MIL or MOA? Why? DATA, not a DEBATE!

What reticle style do you prefer?

  • MOA-Based

    Votes: 14 26.4%

  • MIL-Based

    Votes: 16 30.2%

  • I use both MOA and MIL

    Votes: 12 22.6%

  • Don't clutter my view; basic crosshairs are all I need.

    Votes: 11 20.8%
  • Total voters
    53
  • Poll closed .
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I use both types of reticle's. Either way is easy to learn and use, especially if you use a ballistics calculator.
It wasn't long ago, before the hash mark reticles came out, that most all Mil-Dot reticle scopes had MOA turrets. I still have a couple of them. They take a little longer to do the math with when dialing a 1/4 moa turret using a milliradian measurement reticle.

Today, Most scope makers match the turret measurement style to the reticle. Life is good, as long as the scope tracks well!
 
Carl N. Brown said:
A mil is basically 3.6 MOA. I can start to wrap my brain around that.
Click to expand...

3.44moa per Mil.

1.047” per MOA at 100yrds, 3.6” per milliradian at 100yrds, 3.6/1.047 = 3.438moa per mil.

I hate the term “shooter’s MOA” for that reason. Every “shooter” I know understands that MOA isn’t 1” per hundred yards, and that the difference between 1.047” and 1.0” makes a difference. It should be “non-shooter’s MOA”...

[/lame attempt at humor]
 
I have and use both. From a target shooters perspective MIL makes more sense. If I'm using a range finder, or shooting at a known range it is very easy to look at a cheat sheet and figure out exactly how much to move the dials on a scope. Under those conditions I don't have any issues making them work.

But I'm a hunter 1st and have a lot more experience with hunting scopes and MOA adjustments. I tend to think in MOA. No reason Mils can't be used for hunting and I suspect that as more shooters who are shooters 1st and hunting is a secondary activity we'll see more MIL scopes used in the hunting fields.
 
I only have one scope with either and it is a MOA reticle. I’d like my next one to match, but I’m not really tied to it. I could make a case to myself that I should go MILRAD for the next one to be sure I can use either one.
 
Think I'll hang on to the FFP MOA scopes: a Vortex PST 4-16x50 with an EBR-1 reticle and an SWFA SS 3-15x44 MOA-Quad. Totally agree on having the turrets match the reticle.
 
I have been shooting in NRA competitions for decades, and all the iron sights, and the scopes, are in MOA. I don't think MIL for elevation and windage. I think in terms of clicks, most clicks being 1/4 MOA. Service rifle was 1/2 MOA elevation and 1/2 MOA windage, which was fine with irons. Could not hold tighter with irons and a post. I do have a couple of 1/8 MOA rear sights on a couple of smallbore prone rifles.
 
While it is not an exact conversion, basically 110 yards is very close to 100 meters. 220 yards - 200 meters, 440 yards - 400 maters etc.. And while we ranged everything in meters in the military, I have no problems ranging in yards when using my MIL/MIL scopes.
 
I got started with mil and so I always buy mil and have that as a standard.

Now, do you use English or Metric systems and why ?
 
I like mil reticles and mil adjustments. The only thing I use MOA for is in reference to a rifle's ability or when analyzing a group previously fired. All of my leads and holds are in mils. I have used about everything out there, and mil/mil is what works best for me and is the preferred setup throughout the military sniper community.
 
I use both, I like both, I find that the individual scope features make a bigger difference. @Nature Boy brings up 1/8 moa adjustments, and that is a fair point, equally, I rarely see 1/8, 1/4 is more common, so 1/4 vs .1 becomes too close to debate much. The reticle itself comes to mind as well, 1/2 mil vs 1 mil, 1 moa vs .5 mil etc. I'd take either a half mil or 1 moa subtension reticle over a 1 mil.
 
Most top target scopes are offered in MOA only. I keep everything uniform and stick with MOA in my other scopes, too. Not a big deal either way.
 
One inch at one hundred yards accidentally approximates one minute of angle MOA close enough for range work. (It is irking to see a 1 inch group on a 50 yard target called one MOA at 50 yards when it's about to two minutes of angle.)

Military people working with artillery have to use Mil or at least be familiar with Mil so no reason to refuse to use Mil with a military scope reticle.

I find a lot of the sources on Mil and MOA to be inconsistent and confusing.
 
Carl N. Brown said:
One inch at one hundred yards accidentally approximates one minute of angle MOA close enough for range work.
Click to expand...

Yes, it does, and I use that all the time. If my POI is off due to a change in ammo or something the grid (or rings) on my target tells me how many inches it is off, and then I can turn the number of clicks needed to correct.

I could use my reticle to do that, but using the target is much quicker.

However, the real reason for going MOA with a target scope is to get a super-fine reticle, something like NF's MOAR-T, or even better, the FCR-1 in the NF Competition. NF does not put a very fine reticle in any MLR scope. I don't believe Sightron does, either. Someone might, but I have never heard of it.

After years of shooting very fine reticles there is no way I am going to buy any target scope that is not very fine. And, I'm probably not buying one that does not have "NF" on the wind turret. That leaves MLR out completely.
 
X-Maker said:
Yes, it does, and I use that all the time. If my POI is off due to a change in ammo or something the grid (or rings) on my target tells me how many inches it is off, and then I can turn the number of clicks needed to correct.

I could use my reticle to do that, but using the target is much quicker.

However, the real reason for going MOA with a target scope is to get a super-fine reticle, something like NF's MOAR-T, or even better, the FCR-1 in the NF Competition. NF does not put a very fine reticle in any MLR scope. I don't believe Sightron does, either. Someone might, but I have never heard of it.

After years of shooting very fine reticles there is no way I am going to buy any target scope that is not very fine. And, I'm probably not buying one that does not have "NF" on the wind turret. That leaves MLR out completely.
Click to expand...

I've always kind of wondered if there's any reason to even have a graduated reticle when shooting known distance, and with a graduated target. It seems like more of something that would be useful for action game style of target shooting....... This is coming from someone with zero knowledge on the above lol.

Being a "plinker"..... I do use the reticle to measure the distance from my target to my splash and then correct elevation with the vertical dial and hold off for windage. I honestly don't have a fantastic first or second round hit ratio but I've been getting better at it....
 
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