MOA and your sight picture

On a red dot, MOA is the size of the aiming mark. A smaller number is a smaller dot. That is the sight picture: how much of the target the dot covers, and how fast your eye finds it.

One MOA is about one inch at 100 yards (about a quarter inch at 25 yards, about a tenth of an inch at 7 yards). A 2 MOA dot covers roughly two inches at 100 yards — a tight hold, more target visible around the dot. A 6 MOA dot covers about six inches at 100 yards — easier to pick up in a hurry, and it hides more of a distant A-zone. At 7 yards both dots are still small; the difference is most obvious past 25 yards and on small steel.

Typical pistol dots here are 2 to 6 MOA. Duty/carry people often want 3–6 MOA so the dot is obvious on the draw. A 1 or 2 MOA mark is for a precise hold (SRO 1 MOA, C&H Comp 2 MOA). 8 MOA (some FastFire models) is a big, fast blob. Circle-dot reticles (3/33 MOA, 68/1 MOA) put a large ring around a small dot: ring for speed, dot for a careful shot. EOTech’s 68 MOA ring is that idea on a holographic sight.

MOA on a dot is not MOA on a turret (¼ MOA clicks move the point of impact). It is not a 20 MOA rail either — that tilts a riflescope for long shots. See 700 scope bases for rails and scopes for 1000 yards for the riflescope that uses them.

Brightness changes apparent size. A 2 MOA dot cranked up in daylight can bloom toward 3–4 MOA. Astigmatism can smear a small round dot into a star; a larger dot or a ring is often easier than chasing a 1 MOA speck.

Search 2 MOA, 3MOA, or 6 MOA. The number is in the supplier title. Footprint (RMR vs RMSc) is a separate choice — Glock MOS red dots / MO1 vs MO2 / plates.

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