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Instructions for Mil-Dot Rifle Scopes

You can estimate your range to target with a mil-dot rifle scope. Mil-dot scopes have ranging marks, also called mil-dots, along the scope's cross-hairs. These marks can be used to estimate the range to your target in meters. All that you need to know is the height of your target in meters and a simple math formula. If you need to convert the distance from meters to another unit of measure, such as yards or feet, it's recommended that you use a conversion table

Things You'll Need

Calculator (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Find an object of a known height in meters at the distance that you want to estimate. For example, 1 meter is approximately 3 feet, so if you know that a vehicle is 6 feet high then that would equate to 2 meters.
- 2
  Line up your scope's horizontal cross-hair with the bottom of your target and count the number of mil-dots to the top. If the top of your target is between mil-dots, estimate the percentage of the interval filled by your target. For example, if your target tops off one-quarter of an interval above a mil-dot, then record the percentage as 0.25.
- 3
  Divide the known target height by your mil-dot count and multiply the answer by 1,000; the result will be your target range in meters. For example if your target is 2 meters high and your mil-dot count is 4, than your equation would read: 2 ÷ 4 = 0.5. 0.5 x 1,000 = 500. Your range to the target is 500 meters.

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