Interactive Ballistics Data - Graphs, Tables, and More - MyHuntinGear.com (2024)

Ballistics

The science of projectiles and firearms, or in other words, the info you need to make the kill!

If you are looking for the 270 vs 308 vs 30 06 ballistics chart, the 5.56 trajectory chart, the 300 Win Mag Ballistics data, or the 30 06 trajectory chart; you are in the right place!

Here are a few suggestions for using the below dashboard:

1. Select specific calibers and cartridges by using the filters
2. Hover over graphs and lines to see more detail
3. Click around to highlight specific data or to apply detailed filtering
4. Don’t forget to try out full screen (there is a button on the bottom right, below the graphs)
5. Please give us some feedback!
   1. Additional calibers/cartridges that you would like to see?
   2. Other data that is important to you? Ballistic Coefficient, longer range, more detail, etc.
   3. Share with your friends to get their feedback as well
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Explanation of Ballistics Data

Ballistics includes the understanding of trajectory, velocity, energy, as well as other factors as they pertain to projectiles and firearms. An understanding of these principles is essential to shooting accurately and selecting the right caliber/round for the job.

We have compiled ballistics data for some of the most popular calibers around.

Our data-set includes detailed information for:

• 223 Winchester (5.56 NATO)
• 270 Winchester
• 30 06 Springfield
• 308 Winchester
• 300 Win Mag
• More to come soon

The ballistics charts (trajectory graph, velocity chart, and energy chart) can easily be filtered for the specific calibers (223 Win, 5.56 NATO, 270 Win, 308 Win, or 300 Win Mag) that you are interested in. We have compiled ballistics data for over 80 different cartridges that you can choose from!
Below is some important information about trajectory, velocity, and energy. We hope that this helps.

Trajectory

Trajectory – the path your bullet takes from the muzzle of your rifle to the target down range.

We measure trajectory as the bullet drop in inches or the MOA (Minute of Angle). In our trajectory graph, we show how much the bullet drops in inches from the zero point. In the data set if you filter on a specific caliber such as the 223/ 5.56 Trajectory chart. The average drop at the 100 yards is 1.3 Inches up, but then at 200 yards, the bullet drop is at 0 (200 yards is the zero point or the range the rifle is sited for).

MOA made simple

MOA or Minute of Angle is a common way people describe accuracy and trajectory. One minute of angle equals one-sixtieth of one angle. There are 60 minutes of angle in each degree, 360 degrees in a circle. When your rifle is pointed down range, there is a total of 180 degrees to your immediate left, right, and everything in between. See the example below.

If we shine a laser down the end of your barrel in a perfectly straight line, we can describe the variance from this line in MOA. If the barrel is rotated 1 MOA, and we shoot out another perfectly straight line the difference between where these two lines hit at 100 yards will be about 1 inch at 100 yards. About 2 inches at 200 yards and so on.

It is common for the adjustments on optics to be made in MOA. If a scope has ¼ MOA adjustments, it will take four clicks to change the impact point by about one inch at 100 yards. In the below table you can see the MOA adjustment vs. the change at 100 Meters/Yards. In our example of the 223/ 5.56 ballistics, if your rifle was shooting ½ inch high at 100 yards, and your optic adjustments were in ¼ MOA you would want to adjust your scope down two clicks.

Velocity

Velocity is the speed at which the bullet travels. Pretty simple right!

Velocity is usually measured in feet per second (fps). For any given projectile, as you push it faster, you will, of course, have improved trajectory and higher energy output. When you compare velocities of projectiles with differing weights, you will want to take all of the data into consideration.

The smaller calibers, such as the .223 Win/5.56 NATO, generally have a projectile weight of 50 gr-62 gr. The .223 Win (5.56 NATO) bullet FLIES out of the muzzle anywhere from 3,000 – 3,500 fps but the velocity drops off relatively quickly. The heavier projectiles from larger calibers, such as the 300 Win Mag, come out of the muzzle a little slower but do not lose that velocity quite as quickly.

We have put together a heat map for the average velocities and the rate at which the velocity declines for each caliber. In the heat map, green is higher and red is lower. Again with the .223 Win/5.56 NATO, which has the highest velocity coming out of the barrel, but also the highest rate of decline in that velocity. The .300 Win Mag, with a bullet weight of 150 gr – 200 gr, has an average muzzle velocity of 2,980, but the projectile with heavier mass holds that speed better than the lighter options.

This discussion about velocity in relation to projectile mass is directly related to the energy of the projectile and makes for a nice transition!

Energy

Having just discussed velocity and its interaction with bullet weight, it will come as no surprise to see that the energy produced by the .300 Win Mag is significantly higher than the .223 Win/5.56 NATO, and noticeably higher than the other calibers.

Energy is measured in foot-pounds and represents the kinetic energy of the projectile. Energy is a factor of the bullet mass and the bullet velocity. Energy has a linear relationship with mass but an exponential relationship with velocity. In other words if you increase the projectile mass by two the energy will also increase by two; however, if you increase the projectile velocity by two, the energy will increase by four times!

When the projectile strikes, the target, energy is transferred from the projectile into a target. This massive release of energy is what causes much of the damage which will create a fatal wound in the intended game.

Conclusion

We hope that you find this data useful, and we hope that you will let us know how we can improve this tool. We intend to continue adding calibers, cartridges, and additional data so please bookmark this page and come back often. If you have suggestions, please let us know! We have selected .223 Win/5.56 NATO, .270 Win, .300 Win Mag, .30-06, and .308 Win because they are some of the most popular calibers, and some of our favorites. We will be adding to this list and building out some fun and new graphs, tables, charts, and visuals.