Last updated on January 20th, 2025
Choosing a rifle scope can be a complex endeavor with many features to consider including focal plane, magnification range, MIL or MOA and reticle just to name a few. Here you will find a quick tip to help make the choice between MOA and MRAD easier to make.
Provided that you are in the market for a scope aimed at your new rifle or even if looking to upgrade, it can be difficult to know which scope measurement variant to get.
Below is a great comparison photo showing the differences in the size of the measurements of MILs (Milliradian) and MOA (Minute of Angle). The image demonstrates how much the travel is in each ‘click’ of the scope turret.
One miliradian at 100 meters is equal to 10cm. One Minute of Angle at 100 yards is equal to 1.047 inches, which is commonly round down to 1 inch. MOA scope turrets are often adjustable by 1/4 (0.25) MOA increments (1/4 inch at 100 yards). Milliradian scopes are often adjustable by 1/10th (0.1) MIL increments (1 centimetre at 100 meters).
When choosing an optic in either of these measurements a good starting point is asking yourself what does your own mind measure in? If it’s centimeter and meter then use MILs or if you measure in inches and yards use MOA. It ends up being a lot easier to make adjustments without doing conversions along the way.
With either MIL or MOA, unless you’re limited by operational reasons, I wouldn’t convert back and forth to linear measurements. Stick with the system you already use and choose a scope based on that.
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