How do military snipers estimate range to target?
Both the US Army M24 SWS and Marine M40A1 do this in the same way. The scopes have Mil-dots in them. The size of the target is measured in the mil-dots through a fixed maginification in the scope. The target in actual size is then estimated. Both of these figures are put into a formula: Target size (in yards) x 1000 / Mils read = yards to target For instance: If a 20″ target measures 3.5 mils then it is 159 yards away. This is done by geometry and triangulation. See the attached mil-dot link for a more thorough explanation. The military prefers this method over lasers due to the power requirements by lasers. There is also another method that was used in Vietnam on the M21 with the ART II telescopic sight. The ART II is a very good scope that is not expensive made by Hi-Lux/Leatherwood That link is also included. I use the Mil-Dot with a Remington 700PSS mounting a Leupold VariXIII 3.5-10X and I use the Camputer with the ART II scope with a Springfield Armory M1A National Match. Both of
