Red Dot Sight MOA Explained

A Red Dot sight's illuminated dot is measured in MOA, which is a unit of measurement regarding the angular size of a circle. The size of the dot determines how much of the target it covers and how quickly the dot can be acquired.

Basically:

• 1 MOA will cover 1" at 100 yards
• 2 MOA will cover 2" at 100 yards
• 6 MOA will cover 6" at 100 yards

The majority of Red Dots start at 2 MOA and go up to 10 MOA.

As MOA is an angular measure, this means a 2 MOA dot will cover:

• 1" @ 50 yards
• 2" @ 100 yards
• 4" @ 200 yards

Therefore, the choice of dot size is governed by:

1. Target size
2. Target distance
3. Whether the target is moving
4. Speed of acquisition

The smaller the dot, the more precise it will be at distance. The larger the dot, the easier it is to acquire a moving target at closer ranges.

• 2-2.5 MOA – best for precision at longer ranges
• 3-5 MOA – quick to acquire at close ranges
• 6 MOA – larger red dot, best for quick acquisition of moving targets at close range

(Please note this is for illustration purposes only and not to scale.)