Mil Dot scope

[Alpo]

I have never used one. I don't know how to use one. But I have a question.

The shooter fires and misses. The instructor yells at him, "Adjust your mil dot".

Does that make any sense?

Marine sniper instructor yelled that at Marine sniper trainee on an NCIS episode.

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Yes, it makes sense.  If the miss is not the shooter’s fault he should adjust the scope, mildot or not.

[Muleshoe Bill SASS #67022]

I did not go to Marine Scout Sniper school.. BUT - a mil dot is a physical entity inside the scope on the reticle.  On most mil dot scopes it is the distance between the center of the dots (most dots are about 3/4 of a mil in size)  A "mil"  angular measurement equal to 1/6400 of a circle, or 3,375 Minutes of Angle. The mil is a handy measurement because it is  1 yard at 1,000 yards and good for range estimation.  So - you can not actually adjust the mil dot, you adjust your sighting on the mil dot. Shooting at 500 yards at a 6 foot tall target miss low by 10 yards, come up 20 mils to get to the feet and another 2 mils to hit center mass.

 

[Pat Riot]

I recall that episode. My thought was “either the actor or writer heard a military term and just had to get it into the scene ‘some how”

 

What @Muleshoe Bill SASS #67022said^^^^^

[Chief Rick]

No - it doesn't make sense as stated.

 

A "MIL" is a unit of measurement.  A such, when telling a shooter to adjust you need to tell them how many "MILs" to adjust and what direction.

[Alpo]

1 hour ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

My thought was “either the actor or writer heard a military term and just had to get it into the scene ‘some how”

I thought that about many many things I see on television. This one included. But on the off chance that I could be mistaken, I figgered I would ask.

[Happy Jack, SASS #20451]

Traditional "mil dot" scope reticles have gone out of vogue.  Many problems with the uneducated trying to use them. Different mfgrs set the reticle up different. Some 1 mil was center to center on the dots on others it was BETWEEN the dots (which was better).  Some didn't use round dots but oval ones.  IF the scope was a second focal plane variable magnification the mil reticle was only correct at a certain power. Some mfrgs even did the totally stupid thing of using MOA adjustments with a mil reticle.  All of these issues have been eliminated with the modern FIRST focal plane scopes and the "christmas tree" type reticles.