Ballistic Drop Table Generator
A full trajectory table from real drag integration — drop in inches, MOA and mils, with wind and energy at range, rather than a simplified approximation.
Computed by integrating the standard G1 drag model — the same method behind manufacturer tables. The model is validated in this site's test suite against published .308 and .223 velocity curves and the widely-cited 200-yard-zero drop and wind-drift figures. It is still a planning aid, not your dope. Advertised BCs vary with velocity and lot, chronographs disagree with catalogs, and your barrel is its own animal — print the table, then confirm at distance before it matters.
Double the range, eight times the drop
In a vacuum, drop goes as the square of distance — constant speed means twice the range is twice the flight time and four times the fall. That is where the quadratic intuition comes from, and it is not what a real trajectory does. Running the integrator above on a 150-grain bullet at 2,800 fps with a 0.45 ballistic coefficient, zeroed at 100:
| Doubling the range | Multiplies the drop by | A vacuum would say |
|---|---|---|
| 200 → 400 yd | 8.17× | 4.00× |
| 300 → 600 yd | 6.68× | 4.00× |
| 400 → 800 yd | 6.48× | 4.00× |
| 500 → 1000 yd | 6.65× | 4.00× |
Fitting an exponent across 200 to 1,000 yards gives 2.81, not 2.
It is not a constant either. Measured between successive hundreds it starts at 3.18, falls to 2.67 around 500–600 yards, then climbs back to 2.86 by 1,000. I expected it to steepen the whole way and it does not — it sags in the middle. The early figure is the unreliable one, because drop at 200 yards on a 100-yard zero is only a few inches and small denominators make loud ratios.
Because the bullet is slowing down the whole time
The mechanism is in the time column. How long the bullet takes to cross each successive hundred yards:
| Leg | Time to cross it |
|---|---|
| 0–100 yd | 0.111 s |
| 100–200 yd | 0.119 s |
| 200–300 yd | 0.128 s |
| 300–400 yd | 0.138 s |
| 400–500 yd | 0.150 s |
| 500–600 yd | 0.163 s |
| 600–700 yd | 0.177 s |
| 700–800 yd | 0.194 s |
| 800–900 yd | 0.212 s |
| 900–1000 yd | 0.231 s |
The last hundred takes 2.08× as long as the first, because the bullet arrives at 1,000 yards doing 1,242 fps — 44% of the speed it left with. Gravity pulls for the whole flight at the same rate, so the extra time spent crossing the far end is where the extra drop comes from. Distance is the axis on the table; time is what the physics runs on, and drag stops the two being proportional.
And the two knobs do opposite jobs
Ballistic coefficient and muzzle velocity both make everything better, so it is easy to treat them as one lever with two labels. Compare each against itself at 1,000 yards:
| Change | Drop improves | Wind drift improves | Which gains more |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC 0.25 → 0.65 | 58% | 73% | wind |
| 2,600 → 3,000 fps | 30% | 21% | drop |
A better bullet helps the wind more than the drop; more speed helps the drop more than the wind. The comparison is within each knob, so the unequal step sizes do not matter — and the ordering holds at small steps too. Every 0.1 of BC gives a drift-to-drop benefit ratio above 1.23, while every 100 fps gives one below 0.71. The two families do not overlap.
The practical reading is that drop is a known quantity you can dial for and wind is the one you have to guess. That makes the drift column the one worth buying down, which argues for the heavy high-BC bullet over the light fast one even though the fast one prints a flatter table.
How to use
- Enter muzzle velocity, ballistic coefficient and sight height.
- Set your zero range and conditions.
- Read drop and drift at each distance.
- Confirm against actual groups before trusting it at range.
Frequently asked questions
What is a ballistic coefficient?
A number describing how well a projectile resists air drag, relative to a standard reference shape. A higher figure means less velocity lost over distance and therefore less drop and drift. It is not a fixed property — it varies somewhat with velocity, which is why the best solvers use velocity-banded values.
What is the difference between G1 and G7?
The reference projectile shape. G1 is a flat-based form that poorly matches modern boat-tail bullets, while G7 resembles them closely. A G7 coefficient is more consistent across the velocity range, which is why it gives better results at distance — and why G1 and G7 numbers for the same bullet look very different and must not be mixed.
Why does my rifle not match the table?
Because the inputs are rarely exact. Advertised muzzle velocity often differs from what your barrel produces, published coefficients are optimistic, and atmospheric conditions matter. A table is a starting point; confirmed data from actual groups at distance is what you shoot with.
How much do atmospheric conditions matter?
Substantially at longer ranges. Air density changes with altitude, temperature and pressure, and a table computed at sea level will be wrong in the mountains — sometimes by a large margin past a few hundred yards. Humidity has a much smaller effect than people assume.
What is maximum point blank range?
The furthest distance at which the trajectory stays within a chosen vertical window, so you can hold centre without adjusting. It is a useful concept for hunting inside moderate ranges and becomes meaningless at distances where the drop exceeds the window.
Should I trust a solver at long range?
Only after verifying. Solvers are good, and small input errors compound with distance — a slightly wrong velocity or coefficient that is invisible at 200 yards can put you well off at 800. Truing the solution against observed impacts is standard practice for a reason.
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