Chart bullet drop, wind drift, velocity, and retained energy out to 1,000 yards using standard G1/G7 drag models. Pick a preset load, adjust for your barrel length and conditions, then copy the DOPE card to your phone. The energy chart compares energy on target against distance across loads and barrel lengths.
Calculate bullet drop, wind drift, and trajectory from 0-1000 yards. Select a preset ammunition profile or enter custom ballistic data.
BC: 0.243 (G1)
Velocity: 3265 fps
Weight: 55 gr
Standard military ball ammunition. High velocity, velocity-dependent fragmentation.
Sets the point-blank range: hold center and stay inside it.
Right Crosswind at 10 mph
Flight to 600 yards, colored by speed. Line of sight is level.
You are here at 0. The orange marker follows the object.
Velocity at target
1,294 fps
Muzzle 3,265 fps
Mach
1.16Transonic
Path vs. line of sight
91.5 in low
14.6 MOA · 4.24 MRAD
Wind drift · 10 mph
59.4 in
9.5 MOA · 2.75 MRAD
Time of flight
889 ms
Energy
205 ft-lb
55 gr
Hold to center
Hold 14.6 MOA over
or dial 58 clicks up at 1/4 MOA (assumed)
Where the bullet slows
This load stays supersonic to 579 yd and drops below the speed of sound at 703 yd.
Barrel length at 600 yd
| Barrel (in) | Muzzle (fps) | Path vs. sight line (in) | Transonic from (yd) | Subsonic from (yd) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2,476* | 183.2 low | 379 | 503 |
| 8.5 | 2,533* | 173.8 low | 395 | 519 |
| 9 | 2,590* | 164.9 low | 411 | 534 |
| 10.5 | 2,760 | 141.2 low | 456 | 579 |
| 11.5 | 2,831* | 132.5 low | 474 | 598 |
| 12.5 | 2,902* | 124.4 low | 492 | 616 |
| 14.5 | 3,043 | 110.1 low | 527 | 651 |
| 16 | 3,086 | 106.2 low | 537 | 661 |
| 18 | 3,183 | 97.9 low | 560 | 684 |
| 20 | 3,193* | 97.1 low | 562 | 686 |
| 22 | 3,202 | 96.4 low | 565 | 688 |
An asterisk marks a length between two measured barrels; its velocity is interpolated.
Trajectory from the point-mass engine with G1/G7 drag; barrel velocities from the load's published table.
Open the range simulator| Range | Vel | Energy | TOF | Drop | MOA | Drift | MOA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 yd | 3265 | 1302 | 0.000s | -2.5" | 0.0 | 0.0" | 0.0 |
| 50 yd | 3053 | 1138 | 0.048s | -0.8" | 1.5 | +0.3" | +0.5 |
| 100 yd | 2852 | 993 | 0.098s | 0.0" | 0.0 | +1.1" | +1.1 |
| 150 yd | 2659 | 864 | 0.153s | -0.3" | 0.2 | +2.6" | +1.7 |
| 200 yd | 2475 | 748 | 0.211s | -1.8" | 0.9 | +4.8" | +2.3 |
| 250 yd | 2298 | 645 | 0.274s | -4.7" | 1.8 | +7.8" | +3.0 |
| 300 yd | 2128 | 553 | 0.342s | -9.3" | 3.0 | +11.7" | +3.7 |
| 350 yd | 1966 | 472 | 0.415s | -15.8" | 4.3 | +16.5" | +4.5 |
| 400 yd | 1811 | 401 | 0.495s | -24.6" | 5.9 | +22.4" | +5.4 |
| 450 yd | 1666 | 339 | 0.581s | -36.0" | 7.6 | +29.5" | +6.3 |
| 500 yd | 1530 | 286 | 0.675s | -50.6" | 9.7 | +38.0" | +7.3 |
| 550 yd | 1405 | 241 | 0.778s | -68.9" | 12.0 | +47.9" | +8.3 |
| 600 yd | 1294 | 205 | 0.889s | -91.6" | 14.6 | +59.4" | +9.5 |
Same zero and atmosphere as the table. Tap or hover the chart to read a distance.
Energy at 100 yd
1 of 4 lines. Pin this setup, then change load or barrel to compare.
The calculator is only as good as three inputs: muzzle velocity, ballistic coefficient, and zero distance. Muzzle velocity matters most. Factory box velocities are measured from test barrels that rarely match yours, so use the barrel length selector on preset loads, or better, chronograph your rifle and enter the real number in custom mode. Our barrel length guide covers how much velocity each inch of barrel is worth per cartridge. The same velocity number drives recoil; the recoil and muzzle energy calculator handles the other half of the equation.
