.223 Remington Ballistics Chart
.223 Remington drop and wind charts from a 55 grain varmint load up to heavy 69 and 77 grain match bullets. Primary tables run to 600 yards, which is where most .223 rifles stop being useful. Every number below is solved live by the ballistic calculator on this site, not copied from a book — treat it as a reference starting point, not a substitute for truing your own rifle at distance.
Standard conditions used for every chart on this page
- Zero
- 100 yd
- Sight height
- 1.5 in over bore
- Atmosphere
- 59 °F, 29.92 inHg, 50% RH, 0 ft (ICAO standard)
- Wind
- 10 mph at 90° (90° = full-value crosswind from the right)
- Shooting angle
- 0°
- Spin drift / Coriolis
- Off — not modelled by this solver
- .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO use the same bullets but different chamber and pressure standards. See the 5.56 NATO page for service-rifle velocities.
- Heavy 69 and 77 grain bullets need a 1:8 or faster twist. A 1:12 barrel will not stabilise them.
.223 Remington factory loads
Source: Hornady Varmint Express .223 Rem 55 gr V-MAX (published G1 BC 0.255, 3240 fps). Manufacturer page. Drag model labelled on every table: G1.
Open this load in the calculator.223 Remington 55 gr drop and wind table (G1)
| Range (yd) | Drop (in) | Drop MOA | Drop MIL | Wind (in) | Wind MOA | Wind MIL | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft·lbf) | TOF (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | -1.5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3240 | 1282 | 0.000 |
| 50 | -0.3 | -0.53 | -0.15 | 0.3 | 0.57 | 0.17 | 3039 | 1128 | 0.048 |
| 100 | -0.0 | -0.00 | -0.00 | 1.1 | 1.08 | 0.31 | 2848 | 991 | 0.099 |
| 150 | -0.8 | -0.51 | -0.15 | 2.6 | 1.64 | 0.48 | 2665 | 868 | 0.154 |
| 200 | -2.8 | -1.34 | -0.39 | 4.6 | 2.21 | 0.64 | 2491 | 757 | 0.212 |
| 250 | -6.2 | -2.38 | -0.69 | 7.5 | 2.86 | 0.83 | 2321 | 658 | 0.274 |
| 300 | -11.3 | -3.59 | -1.04 | 11.1 | 3.54 | 1.03 | 2159 | 569 | 0.341 |
| 350 | -18.2 | -4.96 | -1.44 | 15.7 | 4.27 | 1.24 | 2004 | 490 | 0.413 |
| 400 | -27.3 | -6.51 | -1.89 | 21.2 | 5.07 | 1.47 | 1855 | 420 | 0.491 |
| 450 | -38.9 | -8.25 | -2.40 | 27.9 | 5.91 | 1.72 | 1714 | 359 | 0.575 |
| 500 | -53.4 | -10.20 | -2.97 | 35.7 | 6.83 | 1.99 | 1581 | 305 | 0.666 |
| 550 | -71.5 | -12.41 | -3.61 | 45.0 | 7.82 | 2.27 | 1458 | 260 | 0.765 |
| 600 | -93.6 | -14.90 | -4.33 | 55.7 | 8.87 | 2.58 | 1347 | 221 | 0.872 |
Dimmed rows are below the speed of sound, where published coefficients and this point-mass model are both least reliable. The solver stops once velocity falls too low to model honestly.
.223 Remington mini DOPE card
| Range (yd) | Elevation MIL | Elevation MOA | Wind MIL | Wind MOA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.31 | 1.08 |
| 200 | 0.39 | 1.34 | 0.64 | 2.21 |
| 300 | 1.04 | 3.59 | 1.03 | 3.54 |
| 400 | 1.89 | 6.51 | 1.47 | 5.07 |
| 500 | 2.97 | 10.20 | 1.99 | 6.83 |
| 600 | 4.33 | 14.90 | 2.58 | 8.87 |
How to use this chart
- Match the zero first. These tables assume a 100 yard zero; a 200 yard zero shifts every row.
- Match the sight height. 1.5 inches is used here; a high AR mount is closer to 2.6 inches.
- Match the air. Standard sea-level air is thicker than most hunting country, so real drop at altitude is usually less than shown.
- True your muzzle velocity. Box velocity comes from a test barrel — chronograph yours, then re-run it in the calculator.
.223 Remington ballistics FAQ
- How much does .223 Remington drop at 500 yards?
- .223 Remington with the Hornady 55 gr V-MAX load (0.255 G1 BC at 3240 fps) drops 53.4 inches below the line of sight at 500 yards from a 100 yard zero in standard sea-level air, which is 10.20 MOA or 2.97 mils of elevation. It is still carrying 1581 fps and 305 ft·lbf there.
- How much does .223 Remington drop at 1000 yards?
- The table here stops at 600 yards for this load, because the solver will not report a trajectory once velocity falls below the range where this model is trustworthy. Use the shorter distances and confirm the rest with live fire.
- How much does a 10 mph crosswind push .223 Remington?
- A full-value 10 mph wind moves it 11.1 inches at 300 yards and 35.7 inches at 500 yards — 1.99 mils. Half-value wind is roughly half that; the wind hold, not the drop, is what usually misses.
- Should I dial MIL or MOA for this chart?
- Whichever your scope is marked in — the two columns describe the same come-up. One mil is 3.6 inches at 100 yards and one MOA is about 1.047 inches, so mils give coarser, faster clicks and MOA gives finer ones. Never mix a mil reticle with an MOA turret.
- Where does .223 Remington go subsonic with this load?
- It is still supersonic at 600 yards under these conditions, which is why the table stays useful across its whole range.
Before you trust these numbers
Factory muzzle velocity is a starting point measured in a test barrel. Barrel length, throat, temperature and lot number all move it, and 50 fps of error is worth most of a click at distance. Confirm on paper at 300 and beyond before you hold off an animal or a plate.
Want to keep a rifle, its chronograph data and your trued drops in one place? Trajek saves rifles and lets you true them. Sign up for updates when new cartridge charts go live.