Terms and definitions

Before I dive into my list of targets and how you can make the most of them, let’s take a look at a few terms that’ll help you understand what I’ll be talking about when we get to the targets.

Milliradians (MILs) and Minutes of Angle (MOA)

MILs and MOA are angular measurements that are commonly used by shooters when they want to adjust their rifle scopes. MILs are metric-based, and also is a pretty straightforward conversion (1 MIL = 10cm at 100 meters), making it popular with those who prefer the metric system and its consistency.

MILs are metric-based, and also is a pretty straightforward conversion (1 MIL = 10cm at 100 meters), making it popular with those who prefer the metric system and its consistency.

Milliradian scopes can adjust in Milliradians (MILs), have reticles with marks in MILs, or preferrably, have both adjustment turrets AND the reticle in MILs. Think of it like a ruler, but in your scope. Assuming your target is 1000 meters away, each dot or line in your scope represents 1 meter at that distance. You’ll usually see this scope type used outside the US or by the military.

Minutes of Angle (MOA) like MILs above, are an angular measurement used to measure and adjust a bullet’s impact. To over-simplify it, you can think of MILs as Metric and MOA as American/Standard. In this case, if your target is 100 yards away, each dot or line in your scope represents about 1 inch.

Windage

This refers to the left and right adjustments you have to make to compensate for the wind when you're trying to hit a target. You’ll have to use Minutes of Angle (MOA) or Milliradians (MILs) to move your point of aim left or right depending on things like wind direction and velocity.

Elevation

Elevation is how high or low you aim your gun to hit a target. If your target is far away, you need to aim a bit higher, and if it's close, you aim a bit lower. It's all about making sure your shot goes exactly where you want it to in terms of height. Basically, you’ll be adjusting the vertical angle of your aim to compensate for gravity, and just like with windage, you’ll measure this with MOA or MILs.

Now that we’ve covered the terms that you’re going to see, here’s a list of the targets I’ll be discussing. I’ll take you through the best way to use them and mention a few tips on how you can hit your shots better.

25 Meters/Yards (MOA and MIL)

Especially with a new rifle/scope combination, I always recommend starting the zeroing process at 25 yards (or meters). At 25 meters/yards, the paper is going to appear at least 4 times bigger to you, relatively speaking, so you’re more likely to have a bullet impact from which you can adjust. If you start at 100, like most people do, you might end up wasting ammo as you’re trying to figure out where your bullets are impacting.

When using this target, aim for the center, which is marked with a diamond. For centerfire rifles, a rifle with a 100 yard zero will impact slightly low at 25 yards. Yes, you read that right. This means you have to aim high to hit a closer target and not low.

Although you’re aiming at the diamond, you should adjust your bullet impact so that it hits about an inch lower of the center of the diamond. I have placed a rectangle that is centered about an inch lower than your aiming point which represents what the paper will look like 4 times as far away at 100 yards or meters. If your bullet is within the rectangle when aiming at the diamond, then it will be “on paper” at 100 yards/meters.

Now, once you take a look at the target you’ll also notice a small dot on the top. I’ve given this as an example of hitting the wrong part of the target. It’s completely normal to miss a few shots at first, but a couple of adjustments will put you on the right track. For this specific example, the following adjustments to your aim will help you fire right at the diamond:

MRAD Target

Windage - Move your aim to the right by 1.6 MILs

Elevation - Adjust your aim downward by 4.0 MILs

MOA Target

Windage - Move your aim to the right by 4 MOA

Elevation - Adjust your aim downward by 12 MOA

100 Meters/Yards Target (MOA and MIL)

This is one of the most popular targets among my students, and I use it a ton too. Like most of the targets you’ll see here, this also has a diamond as the central point. What sets this target apart from the 25 meter/yard target (other than the longer range) are the concentric circles surrounding the center diamond, spaced out in 1-inch increments. These circles represent 1 MOA, 2 MOA, and 3 MOA to help you measure the size of your group.

