Know your target’s size but not the distance? Measure the target through your reticle in MIL or MOA, enter both values below, and this tool returns the range instantly in yards and meters. A core skill when you don’t have a laser rangefinder or need to confirm one.
Ranging Calculator
Find target distance from its known size and reticle reading.
Common targets: IPSC/USPSA full ~30 in tall • IPSC C-zone ~18 in• Man torso ~20 in
Pick up to 5 target sizes: steel, big game, predator, or your own. Then generate a personalized MIL/MOA lookup card you can save to your phone.
Steel / Target
Big Game Vitals
Predator / Small Game
Custom Size
Enter Your Email to Save
One-time: we'll remember it on this device so future saves skip this step.
New Articles. Calculator Updates. Ballistic resources
Science backed ballistics articles, reloading deep dives, and calculator updates. Stay up to date and make yourself a better shooter, through science.
Found this useful?
How to Use the Ranging Calculator
Enter the known size of your target (a steel plate's height, an IPSC silhouette, a fence post, or anything whose real dimension you know) and choose its unit. Then measure how large that same dimension appears in your reticle in MIL or MOA and enter that. The calculator returns the distance to the target.
The Math Behind It
Ranging works because angular size shrinks with distance in a fixed, predictable way. For MIL, one milliradian is exactly 1/1000th of the distance. So a target's size divided by its mil-reading (then converted to yards) gives range: Distance (yds) = Target Size (in) × 27.78 ÷ mils. For MOA, since 1 MOA = 1.047 inches per 100 yards: Distance (yds) = Target Size (in) × 95.5 ÷ MOA.
The accuracy of your range estimate depends entirely on the accuracy of your reticle measurement. A small error in the mil reading produces a proportionally larger error in distance. This is why a precise reticle hold and a known target size matter. New to these units? See our MOA vs MIL article.
Mil Dot Ranging Formula
A mil dot reticle spaces its dots 1 mil apart, center to center, so the same math works for any mil reticle. Measure the target in mils, then use: Distance (yards) = Target Size (inches) x 27.78 / mils. In metric, Distance (meters) = Target Size (meters) x 1000 / mils.
Example: an 18 inch target that spans 2.0 mils is 18 x 27.78 / 2.0 = 250 yards. Estimate the reading to a tenth of a mil when you can, since a small reading error turns into a larger distance error as the target gets farther away.
On a first focal plane scope the mil reading is correct at every magnification. On a second focal plane scope it is only correct at the magnification the reticle is calibrated for, which is often the highest power or a marked setting, so check your scope manual before you range.
