Sp6x6, MOA isn't based on 1/1000 of a radian, and an MOA is not 1yd @1Kyds.
Scot E, from any angle in your post I take that the only value in these reticles today is in adjusting for MISSES.
Seems like more efforts to account for missing -than hitting!
I spot-laser range, dial elevaton in MOA, hold off for wind(in inches), mind my level and kill my mark. I do this in SFP with a med-fine crosshair, one shot.
If I miss, the mark lives another day. THIS IS REALITY
Now, are y'all suggesting that if I miss, I should walk down to my critter's position, kindly ask it to freeze right there, Monk out where my POI was w/respect to the critter and my shooting position(I don't know, trace out broken grass?), thank critter, hike back to original shot, wave a flag to give sporting warning that I'm gonna try again while holding off at some angular correction?
Or are you suggesting that hunting is better done with a vulcan spotter that can actually declare all aspects of my missing -on animals -in the field?
C'MON
That wasn't exactly my point but it did make for a humorous response from you!
Good word picture!
My point is simply this. There are specific times when guys have the tendency to use math and it messes them up, slows them down, and confuses them when it really is unnecessary.
1. Sighting in- My point was that it can be done at any distance with no math by just comparing POI to POA and then adjusting your scope accordingly. For example, you miss the aim point by xyz amount. It doesn't matter how many inches you missed right and high. All you need to do it just put your reticle on the POA and then read how many MILS or MOA your POI was away from POA. Then dial that into your scope and you are done! Next shot should be almost perfect. This is equally effective for sighting in or verifying zero once you get to your hunting destination. I simply pick out a rock, shoot it, and if I need to change something due to elevation change etc, then I measure with my reticle how much I need to move. One more shot to verify and I am done.
2. Practice- The same concept can be used for shooting steel or rocks etc.. As you are practicing, let's say working on your wind doping skills, you miss to the right. You realize you didn't judge the wind correctly. Well, how much did you misjudge? Lets say in this example I was shooting at 700 yards and was off by 14.5 inches to the right. By using the reticle I don't care how many inches off I was. I would simply measure with my reticle, right from my shooting spot while still in prone position, the difference in POI to POA and in this case it would subtend to 2 MOA. So on my next shot I would hold or dial for 2 more MOA and if conditions stayed the same and I did my job under the gun the next shot is dead on.
Also, for me, practicing and working with an an angular measurement (MIL or MOA) instead of inches for wind drift and elevation is much easier for me to begin to build a visual understanding in my mind of what certain conditions are doing to my bullet compared to trying to do that using inches. So in the example above it is easier for me to think through the fact that the crosswind and down draft was causing 2 more MOA of drift than I was originally estimating than it is for me to try and use 14.5 inches as the difference in error. Much easier to extrapolate out for future shots if I keep it in MOA or MILS.
3. Shooting with a spotter- In this example the same illustration can be used but now you have a buddy spotting for you. It is so much easier and faster to have him call a right miss of 2 MOA than it is for him to call a right miss in inches. Most of the time it is hard to even figure out how many inches the miss was when you are looking downrange 700 yards. So the spotter ends up guessing then the shooter has to guess how to hold that amount, or they have to take the time and do the math to turn 14.5 inches into MOA, but the 14.5 inches was a guess to begin with so we are adding error even if we do the math. So then a lot of guys end up saying things like, " you missed, hold at his butt and six inches higher." IMO it is just so much easier to measure the miss in MOA then make the adjustments accordingly.
Lots of other examples but hopefully this paints a bit of a better picture of my point.
Regarding the actual hunting experience, yes one shot one kill is the goal and many times you only get one shot and the animal is gone. But I surely don't practice that way. I don't shoot groups but I do shoot until I hit POA to learn what needs to be learned from my error in range estimation, wind dope, etc.
It is also my experience that with real LR shots, there is a much higher chance that if you do miss that you may be able to get a second shot. I see this with coyotes, rock chucks, ground squirrels, and deer from time to time. So understanding how to use your reticle to determine your miss error is very valuable. It is the very fastest way possible to get a second shot. I don't see that as a bad thing, to be able to get off a second shot if needed on a missed or even an animal that was hit the first time.
Scot E.
