Bushnell 65-4305M Owner's Manual - Page 9

The Measured Object's Width or Height in Yards x 1000, Range in Yards, Object's Width or Height

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RANGING WITH YOUR MIL-DOT RETICLE The mil is an angular measurement - 1/6400th of a circle - which equals almost precisely one yard at 1000 yards, or one meter at 1000 meters. This proportional relationship makes possible a simple formula to compute distances: The Measured Object's Width or Height in Yards x 1000 = Range in Yards Object's Width or Height in Mils This formula works equally well with meters, but don't mix meters and yards: Measure the object in yards to find the distance in yards, use meters to yield distances in meters. Looking through your scope (if yours has a 2nd focal plane reticle, be sure to set it on the synchronized magnification setting-marked in red or white), select an object at the distance you want to range - an object whose width or height you know or can estimate accurately. Man-made objects of uniform size, such as fenceposts, are best, but any object of known dimensions will do. Measure the object's height or width carefully in mils, compute it according to the formula and you will find its range. Support your rifle and be precise when measuring objects; any measuring error causes an error in the computed range. Equally, a mistake in estimating the object size results in a proportional range error. Here's an example: A coyote is sunning himself in a snowfield beside a fencepost; having crossed the fence earlier, you know that the post is four feet high, or 1.33 yards. The fencepost measures 2.5 mils in your reticle. 1.33 yards x 1000 1330 532 Yards 2.5 mils 2.5 If you have a variable power scope with a 2nd focal plane reticle (the reticle stays the same size regardless of magnification), it must be set at the calibrated power mark to synchronize the mil-dot size for ranging. But you also can range at half that power if you divide the range estimate in half, or at double the calibrated power, by doubling the range estimate, as shown in the next section (using as an example a 2nd focal plane reticle with a calibrated (synchronized) setting of 12x power):

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RANGING WITH YOUR MIL-DOT RETICLE
The mil is an angular measurement – 1/6400th of a circle – which equals almost precisely one yard at
1000 yards, or one meter at 1000 meters. This proportional relationship makes possible a simple formula
to compute distances:
The Measured Object’s Width or Height in Yards x 1000
=
Range in Yards
Object’s Width or Height in Mils
This formula works equally well with meters, but don’t mix meters and yards: Measure the object in yards to
find the distance in yards, use meters to yield distances in meters.
Looking through your scope (if yours has a 2nd focal plane reticle, be sure to set it on the synchronized
magnification setting-marked in red or white), select an object at the distance you want to range – an
object whose width or height you know or can estimate accurately. Man-made objects of uniform size, such
as fenceposts, are best, but any object of known dimensions will do. Measure the object’s height or width
carefully in mils, compute it according to the formula and you will find its range. Support your rifle and be
precise when measuring objects; any measuring error causes an error in the computed range. Equally, a
mistake in estimating the object size results in a proportional range error.
Here’s an example: A coyote is sunning himself in a snowfield beside a fencepost; having crossed the
fence earlier, you know that the post is four feet high, or 1.33 yards. The fencepost measures 2.5 mils in
your reticle.
1.33 yards x 1000
1330
=
=
532 Yards
2.5 mils
2.5
If you have a variable power scope with a 2nd focal plane reticle (the reticle stays the same size regardless
of magnification), it must be set at the calibrated power mark to synchronize the mil-dot size for ranging.
But you also can range at half that power if you divide the range estimate in half, or at double the calibrated
power, by doubling the range estimate, as shown in the next section (using as an example a 2nd focal plane
reticle with a calibrated (synchronized) setting of 12x power):