Tools · exterior ballistics

Ballistics Calculator: Bullet Drop, Wind Drift and Energy

By Hunters Guide. Factory loads copied from the Hornady, Federal and CCI product pages on October 13, 2026.

This calculator shows how far a bullet falls below your aim, how far a crosswind pushes it, and how fast it is still moving, out to 500 yards or metres.

Pick a typical factory load, or type in your own numbers from the box. The table updates as you type. Every load in the list came from the maker's own product page.

What a ballistic coefficient tells you

A ballistic coefficient, or BC, is a number for how well a bullet cuts through air. The higher it is, the slower the bullet loses speed. A long, pointed hunting bullet is often 0.4 to 0.6. A round-nose rimfire or handgun bullet is often under 0.2.

A BC is always tied to a drag model. This calculator uses G1, the model most boxes and catalogues print. Some Hornady pages list a G7 number as well. Type the G1 one here.

Zero distance and sight height, in plain terms

Your zero is the distance where the bullet lands right on your aim point. A scope sits above the bore, so the bullet starts out below your line of sight. It climbs through that line on the way out, then falls back across it at your zero.

Sight height is the gap from the centre of the bore to the centre of the scope. On many scoped hunting rifles it is about 1.5 inches, or 3.8 cm. That's why the first row of the table shows a small minus number.

How to read drop, MOA and MIL in the table

Drop is how far the bullet is above or below your aim point at each range. A plus number is above. A minus number is below. It is measured from your line of sight, not from the barrel.

The dial columns turn that drop into an angle. One MOA, or minute of angle, is about 1.05 inches at 100 yards, or 2.9 cm at 100 metres. One MIL is 3.6 inches at 100 yards, or 10 cm at 100 metres. Scope turrets are marked in one or the other. A reading of +2.6 MOA means 2.6 MOA of up.

Velocity and energy show what the bullet still carries at each range. Energy comes from the bullet's weight and its speed. Wind drift is how far a steady crosswind pushes the bullet sideways.

How this calculator works out a trajectory

It moves the bullet forward half a millisecond at a time. At each step it works out drag and gravity, then moves the bullet on. Drag comes from the standard G1 drag table, scaled by the BC you enter. The air is the Army Standard Metro sea-level standard: 15°C, 29.53 inches of mercury and 78% humidity. Makers use that same air when they publish a BC.

First it finds the barrel angle that puts the bullet on your aim point at your zero. Then it flies the bullet out to 500 with the crosswind added, and reads off each row.

We checked it against the makers' own tables for the same loads. Federal's Power-Shok .308 Winchester 150 gr table and Hornady's .30-06 Springfield 178 gr ELD-X table both match ours at 300 yards. So does CCI's Target Mini-Mag .22 LR table at 75 yards. Here is the farthest point each maker lists.

Limits of this ballistics calculator

• G1 and G7. G1 fits flat-base bullets well. Long boat-tail bullets lose speed in a way the G7 model fits better, so with G1 their far rows can be a little off.
• Your barrel. Makers measure speed in a test barrel, often 24 inches. A shorter barrel is usually slower, and a slower bullet drops more.
• Your air. Heat, cold, altitude and air pressure all change drag. Thin air up high means less drop than the table shows. Cold, dense air means more.
• Your shot. It assumes level ground and a steady wind. It leaves out spin drift and the earth's rotation.

So treat the table as a starting point. The numbers that count are the ones you confirm on paper at a range, with your own rifle and your own ammunition.

Factory loads in the ballistics calculator

Each load below came from the maker's product page, checked on October 13, 2026. Pick a load to open it in the calculator. The cartridge name links to our price comparison for it.

Questions about the ballistics calculator

Why is the first drop number in the table a minus?

At the muzzle the bullet is still in the barrel, and the barrel sits below the scope. So the first row shows your sight height as a minus number. With a 1.5 inch sight height, it reads −1.5 inches.

Why doesn't the table match where my rifle hits?

Your barrel, your air and your lot of ammunition all differ from the maker's test. Muzzle velocity matters most. If you have a chronograph reading from your own rifle, type it in place of the box figure. Then check the result on paper at a range.

Can the calculator handle shooting uphill or downhill?

No. It works out a level shot only. On a steep angle, gravity pulls across a shorter level distance, so the bullet lands higher than a level table shows.

Why does a .22 LR drift so far in the wind?

It is slow and has a low BC, so it spends a long time in the air and sheds speed fast. That gives the wind more time to push it. A 10 mph crosswind moves CCI's 40 gr Target Mini-Mag about 5.4 inches at 100 yards. The 178 gr ELD-X in .30-06 moves about 0.6 inches.

Does the ballistics calculator keep the numbers I type?

No. It runs in your browser and sends nothing to us or anyone else. Reload the page and it starts over with the default load.