How To Use Moa Scope

"This rifle shoots 1 MOA," or, "Your point of impact was 2 MOA right, 0.five MOA high". You've heard these things at the range, only what is MOA, or minute of angle? If you're a new shooter then you lot're even so learning the basics of good marksmanship. Only once you principal the mechanics, yous need to know the science of measuring accuracy. MOA is the most pop (compared to MIL) and it can be used to calculate bullet drop, wind shift, the accuracy of a firearm, and most importantly, how to nada and adjust scopes and optics. Permit'south break it all downwardly. We'll explicate the math, then we'll provide enough of examples for zeroing, agree-overs, and turret adjustments.

Minute of Angle (MOA) Defined

Infinitesimal of angle is an athwart measurement that increases in height (or width) every bit altitude increases.

Think of MOA as an imaginary cone that widens as it gets longer. The tip of that cone begins at the end of your muzzle. The base of operations of the cone - a circle - rests at your target, or where your bullet impacts. Whatsoever point along the cone, including its round base, is where MOA can exist measured.

Confused? Visualize: If you lot extend your arms straight out and point one arm up and 1 arm down (or left and right), you'll notice your elbows are closer together than your easily. The farther autonomously you lot indicate your artillery away from each other, the greater your MOA. The closer your artillery are together, the smaller the MOA.

"How does MOA utilise to shooting?"

MOA expresses how to punch in a telescopic or optic. Click 0.5 MOA left, and i MOA up.
MOA rates how accurate a firearm generally is. Information technology grouped 4" at 200 yards, so its accuracy is ii MOA.

We'll learn how to convert MOA into inches shortly. Only let'due south explain why we use MOA instead of inches, first.

"What's the benefit of using MOA?"

When some shooters discuss shot placement, accuracy, or adjusting their scopes, they oft refer to inches. "I had a 5-inch group at 300 yards," Or, "Y'all need to come up up 1 inch and left 2 inches." Except trying to make adjustments with inches means those adjustments are only applicative at that shooting altitude.

For example, if your rifle hits 1" below the bullseye at 100 yards, you tin only adjustment 1" up at 100 yards. That doesn't mean yous'll proceed to hit 1" depression at 200 or 300 yards, so y'all tin't look that one" aligning to concur truthful at other distances. And if yous adjust your scope, say, 1 inch up and 2 inches left at fifty yards to zero, you won't hit that same spot you were aiming at when shooting at greater distances. More adjustments will exist necessary.

MOA allows you to express accuracy at whatever altitude.

Let'due south pretend we have a highly accurate rifle: At 100 yards, it maintains a 1" shot group. At 200 yards, it tin produce a 2" shot group. At 300 yards it manages 3" and and so on. Only if we want to express this accuracy, we can't just say, "This rifle manages one" groups at 100 yards!" That doesn't necessarily mean information technology manages 2" at 200 yards and then on. How do nosotros limited that information technology does, in fact, manage these tight groupings at various distances? We say," This rifle manages 1 MOA groupings." Declaring its accurateness with minutes of angle covers all distances. By saying it shoots 1 MOA, we can quickly convert that back into inches to gauge what kind of accuracy that burglarize will provide at, say, l yards (0.5 MOA) or 400 yards (iv MOA).

MOA allows us to make adjustments for most any distance without wasting ammo.

If nosotros know a rifle holds a detail minute of angle, we can quickly approximate the required adjustments for whatever distance -- wind and the shooter's ability notwithstanding. For instance, if we hit i" low at 100 yards, nosotros need to dial upward 1 MOA. Ii inches low at 200 yards means dialing it up 1 MOA. Three inches low at 300 yards means dialing it up 1 MOA. The adjustment stays the same, considering the ratio between point of aim, point of impact, and distance remains the same.

Beginning to see how that translates into adjusting your telescopic or reticle?

Let's learn the math side by side. We'll apply an MOA-adjustment telescopic to illustrate how we'd nix it just one fourth dimension at a known distance. Doing this volition allow us to make the necessary adjustments to hit the bullseye at any other altitude.

How to Calculate MOA (Easy Math!)

MOA (Accuracy)= Distance betwixt two points of impact (inches) divided by [Altitude in yards / 100].
MOA (To zero or match POA and POI)= Distance between signal of affect and indicate of aim (inches) divided by [Distance in yards / 100].

General Accuracy Examples

Example #ane: You made a 0.75" shot group at 200 yards.
Calculation #ane: 0.75 / (200 / 100) = 0.75 / 2 = 0.38 MOA.

Case #two: You made a 1" shot group at 200 yards.
Adding #2:i / (200 / 100) = 1 / 2 = 0.v MOA.

Instance #iii: You made a 5" shot group at 425 yards.
Calculation #3: 5 / (425 / 100) = v / 4.25 = i.17 MOA.

MOA Adjustments-To-Zippo Example

Instance #i: You're zeroing a new telescopic and rifle for the first time. You're shooting at a target at l yards. You aim at the bullseye and hit 2" depression, and iv.5" left.
Calculation #1 (vertical adjustment): 2 / (fifty / 100) = 2 / 0.5 = Adapt four MOA upwardly.
Adding #two (horizontal adjustment): 4.5 / (50 / 100) = iv.5 / 0.5 = Adapt 9 MOA left.

Example #two: Y'all're zeroing a new handgun with an MOA-adjustable red dot. You lot're shooting at a target at 25 yards. You aim at the bullseye and hit 4" loftier, and 6" right.
Adding #1 (vertical adjustment): 4 / (25 / 100) = 4 / 0.25 = Adjust sixteen MOA down.
Calculation #2 (horizontal adjustment): 6 / (25 / 100) = 6 / 0.25 = Adjust 24 MOA left.

