Binoculars Range Calculator
Turn your binoculars or mil-dot / MOA reticle into a rangefinder: estimate distance from a target's known size, solve for any missing variable, and convert units.
Mil-dot range estimator
MOA range estimator
Frequently asked questions
How does mil-dot rangefinding work?
Measure how many milliradians (mils) the target spans on your reticle, then apply: range in meters = target size in meters × 1000 ÷ mils. Example: a 1.7 m tall person spanning 2.5 mils is at 1.7 × 1000 ÷ 2.5 = 680 m.
What is the MOA range formula?
For a true-MOA reticle: range in yards = target size in inches × 95.5 ÷ MOA read. Example: a 68-inch target spanning 4 MOA is at 68 × 95.5 ÷ 4 = 1623.5 yards.
How accurate is mil-dot rangefinding?
It is an estimation method, not a precision measurement. The mil reading dominates the error: at 2.5 mils a misread of just ±0.1 mil moves the 680 m answer to 653.85 m or 708.33 m — roughly ±4%. Uncertainty in the target's true size adds on top of that.
What is the difference between mil and MOA?
Both are angular units on the reticle. 1 mil equals about 3.438 MOA. One mil subtends 1 meter at 1000 meters; one true MOA subtends about 1.047 inches at 100 yards. The formulas differ only in their constants: 1000 for mil (metric), 95.5 for MOA (imperial).
What target sizes should I use?
Use typical sizes only when you cannot measure: adult human 1.7 m (67 in), whitetail deer at the shoulder 0.91 m (36 in), elk at the shoulder 1.37 m (54 in), stop sign 0.76 m (30 in), sedan car height 1.45 m (57 in), goalpost crossbar 3.05 m (10 ft). Every preset is approximate — a wrong size assumption shifts the range proportionally.
How do I convert meters to yards for the result?
Multiply meters by 1.0936133. For example, 680 m × 1.0936133 = 743.66 yards. This calculator shows every result in meters, kilometers, yards, and feet automatically.
Why is 1000 used in the mil formula?
Because a milliradian is 1/1000 of a radian, and for the small angles involved, 1 mil subtends exactly 1 unit of length at 1000 units of distance — 1 meter at 1000 meters, 1 yard at 1000 yards. That is the whole trick behind the formula.
Can binoculars measure distance precisely?
No. Reticle-based ranging gives a useful field estimate but never a precision measurement — the reading error and size uncertainty are too large. For exact distances use a laser rangefinder.
More distance tools
Need plain unit conversion for a measured distance? Try our length converter.
Free tool by NRTechStudio