Ballistics by Cartridge

6.5 Grendel Ballistics Chart

Drop, wind drift, velocity and energy for the loads 6.5 Grendel actually shoots — solved by a real trajectory engine, not copied from a box.

Muzzle velocity
2580 fps
Bullet
123 gr, G7 0.255
Drop at 500 yd
63.0" (3.5 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-0.7240915850.12
200 yd-4.32.03 UP0.59 UP-3.0224513760.25
300 yd-15.44.91 UP1.43 UP-6.9208711900.39
400 yd-34.68.25 UP2.40 UP-12.7193610240.54
500 yd-63.012.04 UP3.50 UP-20.617918760.70
600 yd-102.316.29 UP4.74 UP-30.816507440.87
700 yd-154.521.07 UP6.13 UP-43.815156271.06
800 yd-221.826.47 UP7.70 UP-59.813845231.27
900 yd-307.332.61 UP9.48 UP-79.312604341.50
1000 yd-414.839.61 UP11.52 UP-102.911443571.75

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 123 gr ELD Match 6.5 Grendel load (123 gr, 2580 fps) drops 15.4" at 300 yd, 63.0" at 500 yd and 414.8" at 1000 yd. Change the load or zero above to see your own numbers.

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6.5 Grendel trajectory

1002003004005006007008009001000Range (yd)-600-450-300-1500Drop (in)

The 6.5 Grendel puts a real 123 grain bullet through an AR-15, and its chart stays useful to 600 yards — far beyond what the .223 it shares a rifle with can do.

The Grendel goes transonic around 900 yards from typical barrels. Treat anything past 700 as practice, not precision.

Ballistics charts for other cartridges

Frequently asked questions

With a 123 gr ELD Match load at 2580 fps and a 100 yard zero, a 6.5 Grendel drops about 63.0 inches at 500 yards (12.0 MOA / 3.5 MRAD), and about 15.4 inches at 300 yards. The full chart above covers every range and load.

A typical 123 gr ELD Match load leaves the muzzle at 2580 fps with 1818 ft-lbs of energy. At 500 yards it is still moving 1791 fps and carrying 876 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 123 gr ELD Match load about -20.6 inches at 500 yards. Wind drift grows faster than drop with distance, which is why wind reading matters more than memorizing holdover.

This 123 gr ELD Match load stays supersonic to at least 800 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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