whats better?

[Slickrick135]

4moa or 2moa? sorry im a newbie to this and want to buy the better of the two.

[Mr. Meeseeks]

Well, 2 is half the size of four.

[Vacaville]

2 MOA is better than 4. It means that your bullet groups on your target are all within 2 minutes of angle on a 360 degree arc (geometry flashback). 1 MOA is approximately 1" at 100 yards, holes on the target being measured center to center. An explanation of MOA can be found here:

http://www.nssf.org/video/facts/MOA.cfm

The lower the number, the smaller the groups, the more consistent the rifle and shooter are. MOA varys widely depending on the gun. My old SKS would shoot about 9 MOA, my varmint rifle will shoot less than 1 MOA, my lever action 30-30 somewhere in-between.

[B!ngo]

It depends on the context of your question:
MOA simply implies an angular measurement equivalent to about 1" in 100 yards. So, it you want to measure the accuracy of a rifle, MOA refers to the probabilistic distribution of a number of hits around the POA. Thus it would be a spread of 2" in 100 yards for 2 MOA, or 4" in 100 yards (or 8" at 200 yards) for 4 MOA. So a rifle that shoots 2 MOA is more accurate than one that shoots 4 MOA.
OTOH, since you are in this section (re optics) you may mean the size of a red dot, measured in MOA, in an optic. That is, the area that the dot covers in the view finder, measured in MOA. In this case, 'it depends'. In general, the smaller the more accurate, but the more difficult to spot. 2 MOA is a very small dot.
So again, what is the context?
B

[PrimaryArms]

4 is faster then 2 but 2 is more accurate then 4

Dimitri

[dieselpower]

^ agree with Dimitri to a point... Don't agree with Vacaville...LOL
2MOA doesnt give you any greater skill period. Shooting at a target 100 yards away, few humans can see the difference between 2 inches and 4 inches... maybe a Hawk or eagle can...not a human. You can, with the right lighting, tell a object is 2" bigger...maybe.

The 2 MOA only provides a small dot which covers a smaller area, so you can see more of your target... thats it. Every bullet will go where its going to go no matter how big the dot.

What few new shooters realize is size of target at distance. The MOA of the reticule can aid in determining bullet drop. I prefer a 4MOA dot with a 25yard zero due to the figure 8 effect of the trajectory out to 400 yards. I prefer the 2MOA dot with a 50 yard zero due to the flat trajectory out to 200 yards, then the bullet drop past 250 is easier with a smaller dot.

Here are some charts I made to illustrate my point. Note the size of the target vs the size of the dot in relation to the bullet drop. This is 55gr .223





So if you continue the bullet drop of a .223 with a 50 yard zero, you find you have to aim well above your target to get the arc to intersect with the target..trajectory. This is a chart many of us use..it was made by someone with a ballistics program...not me. Its not a bible page...just a estimate. Bullets vary and so does skill, trajectory & natures induced error. Note the extreme arc of a 50 yard zero as compared to its flat arc under 200... its a give and take world. You have to choose whats best for you.

[PrimaryArms]

MOA = 1.047" at 100 yards.
At 400 MOA is about 4.19" so a 2 MOA would be about 8.38" a 4MOA would be 16.75" making it hard to hit smaller targets. With a 25 yard 0 you can effectively engage targets out to 500 yards. But I would do 50 yard and be good out to 400

Dimitri

[Whiterabbit]

I've actually shot with 2 and 4moa.

No difference in group size. When you shoot groups, you shoot paper. When you shoot paper, you pick your target. When you pick your target, you can pick the one that you can shoot tiny groups with with ANY dot size. The human eye can line up circles easy enough.

When you are NOT shooting paper, you probably want something that'll shoot fast.

Therefore, my vote is the 4moa dot. It does everything the 2 moa dot does but faster. Either way, you still have to concentrate when putting down groups on paper. Just like any other gun.

I would rewrite dmitri's statement as: "4 is faster then 2 but 2 is NOT NECESSARILY more accurate then 4". That's just my experience.

[CWDraco]

Many guys are used to the 2MOA due to military service. I imagine looking at a 4MOA dot after years of using a 2 MOA is like playing Golf with a softball.