Using an MOA Reticle ("Agree Over")

Many rifle scopes contain "agree-over" marks, or tick marks that measure MOA vertically and horizontally. These hold-over marks rest on the reticle itself, assuasive the shooter to recoup for bullet drib and drift (left or correct) at whatever known altitude, without having to make any adjustments to the scope's turrets.

Below is an example of how to utilize MOA hold over marks:

Shot #one is aimed center-mass of the target, assuming the scope and rifle are properly zeroed. Given ecology factors (wind) and distance, the point of impact is depression 3 MOA and left 4 MOA. To compensate, the reticle provides the hold-over marks to mensurate the correction. Shot #2 hits center-mass because the reticle allowed the shooter to recoup for wind and distance past aiming three MOA high, and 4 MOA correct.

IMPORTANT! 2nd-focal-plane, or SFP scopes (scopes where the size of the reticle remains the same regardless of magnification) volition only provide accurate hold-overs at a set magnification, usually the highest magnification.

Beginning-focal-aeroplane, or FFP scopes' reticles become bigger and smaller with magnification. While difficult to run across at depression power, hold-over marks tin be used at whatever magnification with an FFP scope only.

How to Zero and Adjust MOA Turrets

MOA reticles apply minute-of-angle tick marks on the superlative and windage turrets to zero your burglarize and make adjustments to recoup for changes in distance and wind downrange.

Nearly all MOA turrets utilize 1/4 clicks. That means every 4th tick mark represents one MOA of aligning. These "full MOA" tick marks are usually longer and numbered, similar the hour marks on a clock. Each modest tick mark or private "click" of the turret is one-quarter of an MOA's worth of adjustment. For case, adjusting 4 MOA would require xvi clicks on a 1/4-MOA turret. Using the math nosotros've learned above, and how MOA translates into inches at various distances, we can run into how to easily zero a scope at any known distance based on point of impact when aiming heart-mass, or "bullseye".

"Upwardly/Down" and "LEFT/RIGHT" Turret Markings

All turrets have arrows or "UP/DOWN" and "LEFT/RIGHT" markings. These markings indicate where you desire to motility your point of impact. That means if you hit low and need to adjust higher, you click the turret in the "UP" management. If you lot hitting left and need to shift point of bear on right, you move in the "Right" direction. The reverse is true when moving "Downward" and "LEFT". Just put, click in the management yous want your POI to shift.

MOA Turret Zero Instance

You're zeroing at 50 yards, aiming center-mass. Y'all measure your 3-shot group and find that it averages a point of touch that is 3" depression and 2.five" right of the bullseye.

The Math:3 / (50/100) = iii / 0.5 = half dozen MOA low. ii.five / (l/100) = 2.5 / 0.5 = 5 MOA correct.

The Turrets: With quarter-click turrets (4 clicks per MOA), multiply each point of impact MOA spotting by 4.

The Adjustments: 6 MOA x 4 = 24 clicks UP. five MOA x 4 = 20 clicks LEFT.

MOA Adjustment by Spotting Point of Impact

This example assumes y'all do non take agree-over markings in your reticle, so you need to conform the scope itself to hit the intended bespeak of impact. Your burglarize is zeroed and yous're now aiming center-mass on a target 600 yards away. You burn down, and spot your round impacting viii" depression and 5" left. Your turrets are quarter-click MOA adjustments.

The Math: viii / (600/100) = 8 / 6 = 1.33 MOA low. five / (600/100) = 5 / 6 = 0.83 MOA left.

The Adjustments: ane.33 x four = v.3 clicks Upwards. 0.eight 10 4 = 3.iii clicks Correct.

Obviously, you can't make 0.3 clicks on your turrets, so round downward to 5 clicks UP, three clicks RIGHT.

MOA Adjustment for Distance and Bullet Drop With Ballistics Data

In this example, if you lot take a hold-over reticle, yous tin simply use the MOA markings in your scope to compensate for bullet drop at known distances. If not, you can make the necessary turret adjustments. For this case, you're shooting 150-grain .308 Winchester Federal armament at a target 300 yards abroad. With ballistics information, you know this detail bullet drops xiii.5" at 300 yards.

The Math: 13.v / (300/100) = thirteen.5 / 3 = Anticipated 4.5 MOA drop from bullseye.

The Hold-Over: Using the vertical concord-over marks in your reticle, aim center-mess of the target between the quaternary and 5th lesser tick marks.

Or...

The Adjustment: With a quarter-click telescopic with no concord-overs, adapt the acme turret 18 clicks UP (four.5 ten 4 clicks per 1 MOA).

Summary & Quick Tips

We covered a lot of information, then here's the important stuff, curt and sweet:

Calculate MOA adjustments by dividing POI (inches from bullseye) past [distance to target in yards / 100].
Summate MOA accurateness by diving size of shot grouping in inches past [distance to target in yards / 100].
Adjust turrets in the management you lot want to motility your signal of impact. Striking left, click right. Hit depression, click upward.
If your turrets are quarter-MOA adjustments, multiply MOA adjustments required past 4. Example, adjusting half-dozen MOA up would crave 24 clicks on elevation turret in "UP" management.
SFP scope concord-over tin can simply be used at one magnification, usually the highest.
FFP telescopic agree-over marks tin can be used with any level of magnification.

DISCLAIMER: If you are new to the world of DIY gun edifice, you likely have a lot of questions and rightfully so. It'south an area that has a lot of questions that, without the correct answers, could have some serious implications. At RangeOften.com, we are by no means providing this content on our website to serve every bit legal advice or legal counsel. We encourage each and every builder to perform their own research around their respective State laws too as educating themselves on the Federal laws. When performing your ain research, delight be sure that you are getting your data from a reliable source.