustment room to compensate for bullet drop.
Vortex Optics: Vortex Optics has a solid lineup of high-quality rifle scopes that are host to a wide array of different reticle options, with models like their Viper PST being a solid choice to go with.
The Viper PST Gen II is a solid scope offering that comes equipped with their EBR-7C MRAD Reticle. These optics come standard with Vortex’s extra-low dispersion, or XD, glass for better resolution and color fidelity, while the MRAD reticle allows you to easily range distances up to and beyond 1,000 yards. If you’re an MOA fan, there are a lot of Vortex MOA rifle scopes to choose from as well, with the same Viper model mentioned before being available with their EBR-7C MOA Reticle.
Conclusion
MIL and MOA reticles will continue to be some of the most popular reticle options. Both offer their own unique advantages, catering to unique needs and preferences, and need to be carefully evaluated before making any final decisions.
MIL reticles offer an intuitive design that works well with both metric and imperial measurements. MOA reticles use American/Imperial measurements foremost and can offer finer ¼ MOA adjustments, despite being more complex. Both reticle systems are highly effective, but at the end of the day, it’s a matter of determining which one best aligns with your preferences.
Regardless of which reticle suits you best, devote time to practice, study ballistic charts, and familiarize yourself with your optic of choice. Once you pair the right optic with the knowledge to use it, you’ll be ready to go the distance.
If you’re interested in seeing what other optics are out there, we recommend checking out our other articles like, “Is it a reflex or red dot sight?”, to get an idea of the intricacies of other optic variants.
