Ballistics by Cartridge

.338 Lapua Magnum Ballistics Chart

Drop, wind drift, velocity and energy for the loads .338 Lapua Magnum actually shoots — solved by a real trajectory engine, not copied from a box.

Muzzle velocity
2950 fps
Bullet
250 gr, G1 0.625
Drop at 500 yd
42.8" (2.4 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-0.5279943490.10
200 yd-2.71.29 UP0.37 UP-2.0265239060.21
300 yd-10.33.29 UP0.96 UP-4.5251135010.33
400 yd-23.55.61 UP1.63 UP-8.3237431290.45
500 yd-42.88.18 UP2.38 UP-13.2224127890.58
600 yd-69.110.99 UP3.20 UP-19.6211324780.72
700 yd-103.114.07 UP4.09 UP-27.5198921960.87
800 yd-146.017.43 UP5.07 UP-37.0186919391.02
900 yd-198.821.09 UP6.14 UP-48.3175417091.19
1000 yd-262.925.11 UP7.30 UP-61.4164515021.37

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 250 gr match .338 Lapua Magnum load (250 gr, 2950 fps) drops 10.3" at 300 yd, 42.8" at 500 yd and 262.9" at 1000 yd. Change the load or zero above to see your own numbers.

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.338 Lapua Magnum trajectory

1002003004005006007008009001000Range (yd)-280-210-140-700Drop (in)

The .338 Lapua Magnum chart barely bends where others fall off a cliff: 250–300 grain bullets that hold supersonic past a mile and carry rifle-cartridge energy the whole way.

At these BCs and velocities, atmosphere becomes the dominant error source — solve for your actual density altitude, not the standard-atmosphere numbers below.

.338 Lapua recoil in ft-lbs →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

.223 Remington

55 gr · 3240 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

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 250 gr match load at 2950 fps and a 100 yard zero, a .338 Lapua Magnum drops about 42.8 inches at 500 yards (8.2 MOA / 2.4 MRAD), and about 10.3 inches at 300 yards. The full chart above covers every range and load.

A typical 250 gr match load leaves the muzzle at 2950 fps with 4832 ft-lbs of energy. At 500 yards it is still moving 2241 fps and carrying 2789 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 250 gr match load about -13.2 inches at 500 yards. Wind drift grows faster than drop with distance, which is why wind reading matters more than memorizing holdover.

This 250 gr match load stays supersonic to at least 1000 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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Zero Calculator

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