Now, the MOA 100 yards is almost identical to the MRAD 100 meters. I say almost because the grid lines on the MOA target are 1-inch spaced, but with MRAD it’s 2 centimeter spaced and the rings remain the same size. This is because regardless of whether you use a MIL or MOA scope, most shooters measure in MOA for group size/accuracy.

If you’re practicing and you notice your shots aren’t hitting where you’re aiming you’re going to need to make an adjustment on your scope. I’ve added a dot on the target to help you know how to make adjustments to the center. Here’s an example of the type of adjustments you’d need to make:

MRAD Target

Windage - Move your aim to the right by 0.4 MILs

Elevation - Adjust your aim downward by 1 MIL

MOA Target

Windage - Move your aim to the right by 1 MOA

Elevation - Adjust your aim downward by 3 MOA

200 Meters/Yards target (MOA and MIL)

This target has a diamond twice the size of the 100 yard/meter target so it can be seen at 200 yards/meters and the circles are bigger but they still represent 1 MOA, 2 MOA, and 3 MOA.

To help you make adjustments to your scope at this distance, I’ve included a sample dot, referencing which you’ll have to make the following adjustments to your scope to hit that bullseye:

MRAD Target

Windage - Move your aim to the right by 1 MOA

Elevation - Adjust your aim downward by 3 MOA

MOA Target

Windage - Move your aim to the right by 0.5 MOA

Elevation - Adjust your aim downward by 1.5 MOA

100 Yards Iron Sight Target (MOA)

This target is the only one on the list that isn’t meant for scopes, because this one’s for when you’re only using your gun’s iron sights to shoot the target. Since iron sights don’t come in metric measurements, this target comes only in MOA/US standard.

Now, because you’re not using a scope, you won’t be aiming at a diamond. Instead, you’re aiming at a large black circle. I have still included the 1 MOA, 2 MOA, and 3 MOA measurement circles.

If you need help adjusting your shots on this target, I’ve included a sample dot that represents the center of a group—if this was the center of your shot group, you’d have to make the following adjustments to your sites:

Windage - Move your aim to the right by 1 MOA

Elevation - Adjust your aim downward by 3 MOA

Camo Target

So far, all the targets I’ve walked you through are mainly for zeroing your rifle, gathering data about your rifle as well as training, practicing, and measuring. The camo target is the first one we’re looking at that’s used for drills or exercises.

The idea behind this target is to help you decrease your group size by preventing you from “peeking” at your shots. Sometimes when using a standard target, new shooters might subconsciously change their aim based on previous shots, making it less likely for the bullet to hit the targeted area. A lot of my students tend to do this, and I pull out this camo target so they can’t see their own bullet impacts among the dots and blotches. By only concentrating on that diamond, they’re able to shoot consistently without unintentionally trying to adjust their aim to hit the center.

The camo target isn’t one of your standard targets, but I personally have one on hand for an added challenge.

100 Meters/Yards Scope Tracking Target (MOA and MIL)

Not only does this target help you practice adjusting your aim, it also helps you check the adjustments on your scope, and it also gives you some practice knowing which way to turn your turrets to have a particular impact on the target.

It's like a training exercise to make sure your scope is accurate and that you know how to use it properly, which can be really helpful when you're shooting at different distances.

Here's how to use it:

First, change your scope settings so that, even though you're aiming at the diamond, your bullet hits the spot marked "1". After that shot, reset your scope to its original setting, or "zero", and then change it so your bullet hits the "2", still while aiming at the diamond. Do this again, adjusting your scope each time to hit the "3" and "4". For your last shot, set your scope back to "zero" and try to hit right into the diamond. Remember to always aim at the diamond for ALL shots when you’re using this target—the only reason the bullets will impact elsewhere is because you made adjustments on your scope.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it. A great target can be a game changer when leveling up your shooting skills, and this guide should get you up to speed about how to use most targets. Download the targets you like, print them out, and go hit the range, because with the right target, aiming for that bullseye will be a piece of cake.