MOA vs MRAD Scopes: The Differences, Advantages, and More

MOA and MRAD are two different systems of angular measure for tactical rifle scopes that are used to help you adjust your aim while shooting.

The debate between the usage of MOA vs MRAD is a long-standing one among many hunters and gun enthusiasts of all levels.

Before we can go into the debate between MOA and MRAD, it is important to first talk about the main components of sight alignment.

The Basics of Sight Alignment

There are two main components for rifle scope alignment: The reticle and the turret.

Both the turret and the reticle are important for making a good shot.

Reticle

The reticle is the part of the scope which holds the aiming point within the scope’s field of vision. They are usually curated from wire or etched directly onto the glass using lasers.

The two most common types of reticles are the red dot and the crosshair reticle. Both of these types of reticles are built to compensate for windage and bullet drop.

Turret

The turret is the twistable knob that is used to adjust scope reticles.

There are two main types of turrets: Ballistic and target turrets.

Ballistic turrets, which come in increments of 100 yards, allow for quick and easy adjustment of bullet trajectory.

Target turrets are great at fine adjustment to change the position of bullet impact. They are mostly used for windage and elevation adjustments.

Both types of turret use either MOA or MRAD to make their adjustments.

What Is MOA/Minute of Angle?

MOA stands for “Minute of Angle,” which basically refers to 1/60th of an angle.

What does this mean?

Imagine the angles on your rifle scope. As a full circle, standard rifle scopes have 360 degrees.

Each one of those degrees is divided into 60 parts. One part is one “minute of angle.”

This division allows the shooter to make fine adjustments to their rifle scopes.

Why is this division necessary?

A change in one degree of the angle would result in the impact point moving by 62.83 inches, which is more than 5 feet. Any shots taken with these kinds of adjustments are bound to be too off the mark.

To rectify this, each angle is divided into 1 MOA, which refers to that 1/60 partition, or one “minute of angle.”

1 MOA, or a change in 1/60 of an angle, results in a much more precise change.

1 MOA will cause the point of impact to move by just one inch at 100 yards (1.047 inches, if you want to be exact).

MOA adjustment at 1 inch is one of the reasons why targets are usually designed to have 1-inch grids. If all shots land within a single square on the target, that indicates a sub MOA grouping.

One click is equivalent to around .25 inches at 100 yards for most MOA rifle scopes.

TAKE NOTE: The angle must be measured between the aim point and the shot’s physical impact when using MOA.

While aiming through the scope may seem straight at the impact point, the rifle’s barrel and line of sight are angled against each other to form a trajectory.

This means that the bullet will need more time to drop at longer distances. The projectile drop in relation to your target can be measured through an angle by MOA.

To get perfect accuracy, you need to consider this to calculate MOA properly. The most popular MOAs are 3MOA and 6MOA.

What Is MRAD/Milrad/Milliradian?

MIL, also known as MRAD, which is short for milliradian, is an SI unit of angular measurement used to define .001 radians of the rifle scope reticle. 

Note that a radian, which is part of the International Standard of Measurements, is slightly larger than one degree.

Under the MRAD/Milrad/Milliradian system, the riflescope is divided into sections of 6.283 radians.

This means that one adjustment will cause a change of 6.283 radians.

The distance between any two adjacent dots, or one MIL, is equivalent to 3.6 inches at 100 yards.

This is the system more common in the military, leading to it being adopted by the civilian market as well.

MOA Scopes vs. MRAD Scopes

The main difference for MRAD vs. MOA is just what their equivalent distances are at 100 yards. 

At 100 yards, one MIL is equivalent to 3.6 inches, while one MOA is equivalent to 1.047 inches.

Which is better for you? It really boils down to personal preference.

To help you figure it out, let’s look at some of the advantages of each system:

Advantages of MOA

#1 Allows for More Precision at Closer Ranges

Because MOA allows for smaller increments of adjustment, it is better for small, precise changes at closer ranges.

In fact, a one-quarter MOA adjustment is more refined and effortless than 1/10 MIL adjustments at the same distance of 100 yards.

Understand that at a distance of 1000 yards, one MOA is equivalent to 10 inches.

This would mean that a single click would be equivalent to 2.5 inches at 100 yards.

If you compare MRAD vs. MOA based on clicks, you will see that MOA is slightly more accurate.

#2 Better for Those Used to Imperial Measurements

If you are more comfortable with imperial measurements, such as inches, the MOA system is ideal for your rifle scopes.

Most ballistic tables for MOA reticles are recorded in terms of yards and feet.

Advantages of MRAD