.243 Winchester Ballistics Chart
.243 Winchester drop and wind charts for a light varmint load and a 95 grain deer load. One is very fast and very wind-sensitive, the other is slower and steadier past 400 yards. 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
.243 Winchester factory loads
Source: Hornady Varmint Express .243 Win 58 gr V-MAX (published G1 BC 0.250, 3925 fps). Manufacturer page. Drag model labelled on every table: G1.
Open this load in the calculator.243 Winchester 58 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 | 3925 | 1984 | 0.000 |
| 50 | -0.4 | -0.82 | -0.24 | 0.2 | 0.43 | 0.13 | 3685 | 1749 | 0.040 |
| 100 | -0.0 | -0.00 | -0.00 | 0.9 | 0.85 | 0.25 | 3459 | 1540 | 0.082 |
| 150 | -0.3 | -0.19 | -0.06 | 2.1 | 1.33 | 0.39 | 3243 | 1354 | 0.127 |
| 200 | -1.4 | -0.69 | -0.20 | 3.8 | 1.82 | 0.53 | 3038 | 1189 | 0.175 |
| 250 | -3.5 | -1.34 | -0.39 | 6.1 | 2.31 | 0.67 | 2844 | 1041 | 0.226 |
| 300 | -6.7 | -2.12 | -0.62 | 8.9 | 2.84 | 0.83 | 2658 | 910 | 0.280 |
| 350 | -11.0 | -3.00 | -0.87 | 12.4 | 3.39 | 0.98 | 2480 | 792 | 0.338 |
| 400 | -16.8 | -4.02 | -1.17 | 16.8 | 4.00 | 1.16 | 2308 | 686 | 0.401 |
| 450 | -24.3 | -5.15 | -1.50 | 21.9 | 4.65 | 1.35 | 2143 | 591 | 0.469 |
| 500 | -33.5 | -6.41 | -1.86 | 28.0 | 5.34 | 1.55 | 1985 | 508 | 0.541 |
| 550 | -45.1 | -7.83 | -2.28 | 35.0 | 6.09 | 1.77 | 1835 | 433 | 0.619 |
| 600 | -59.1 | -9.42 | -2.74 | 43.3 | 6.89 | 2.00 | 1692 | 369 | 0.704 |
| 650 | -76.3 | -11.21 | -3.26 | 52.8 | 7.76 | 2.26 | 1558 | 313 | 0.797 |
| 700 | -97.1 | -13.25 | -3.85 | 63.8 | 8.70 | 2.53 | 1435 | 265 | 0.897 |
| 750 | -122.1 | -15.55 | -4.52 | 76.3 | 9.71 | 2.82 | 1324 | 226 | 1.006 |
| 800 | -151.9 | -18.14 | -5.28 | 90.2 | 10.77 | 3.13 | 1227 | 194 | 1.124 |
| 850 | -187.7 | -21.09 | -6.14 | 105.8 | 11.89 | 3.46 | 1145 | 169 | 1.251 |
| 900 | -230.0 | -24.41 | -7.10 | 122.9 | 13.04 | 3.79 | 1079 | 150 | 1.386 |
| 950 | -279.8 | -28.13 | -8.18 | 141.2 | 14.20 | 4.13 | 1027 | 136 | 1.528 |
| 1000 | -337.9 | -32.27 | -9.39 | 160.8 | 15.36 | 4.47 | 984 | 125 | 1.678 |
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.
.243 Winchester mini DOPE card
| Range (yd) | Elevation MIL | Elevation MOA | Wind MIL | Wind MOA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.25 | 0.85 |
| 200 | 0.20 | 0.69 | 0.53 | 1.82 |
| 300 | 0.62 | 2.12 | 0.83 | 2.84 |
| 400 | 1.17 | 4.02 | 1.16 | 4.00 |
| 500 | 1.86 | 6.41 | 1.55 | 5.34 |
| 600 | 2.74 | 9.42 | 2.00 | 6.89 |
| 800 | 5.28 | 18.14 | 3.13 | 10.77 |
| 1000 | 9.39 | 32.27 | 4.47 | 15.36 |
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.
.243 Winchester ballistics FAQ
- How much does .243 Winchester drop at 500 yards?
- .243 Winchester with the Hornady 58 gr V-MAX load (0.25 G1 BC at 3925 fps) drops 33.5 inches below the line of sight at 500 yards from a 100 yard zero in standard sea-level air, which is 6.41 MOA or 1.86 mils of elevation. It is still carrying 1985 fps and 508 ft·lbf there.
- How much does .243 Winchester drop at 1000 yards?
- 337.9 inches below the line of sight, or 9.39 mils / 32.27 MOA of come-up, with 984 fps left. Time of flight is 1.68 seconds, so a switching wind matters more than the elevation by then.
- How much does a 10 mph crosswind push .243 Winchester?
- A full-value 10 mph wind moves it 8.9 inches at 300 yards and 28.0 inches at 500 yards — 1.55 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 .243 Winchester go subsonic with this load?
- Around 900 yards under these conditions. Rows past that are dimmed on the table because drag behaviour through the transonic band is the least predictable part of the flight.
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.
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