Ballistics by Cartridge

6.5 PRC Ballistics Chart

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

Muzzle velocity
2960 fps
Bullet
143 gr, G7 0.315
Drop at 500 yd
42.3" (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-0.5281125090.10
200 yd-2.71.27 UP0.37 UP-1.9266522560.21
300 yd-10.23.25 UP0.94 UP-4.4252420230.33
400 yd-23.25.54 UP1.61 UP-8.1238718090.45
500 yd-42.38.09 UP2.35 UP-13.0225416130.58
600 yd-68.310.87 UP3.16 UP-19.3212514350.72
700 yd-102.013.91 UP4.05 UP-27.1200112720.86
800 yd-144.417.23 UP5.01 UP-36.5188111241.02
900 yd-196.520.85 UP6.07 UP-47.617659891.18
1000 yd-259.924.82 UP7.22 UP-60.716528661.36

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 143 gr ELD-X 6.5 PRC load (143 gr, 2960 fps) drops 10.2" at 300 yd, 42.3" at 500 yd and 259.9" at 1000 yd. Change the load or zero above to see your own numbers.

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6.5 PRC trajectory

1002003004005006007008009001000Range (yd)-260-195-130-650Drop (in)

The 6.5 PRC is a 6.5 Creedmoor moved 250 fps to the right: same excellent bullets, meaningfully less drop and drift everywhere on the chart.

Against the Creedmoor the PRC needs about 20% less elevation at 800 yards. Whether that is worth the barrel life and recoil is the real question.

Ballistics charts for other cartridges

Frequently asked questions

With a 143 gr ELD-X load at 2960 fps and a 100 yard zero, a 6.5 PRC drops about 42.3 inches at 500 yards (8.1 MOA / 2.4 MRAD), and about 10.2 inches at 300 yards. The full chart above covers every range and load.

A typical 143 gr ELD-X load leaves the muzzle at 2960 fps with 2783 ft-lbs of energy. At 500 yards it is still moving 2254 fps and carrying 1613 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 143 gr ELD-X load about -13.0 inches at 500 yards. Wind drift grows faster than drop with distance, which is why wind reading matters more than memorizing holdover.

This 143 gr ELD-X 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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