MRAD

MRAD stands for milliradian, an angular unit widely used in rifle scopes, reticles, and ballistic calculations. One MRAD equals one thousandth of a radian. Because a radian is the ratio of arc length to radius, 1 MRAD subtends about 0.0573 degrees. At a given distance, 1 MRAD corresponds to a linear offset equal to distance × 0.001; for example, at 100 meters it equals 0.1 meters (10 cm), at 100 yards about 3.6 inches, and at 1000 meters about 1 meter.

MRAD is commonly implemented in scopes with MRAD turrets and reticles. Holdovers and range estimates are read in MRAD, and turret increments often come in 0.1 MRAD or 0.5 MRAD per click, though configurations vary by model.

In practice, MRAD is often contrasted with MOA (minutes of angle). 1 MRAD is approximately 3.44 MOA, and 1 MOA ≈ 0.291 MRAD. This reflects their different angular bases and affects how ballistic calculations translate to aiming corrections at distance. A full circle contains 2π radians, or about 6,283 MRAD.

MRAD systems are standard in many military and civilian optics, especially for metric distance shooting. Some products and regions use MIL or mil-based terminology, leading to variations in how mils are defined. Despite these differences, MRAD provides a linear relationship between angular measurement and distance, which many shooters find intuitive for long-range aiming and range estimation.