Posted on 05/14/2019 4:45:59 AM PDT by w1n1
In the course of perfecting your shooting accuracy, you will hear the word MOA. If you don’t know what it is, then shooting on target will be the hardest thing to achieve. For those who know it, they realize that some calculations are crucial if you want to improve on accuracy.
Now, what are those calculations? Will they make shooting a rocket science subject? If you are asking such questions, the information below is for you. You will see how easy it is to understand Minute of Angle when we break it down into digestible chunks that will aid you in hitting the bull’s eye every time you aim.
MOA Meaning
What is MOA? It stands for Minute of Angle as explained in the title. Here, a minute refers to 1/60th of a degree. Think about the minutes in an hour. One minute is a 1/60th of an hour. When it comes to shooting, it refers to a tiny fraction of one angle.
Why Do We Need To Measure Shooting In Minutes?
I guessed right. That's your next question. If you look at how a bullet moves, it does so in an arc which is not a perfect one. As it travels further, the force of gravity becomes larger hence the decrease in velocity. That makes the arc’s slope steeper. You may notice that you are shooting dead on at closer targets like about 200 yards away. However, as you aim further than let’s say 600 yards, you note that you are hitting lower than the target point. The distance between where your bullet hits and the target is known as the bullet drop. It's measured in inches. Read the rest of how to understand minute of angle.
Is this suppose to be something new?
Refresher course. (No CE credits.)
To some shooters and most hunters, yes.
Next topic should be MOA vs MIL.
Well, while not a significant factor on the path of the bullet in these cases, as the bullet drops and gets closer to the earth, the force of gravity does increase.
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Yeah 60 minutes in a degree. Approximately 1” at 100 yds.
2” at 200 etc.
I hunt the NE. I use relatively short range lever guns. Dense woods gives very short shots generally. My Marlin 336 in .35 Remington will give me sub MOA groups at 100 yds. I adjust the sights for 2.5” high at 100 yards. I get groups around 2-3” low at 200. So you aim dead center chest at anywhere up to 200 yards it’s a dead deer.
My most accurate rifle is a reconstituted 03-A3 that had a cut receiver. A company in California bought these up cheap and made a recast receiver.
Bought this from a guy who just wanted to get rid of it. Had a horribly butchered stock as some sort of halfassed sporterization. Ugly. Had a sticky bolt too. Paid $50 for it two decades ago. Lapped the bolt in with valve lapping compound. Checked the headspace it was good.
This, for some reason, is a one ragged hole rifle with surplus Greek and Danish Ammo at 100 yds.
whether a bullet is dropped by hand or fired horizontally it will hit the ground at the same time. trajectory and travel time to the target makes the difference on where. i think....
The air pressure against the bullet nose slows it down. Gravity pulls it down
In a perfect planet smooth no hills if you drop a bullet the exact same time you fire a bullet perpendicular to the force of gravity they will both hit the ground at the same time.
You noticed as well.
I have $4,000 rifles that don’t shoot much better than dad’s $19 CMP 03-A3.
Does not apply to pistols, shotguns, or hand grenades...
Gravity getting stronger further away is new to me.
There’s also the matter of the gravitational pull that the bullet exerts on the Earth. But, that’s a little beyond the scope of the article.
The WW2 barrels look pretty grim outside (like they were somebody’s school shop project), but they were actually made better than the “classic” WW1-1920s barrels of the Springfield’s glory days. Broach rifling (as opposed to scraping the grooves out, one at a time, which was inconsistent) and air-gauging the bores made a world of difference.
close, but no points for that answer, eh? Force of gravity X time of travel yields distance of drop.
Gotta read about how the FORCE of gravity becomes larger, because physics. ;-)
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