Ballistics by Cartridge

.223 Remington Ballistics Chart

Drop, wind drift, velocity and energy for the loads .223 Remington actually shoots — solved by a real trajectory engine, not copied from a box.

Muzzle velocity
3240 fps
Bullet
55 gr, G1 0.243
Drop at 500 yd
53.9" (3.0 MRAD)
Ballistics chart: drop, wind drift, velocity and energy by range (100 yard zero)
RangeDrop (in)MOAMRADWind 10 mph (in)Velocity (fps)Energy (ft-lb)TOF (s)
100 yd0.00.00 UP0.00 UP-1.128359820.10
200 yd-2.61.24 UP0.36 UP-4.824657420.21
300 yd-11.03.49 UP1.02 UP-11.621255520.34
400 yd-27.16.47 UP1.88 UP-22.218144020.50
500 yd-53.910.30 UP3.00 UP-37.615362880.68
600 yd-95.615.21 UP4.43 UP-58.713032070.89
700 yd-157.821.53 UP6.26 UP-86.111291561.14
800 yd-247.329.52 UP8.59 UP-119.310151261.42
900 yd-370.439.30 UP11.43 UP-157.29381081.73
1000 yd-533.150.91 UP14.81 UP-199.2878942.06

Solved at standard sea-level atmosphere (59°F, 29.92 inHg) with a 100 yard zero, 1.75" sight height and a 10 mph full-value crosswind. Drop is relative to your zero.

Quick answer

With a 100 yd zero, a 55 gr FMJ .223 Remington load (55 gr, 3240 fps) drops 11.0" at 300 yd, 53.9" at 500 yd and 533.1" at 1000 yd. Change the load or zero above to see your own numbers.

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.223 Remington trajectory

1002003004005006007008009001000Range (yd)-600-400-2000200Drop (in)

The .223 Remington chart splits into two stories: light 55 grain bullets that are flat to 300 and gone by 600, and heavy 77 grain match bullets that stay honest to 800.

If your barrel twist allows the 77s, they drift roughly a quarter less in wind at 500 yards than 55 grain FMJ despite starting 500 fps slower.

.223 Rem recoil in ft-lbs →Best twist rate for .223 Rem →Solve your own load →

Ballistics charts for other cartridges

6.5 Creedmoor

140 gr · 2710 fps

.308 Winchester

168 gr · 2700 fps

.270 Winchester

130 gr · 3060 fps

.30-06 Springfield

165 gr · 2800 fps

.243 Winchester

100 gr · 2960 fps

.300 Winchester Magnum

180 gr · 2960 fps

7mm Remington Magnum

162 gr · 2850 fps

6.5 PRC

143 gr · 2960 fps

7mm PRC

175 gr · 2975 fps

.300 PRC

212 gr · 2860 fps

.338 Lapua Magnum

250 gr · 2950 fps

6mm Creedmoor

108 gr · 2960 fps

6mm ARC

108 gr · 2750 fps

6.5 Grendel

123 gr · 2580 fps

.22-250 Remington

55 gr · 3680 fps

.204 Ruger

32 gr · 4000 fps

.25 Creedmoor

134 gr · 2900 fps

.277 Fury

135 gr · 3000 fps

.30-30 Winchester

170 gr · 2200 fps

.350 Legend

180 gr · 2100 fps

.45-70 Government

405 gr · 1330 fps

Frequently asked questions

With a 55 gr FMJ load at 3240 fps and a 100 yard zero, a .223 Remington drops about 53.9 inches at 500 yards (10.3 MOA / 3.0 MRAD), and about 11.0 inches at 300 yards. The full chart above covers every range and load.

A typical 55 gr FMJ load leaves the muzzle at 3240 fps with 1282 ft-lbs of energy. At 500 yards it is still moving 1536 fps and carrying 288 ft-lbs. These figures are solved from the load data, not copied from a box chart.

A steady 10 mph full-value crosswind pushes the 55 gr FMJ load about -37.6 inches at 500 yards. Wind drift grows faster than drop with distance, which is why wind reading matters more than memorizing holdover.

This 55 gr FMJ load stays supersonic to at least 500 yards under standard conditions. Accuracy degrades through the transonic band (roughly 1,340 fps), so treat that as the practical ceiling for predictable precision. Terminal effectiveness on game depends on the energy column above — most hunters watch for 1,000 ft-lbs on deer-class animals.

Your barrel length, actual muzzle velocity, and the day’s density altitude all shift the solution. These tables use standard sea-level atmosphere and published velocities. Chronograph your load, solve for your real conditions, and true the result against actual impacts — the Atlas Ballistics app does all three.

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