Zero distance changes every downrange hold, and the right zero depends on the rifle's job. Run the same load at a 50-yard and a 100-yard zero here and compare the tables; then confirm on paper using the printable targets in our optic zeroing guide. For the cartridge theory behind the numbers, including 5.56 versus 300 BLK versus .308 drop comparisons, read the full ballistics guide, and use the MOA calculator to turn any drop figure into exact turret clicks or convert it to MRAD. When you want the table on paper instead of a screen, the DOPE card generator prints the same solver output as a 4x6 range card with dial values rounded to your clicks.
Environmental corrections are second-order but real: thin air at altitude flattens trajectories noticeably, so a load zeroed at a sea-level range shoots flatter at a 6,000 foot elk camp. The wind inputs model a constant wind across the whole flight path, which is a simplification; real wind calls take practice, and the drift column tells you how much a misjudged wind costs at each distance.
One assumption baked into every trajectory here: the bullet is gyroscopically stable. A barrel twist too slow for the bullet costs BC before the first yard of flight, and the drop table will read optimistic. Check your barrel and bullet combination with the twist rate stability calculator before trusting long-range dope.
M193 55gr leaving a 16 inch barrel at about 3,090 fps drops roughly 11 inches at 300 yards with a 100-yard zero, about 3.6 MOA of correction. Heavier 77gr match loads like Mk262, rated at 2,750 fps from a 20 inch test barrel, drop closer to 13 inches at the same distance because they start slower. Exact drop depends on muzzle velocity, ballistic coefficient, sight height, and zero distance, which is why running your specific load through a calculator beats memorizing a generic chart.
Around 660 yards for 55gr M193 at 3,086 fps from a 16 inch barrel, and around 880 yards for 77gr Mk262 at its 2,750 fps 20 inch rating, at standard sea-level conditions. Bullets get unstable passing through the transonic zone (roughly 1,340 down to 1,120 fps), so treat those distances as the practical accuracy ceiling for each load rather than a hard wall.
Ballistic coefficient (BC) measures how efficiently a bullet cuts through air; a higher BC means a flatter trajectory and less wind drift. G1 and G7 are two standard reference shapes: G1 models flat-base bullets and produces bigger numbers, while G7 models modern boat tail bullets and stays truer across a wide velocity range. The same bullet has very different values on each scale. A Berger 130gr 6.5mm is 0.560 G1 but 0.287 G7, so always enter the BC with the drag model the manufacturer published it under.
A 50-yard zero is the most practical all-around choice for a general purpose AR-15. With 55gr 5.56 it keeps impacts within about 2 inches of point of aim from the muzzle out to roughly 250 yards, so you can hold center on torso-sized targets without thinking. A 100-yard zero groups tighter for bench and precision work but gives up more drop at distance, and a 36-yard zero trades midrange predictability for a slightly flatter far-side hold.
Maximum point blank range (MPBR) is the farthest distance at which you can aim dead center and still hit inside a given vital zone with zero holdover. For 55gr 5.56 from a 16 inch barrel with a 50-yard zero, MPBR on an 8 inch target is about 270 yards. Hunters use MPBR to set a zero that covers every realistic shot without dialing; the calculator reports it for 4, 6, 8, or 10 inch target zones.
Yes, through muzzle velocity. M193 measured 3,086 fps from a 16 inch barrel and drops roughly 11.2 inches at 300 yards with a 100-yard zero, but from a 10.5 inch barrel at 2,760 fps the same bullet drops about 15.6 inches, nearly 40 percent more. Retained energy falls off just as hard. The calculator's barrel length selector applies measured per-barrel velocities for the preset loads that have them, so you can see your actual barrel's trajectory instead of the box-flap number.
A full-value 10 mph crosswind drifts a 55gr 5.56 bullet from a 16 inch barrel about 13 inches at 300 yards and about 41 inches at 500 yards. Heavier, higher-BC bullets buck wind better: 77gr Mk262 drifts about 9 inches at 300 yards in the same conditions. Wind is the hardest variable to read in the field, which is why long-range shooters pick high-BC loads even when the drop advantage looks small on paper.
Accurate enough to get first-round hits on torso-sized targets through the supersonic range of your load, provided the inputs are right. This calculator runs a point-mass model against the standard G1 and G7 drag tables, the same method most commercial solvers use. The dominant error source is input data, not the math: chronograph your real muzzle velocity instead of trusting the ammo box, use the BC and drag model your bullet maker publishes, and confirm your zero on paper. BC-based predictions drift from reality for bullets that don't match the reference shape and degrade sharply past the transonic zone, so verify long-range dope with real impacts.
Use the Configurator to pick a platform and components matched to your intended range envelope, from CQB carbines to 1,000-yard precision builds.
Launch Configurator