MOA is an angular measurement shooters use to describe accuracy and make aiming corrections.
MOA stands for Minute of Angle. It’s a way of measuring an angle, and shooters use that angle to describe rifle accuracy and make scope adjustments.
Think of it as a measurement that is shaped like a tiny piece of pie. It starts at a point, and then spreads outward as distance increases. The farther away the target is, the larger space that same angle covers.
MOA is 1.047” at 100 yards. As distance increases, the linear distance grows, but it’s still 1 MOA. So at 200 yards, 1 MOA is 2.094”, and at 300 yards it’s 3.141”.
If a rifle shoots a 1-MOA group, that means the group size is staying within that same angular measurement, regardless of the distance.
Scopes also use MOA for adjustments. When you turn an MOA-based turret, most scopes move the point of impact by ¼ of one MOA per click. The distance is irrelevant. It’s just moving the impact by ¼ of one MOA. Using the example above, at 100 yards a single click would move the point of impact .261”, and at 200 yards .523”, and that measurement continues to increase as the distance increases, but is still always ¼ of one MOA.
For this reason, when using an MOA system, it’s always best to talk and think in the system you’re using; that way you escape having to do any conversions and can just make the correct adjustments on your optic no matter what the yardage is.
The simple version is:
MOA is an angular measurement shooters use to describe accuracy and make aiming corrections.
If you want to compare the two most common angular measurement systems used in rifle scopes, read our Short What Is a MIL?