1/2" or 1/4" MOA?

[jstahl]

Hey guys, I've been looking at the vortex hs long range scope. The thing that has me worried is the 1/2" moa. What do you guys think about 1/2" over 1/4". This will be on a 300 mag hunting rifle only. Thanks for any info!

[jpd676]

You could do 1/2 moa clicks for long range hutning. 1/4 MOA is more popular and the math isn't that hard. I learned with 1/4 MOA and that is what makes sense to me. If you are chasing small targets the 1/4 MOA is a much finer adjustment that makes precision a little easier. There aren't that many scopes in 1/2 moa adjustments.

[kcebcj]

For a hunting long range carry setup I think the HS Long range with the capped windage knob and 1/2 MOA elevation turret is perfect. I am looking for another scope and the HS I just mentioned is on the short list. For the dollar spent it's hard to beat. With the Dead Hold Reticle you would have hash marks at 2 MOA for wind hold off. Beyond 800 yards and a small target the 1/2 MOA adjustment might be a little coarse.

[jstahl]

Thats the thing that worries me. That scope it the exact one im looking at. The 1/2" just seems like alot when you get out past 500yd or so.

[Scot E]

How far realistically are you going to shoot?

The only drawback to 1/2 moa vs 1/4 moa is whether or not you will have fine enough adjustments to keep your POI close enough to POA. For most loads this isn't an issue out to 1/2 mile or so.

I would suggest using a ballistic calculator like the one here at LRH if you don't have one personally and do the comparisons yourself and see the difference.

Scot E.

[kcebcj]

Originally Posted by jstahl

Thats the thing that worries me. That scope it the exact one im looking at. The 1/2" just seems like alot when you get out past 500yd or so.

Let's say at 500 yards the come up is 9.75 and with a 1/4 MOA scope you dial that. With a 1/2 MOA scope you dial 9.5 or 10 so you are off 1/4MOA which at 500 yards is about 1 1/4 inch and at 800 its about 2 inches. Any of that gets you into a 10 inch kill zone deer or elk and would take a coyote out. Might have a little trouble taking out a rock chuck though.

So for a large game "hunting" rifle 1/2 MOA is OK if shooting a accurate rifle but does have its limit.

[Grumulkin]

Originally Posted by jstahl

Hey guys, I've been looking at the vortex hs long range scope. The thing that has me worried is the 1/2" moa. What do you guys think about 1/2" over 1/4". This will be on a 300 mag hunting rifle only. Thanks for any info!

Think about it, if each click is 1/4 inches you can adjust to within 1/8th inch of where you want to hit on the target. WIth a 1/2 inch click, you can get within 1/4 inches of where you need to be. Unless you and your gun is capable of 1/8th inch groups you don't need 1/4 inch/MOA clicks.

My favorite scope uses Leupold's M3 turrets. They have 1/2 inch clicks on the windage and 1 inch clicks on the elevation; perfect for a practical hunting scope in my opinion.