Another MOA vs Mil thread

gtriple

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I have changed from MOA to MIL for all of my scopes because the math is just easier IMO. A hold of 3.37 mils is just 3.4. A hold of 3.37 moa takes longer to round to either 3.5 or 3.25. Not a big difference, but I like the ability to round to the tenths place.
 

xsn10s

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I wrote a long response lol. Here's the shortened version. After using a mil reticle, moa turret scope for decades I found mil/mil scope far easier. But for you maybe moa might be easier. For me mils is far faster since the increment is larger, so less dialing. The spotter is just guessing when we say missed left or right by so many "inches" at a given distance unless they use a mil or moa reticle. So you're conversion to moa will be based off a guess. I'd say maybe have your Dad spot you with a mil or moa reticle and see if he can relate the miss in either mils or moa. When I shot with my buddies I had them relate misses in terms or target height or length. "a quarter body length right, half a body up". Or "half a target length left, a third target height up". No need for converting when doing that.
 
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I have read extensively on the MOA vs Mil debate. I fully understand that they are angular measurements and nothing more. Cutting through all of the unnecessary BS, I recognize the potential growth as a shooter that using a mil reticle offers with more intuitive wind holds and an easier to remember quick drop system with how my mind works.

I just do not know if it will offer me, a flatlander from the east, an advantage. That is, I do not think I would ever in practice use the quicker wind hold or quick drop chart. In any sort of long range scenario that I would be comfortable taking a shot at an animal in the west, conditions would be calm and everything run through 4DOF which would offer up a solution in MOA or Mils, so that’s a wash between them.

My dad would be my spotter on a hunt and would call impacts in inches at the target. He doesn’t speak minutes or mils and won’t start now. Given the very close approximation of 1 minute per 100 yards, a reticle that speaks minutes would be more intuitive for me to make quicker corrections on follow up shots based on the impacts being called in inches at the target.

With this set of parameters, what would y’all recommend. There are likely other factors I have neglected to consider that could make a real difference in this decision. Thanks all.

I don't think it really matters all that much. I have both MIL and MOA scopes, and they all work fine. For drop, I invariably have a chart taped to the stock translating range into MILS or MOA up. Wind calls for me tend to be intuitive. In the long range shooting world, the idea that you will fire a shot, get a correction from a spotter, adjust, and shoot again is normal. I can't ever see myself doing that when hunting, but I also can't really see myself shooting at an animal much past 500 yards.

I tend to prefer MOA for the reason you state: the approximation of an MOA equally about 1" per 100 yards is easy for me to remember. Just pick one and go with it.

For spotting purposes, if you do want to go that route, Nightforce just released a pretty sweet new spotting scope that has a reticle for making wind calls and describing the location of game to the shooter.
 

xsn10s

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For spotting purposes, if you do want to go that route, Nightforce just released a pretty sweet new spotting scope that has a reticle for making wind calls and describing the location of game to the shooter.
I was just looking for binos with reticles in them. It looks like monoculars with reticles are a inexpensive option.

 
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