A pistol red dot is only as useful as your ability to zero it and run it. The manual lists the adjustment in MOA per click. On the target, you measure the miss in inches, usually much closer than 100 yards. The number that helps you on the line is how far one click moves the point of impact, in inches, at the distance you are shooting.
We published a free set of Pistol Red Dot Quick-Reference Cards so that number is in front of you when you need it. Each card fits one phone screen or a 7×5 postcard, and the set lives under our Resources library.
Why does inches per click matter when you zero?
To zero, you fire a confirmation group at a known distance, measure how far the group center sits from the aiming point, and move the optic until point of impact and point of aim meet. That correction is a count of clicks. If you do not know what one click is worth in inches at that distance, you are guessing, and you spend ammunition walking the group around the center.
Manufacturer manuals are not wrong to list MOA per click. That is a standard unit. It is just not the unit you measure on the target. Convert it once, write the inches down, and the adjustment becomes a short division problem.
What is MOA, in plain terms?
MOA stands for minute of angle. It is an angular measurement. One MOA subtends 1.047 inches at 100 yards, and it scales with distance: half as many inches at 50 yards, a quarter as many at 25. So at 25 yards, 1 MOA is about 0.26 inches. At 10 yards, it is about 0.10 inches. A “1 MOA click” does not mean “one inch,” and a 100-yard mental shortcut does not work at typical pistol distances.
The formula on every card is:
inches per click = MOA per click × 1.047 × (yards ÷ 100), rounded to 0.01 inch.
Here is a worked example. Your group is 1 inch low at 25 yards, and your optic is 1 MOA per click:
1 × 1.047 × (25 ÷ 100) = 0.26 inches per click.
1 ÷ 0.26 is about 4 clicks of elevation. Dial those clicks in the direction that moves the point of impact up, then fire another group and confirm. Do not chase a single shot. That “about 4 clicks at 25 yards” rule of thumb holds for most of the pistol dots in this set. It does not hold for all of them.
Which pistol red dots are not 1 MOA per click?
Seven of the ten optics on the cards are 1 MOA per click: the Trijicon SRO, RMR Type 2 and RMR HD, the Holosun 507C X2 and 507 Comp, the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, and the SIG SAUER ROMEO-X Enclosed Compact. The Aimpoint COA is 1.0 MOA per click in windage only. Three cases need more care.
Aimpoint ACRO P-2: 0.67 MOA per click. At 25 yards, one click moves the point of impact about 0.18 inches. A 1-inch correction takes about 6 clicks (5.7), not 4.
Holosun EPS Carry: 1.5 MOA per click. This is a common mistake. The EPS Carry is not a 1 MOA optic. At 25 yards, one click moves about 0.39 inches, so a 1-inch correction is about 2.5 clicks. The card carries a “NOT 1 MOA” callout for that reason. The EPS Carry also uses a CR1620 battery, not the CR1632 found in several other Holosun models.
Aimpoint COA: 0.7 MOA elevation, 1.0 MOA windage. The two axes are not the same. A 1-inch elevation correction at 25 yards is about 5 to 6 clicks. A 1-inch windage correction at the same distance is about 4 clicks, like the 1 MOA optics.
All of those figures are calculated from each manufacturer’s published MOA-per-click value. Always confirm your zero with live fire.
What is on each card?
The dominant feature is the inches-per-click table, at 100, 50, 25, 15, 10, 7 and 5 yards. Operation, battery and key specs follow: how to power the optic and set brightness, the cell type and orientation, and whether the battery can be changed without removing the optic. On a Trijicon RMR Type 2, the optic is bottom-loaded and has to come off the gun to reach the battery.
The current set covers ten optics we see often on student pistols: the Trijicon RMR Type 2, RMR HD and SRO; the Aimpoint ACRO P-2 and COA; the Holosun 507C X2, 507 Comp and EPS Carry; the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro; and the SIG SAUER ROMEO-X Enclosed Compact. Each model has a phone image, a 7×5 postcard image and a printable 7×5 PDF. Combined PDFs of the full set are on the resource page as well.
How do you use a card at the range?
- Start with a safe, confirmed-clear firearm and a stable position. Fire a confirmation group at a known distance. Twenty-five yards is a common zeroing distance, but use the row on the card that matches the distance you are actually shooting.
- Measure the center of the group relative to the aiming point, in inches, both vertically and horizontally. Adjust from the group, not from a single hole.
- Open the card for your exact optic. Read the inches-per-click value at that distance.
- Divide the miss by that value to get the number of clicks. Use the adjuster note on the card for direction; conventions are not identical across brands.
- Apply the clicks, then fire another group to confirm. Values come from published specifications; live fire is the verification.
Frequently asked questions
What are the SDA pistol red dot cards? Free quick-reference cards for ten popular pistol red dots. Each card leads with inches of adjustment per click at common distances, then covers operation, battery and key specs, sized for one phone screen or a 7×5 postcard.
Where can I download them? On our Pistol Red Dot Quick-Reference Cards page, under Resources. You can download a single optic or the full set.
What does inches per click mean? It is how far one click moves your point of impact, in inches, at a given distance. That is the figure you use when you measure a group and decide how many clicks to dial.
How many clicks is 1 inch at 25 yards on a 1 MOA pistol red dot? About 4. At 25 yards, 1 MOA is about 0.26 inches, so 1 ÷ 0.26 is roughly 4 clicks. Confirm with another group after you adjust.
Is every pistol red dot 1 MOA per click? No. In this set, the Aimpoint ACRO P-2 is 0.67 MOA per click, the Holosun EPS Carry is 1.5 MOA per click, and the Aimpoint COA is 0.7 MOA elevation and 1.0 MOA windage. The other seven optics are 1 MOA per click.
Why does the Holosun EPS Carry card say it is not 1 MOA? A common assumption is that pistol red dots are 1 MOA per click, and the EPS Carry is not. It is 1.5 MOA per click. Using a 1 MOA click count on that optic will over-correct.
How is inches per click calculated? Inches per click = MOA per click × 1.047 × (yards ÷ 100), rounded to 0.01 inch, using each manufacturer’s published MOA-per-click value.
The full set of cards is free to download, and you can browse the rest of our Resources library from there. Red dot setup, sight picture and target focus are taught in our Fundamentals of Marksmanship class. If you have a question about zeroing, or about an optic that is not in this set, reach out to us. We would be glad to help.
