3 MOA vs 6 MOA
 

Ok guys im lookin at buying a red dot scope (vortex venom or sparc 2) for my shotgun. Whats the difference in 3 moa and 6 moa and which one should i get for what we do in the turkey woods??? Also is the vortex red dot scopes i mentioned the way to go?

Vortex makes a good red dot. I went with the Burris FF3. This will be my third year using it and I’m happy with it. Dot size is personal preference. I went with the 3 MOA. In my opinion, the 8 just seemed to big. I think you will be happy with whatever you choose.

The minute-of-angle (MOA) measurement relates to the size of the dot as compared to an object down range. The larger the MOA, the more target it will cover up at a given distance from the scope.

Here's a YT video showing the difference between 1, 2 and 4 MOA dots. At turkey hunting distances, I think visibility of the dot will be a greater factor than the dot occluding your target.


At 50yds, a 1 MOA dot covers a .5" circle (.5236" to be exact-er)




I just put a Burris FastFire III 3MOA reflex reddot on my boom thumper.

I've used a Bushnell Trophy with 4 different reticles and both red and green lights. I've found that I prefer the green most mornings, for me it's easier to acquire in those low light or thick brush hunts common to the way I typically hunts turkeys. I don't have another red-dot scope to compare it with, but I can attest that after 100's of rounds of 3# turkey loads and 3# 12ga sabots, and going through literal he77 in the field - the Bushnell still holds zero after almost 15 years.

http://bushnell.com/hunting/rifle-sc...-multi-reticle

Personally, I prefer the 3MOA dot inside the 65MOA circle for turkeys. The circle helps to quickly acquire the head, the dot then permits fine tuning for true target acquisition. IMO, the 6MOA dot is too big, definitely for shots over 40 yards because it just covers too much of the vitals.

Additionally, also recognize that if all of your shots are 30 yards or less, then dot size probably doesn't matter. I realized a few years ago that the entire head and neck of a mature gobbler fits inside the scope window at 20yards or less, so the actual size or shape of the reticle at that point is useless - just placing the head inside the window and squeezing the trigger = jellyhead.

One other thing to keep in mind is the mount. I have mine mounted with a B-Square receiver mount and Burris rings, sitting atop an Ithaca 37 guide gun. That gun has two interchangeable barrels, a ported turkey barrel and a rifled slug tube, so I wanted/needed a receiver mount that holds relative zero when I change the barrel. Although it's just my 2 cents - I think the mounting system for any red-dot scope is probably more important that the actual scope you choose.

The 3moa is more precise. Using the optic against live targets I can't see using a #6 unless it's a huge target but generally both have their advantages. The larger the dot, the more the target area of coverage.

I'd recommend 3MOA...any shots at distance will be difficult with a 6MOA, as others have mentioned, because of how much of the target will be covered up.