MOA vs. MRAD (MIL): The Complete Guide to Scope Sub-Tensions, Click Values & True-Scale Zeroing
Whether you are zeroing a hunting rifle at 100 yards, dialing elevation for a 1,000-yard steel stage, or conducting a mechanical tall-target tracking test, understanding the exact angular geometry behind Minute of Angle (MOA) and Milliradians (MRAD / MIL) prevents wasted ammunition and turret math errors.
1. Why Rifle Scopes Use Angles Instead of Linear Units
A projectile's trajectory and wind drift increase non-linearly over distance, and a rifle scope's erector tube pivots inside the scope body at a fixed angle per turret click. Because a triangle's base expands proportionally with distance from the apex (the rifle muzzle), angular units—MOA and MRAD—allow a shooter to measure an offset directly inside their reticle and dial that exact same angular correction regardless of whether the target is at 50 yards or 800 meters.
Minute of Angle (MOA)
1/60th of 1°A full circle contains 360 degrees, and each degree is divided into 60 arcminutes (360 × 60 = 21,600 arcminutes in a full circle). At a radius of 100 yards (3,600 inches), the circumference of a circle is 2 × π × 3,600 = 22,619.47 inches.
Most MOA rifle scopes adjust in 1/4 MOA per click, which equals 0.262 inches at 100 yards (often rounded to 0.25" as "Shooter's MOA").
Milliradian (MRAD / MIL)
1/1000th of RadiusA radian is the angle subtended when the arc length equals the radius of the circle (2π radians ≈ 6.2832 radians in 360°). One Milliradian (MRAD) is simply 1/1,000th of the distance to the target—making it unit-agnostic across yards or meters.
1.0 MRAD @ 100 yds = 3.60 inches (1 Click = 0.1 MIL = 0.36")
Modern tactical and PRS competition scopes standardize on 0.1 MRAD per click with base-10 reticles, eliminating fractions entirely.
2. Turret Click Value & Sub-Tension Table (25 to 500 Yards / Meters)
When zeroing at closer ranges (such as 25 or 50 yards indoors) with a scope calibrated for 100 yards, each turret click moves your point of impact by a smaller linear distance on the paper. Use this table to calculate exact clicks:
| Turret Type | 25 Yards | 50 Yards | 100 Yards | 100 Meters | 200 Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 MOA (True) | 0.065" (16 clicks/in) | 0.131" (8 clicks/in) | 0.262" (4 clicks/MOA) | 7.27 mm | 0.524" |
| 1/8 MOA (Benchrest) | 0.033" (32 clicks/in) | 0.065" (16 clicks/in) | 0.131" (8 clicks/MOA) | 3.64 mm | 0.262" |
| 1/2 MOA (BDC / Red Dot) | 0.131" (8 clicks/in) | 0.262" (4 clicks/in) | 0.524" (2 clicks/MOA) | 14.54 mm | 1.047" |
| 0.1 MRAD / MIL | 0.090" (2.29 mm) | 0.180" (4.57 mm) | 0.360" (9.14 mm) | 10.00 mm (1.0 cm) | 0.720" (18.29 mm) |
3. True MOA (1.047") vs. "Shooter's MOA" (1.000"): When Does It Matter?
Many commercial paper targets print a standard 1.00-inch grid and label it "1 MOA at 100 Yards." At 100 yards, if your bullet impacts 2 inches low and you dial 8 clicks (2.0 MOA), the difference between 2.000 inches and 2.094 inches is less than one-tenth of an inch—completely negligible inside a typical hunting group.
However, that 4.72% discrepancy accumulates during long-range shooting or mechanical scope tracking verification:
- At 1,000 Yards (30 MOA Drop): Approximating 1 MOA as 10 inches per 1,000 yards yields 300 inches of drop. True MOA (10.472" per 1,000 yds) equals 314.16 inches—resulting in a 14.16-inch vertical miss if you use approximate math.
- Tall-Target Scope Tracking Tests at 100 Yards: To verify whether your scope's internal erector tracks true, you dial 10.0 MOA on your elevation turret and measure the vertical shift at 100 yards. A mechanically accurate True-MOA scope will move the impact up by 10.47 inches, not 10.00 inches.
That is why TargetCraft's Sight-In Grid Generator provides dedicated dropdown presets for both 1.00 Inch Standard Grids and True 1.047" MOA Grids.
4. First Focal Plane (FFP) vs. Second Focal Plane (SFP) Reticle Zeroing
First Focal Plane (FFP)
In an FFP optic, the reticle is etched ahead of the magnification erector lens assembly. As you zoom from 4× to 24×, the reticle grows and shrinks at the exact same rate as the target image. Your reticle hash marks (MOA or MRAD stadia) remain 100% accurate at every magnification setting.
Second Focal Plane (SFP)
In an SFP optic, the reticle remains the same apparent size to your eye while the target image zooms behind it. Reticle sub-tension hash marks are only true at one specific calibration magnification (usually maximum power, or 10× on high-magnification benchrest scopes). Always verify your zero on the paper grid rather than measuring with an SFP reticle at partial zoom.
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