.22 Long Rifle ballistics chart
The .22 LR trajectory: drop, drift and retained velocity for a 40-grain high-velocity load zeroed at 50 yards.
What is the .22 Long Rifle?
The .22 Long Rifle is the most widely produced cartridge in the world and the default choice for small-bore target shooting, plinking and small-game hunting. High-velocity loads like the one below leave the muzzle at around 1,200-1,260 fps, just above the speed of sound, so the bullet slows through the transonic zone within the first 100 yards. Standard-velocity and subsonic match loads start below it instead, and many rifles group them tighter for exactly that reason - see the .22 LR subsonic page for that trajectory.
Because velocity is low and consistency between lots matters enormously, serious rimfire shooters chronograph and lot-test their ammunition, then build a range card in fine increments. Even light crosswinds move a .22 bullet a surprising amount at 100 yards and beyond.
Typical uses: Small-bore competition, rimfire steel and NRL22-style matches, training, plinking and small-game hunting.
Sample load
The trajectory below is calculated for this representative factory load in a standard ICAO atmosphere. The bullet is an entry from the app’s bullet library, so the calculator opens with it already selected. Your rifle will differ — enter your own chronographed velocity and verified BC in the calculator for numbers you can dial.
- Bullet
- CCI 40 gr Mini-Mag
- Muzzle velocity
- 1,235 fps
- Ballistic coefficient
- 0.134 (G1)
- Zero
- 50 yd
.22 Long Rifle key figures
- Muzzle energy
- 136 ft⋅lb
- Supersonic to
- About 40 yd
- Point-blank range, 6 in zone
- 118 yd (100 yd zero)
- Point-blank range, 3 in zone
- 91 yd (79 yd zero)
Point-blank range is how far you can hold dead on and still hit a target zone of that height, using the zero shown. Work it out for your own load with the maximum point-blank range calculator , or see how the .22 Long Rifle stacks up in the cartridge comparison chart .
.22 Long Rifle trajectory table
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft⋅lb) | Drop (in) | Elevation (MIL) | Elevation (MOA) | Wind 10 mph (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1,156 | 119 | 0.1 | -0.1 | -0.2 | 0.4 |
| 50 | 1,092 | 106 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| 75 | 1,040 | 96 | -1.9 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 1.2 |
| 100 | 998 | 88 | -5.8 | 1.6 | 5.5 | 1.5 |
| 125 | 962 | 82 | -11.8 | 2.7 | 9.0 | 1.9 |
| 150 | 930 | 77 | -20.3 | 3.8 | 12.9 | 2.2 |
| 175 | 901 | 72 | -31.2 | 5.0 | 17.0 | 2.5 |
| 200 | 875 | 68 | -44.8 | 6.3 | 21.4 | 2.7 |
| 225 | 851 | 64 | -61.2 | 7.7 | 26.0 | 3.0 |
| 250 | 828 | 61 | -80.7 | 9.1 | 30.8 | 3.3 |
This load passes below the speed of sound at roughly 50 yards in standard conditions. Trajectory predictions become unreliable through and past the transonic zone.
.22 Long Rifle drop chart with a 100-yard zero
The same load zeroed at 100 yards instead of 50, for shooters who use that zero.
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft⋅lb) | Drop (in) | Elevation (MIL) | Elevation (MOA) | Wind 10 mph (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1,156 | 119 | 1.5 | -1.7 | -5.7 | 0.4 |
| 50 | 1,092 | 106 | 2.9 | -1.6 | -5.5 | 0.8 |
| 75 | 1,040 | 96 | 2.4 | -0.9 | -3.1 | 1.2 |
| 100 | 998 | 88 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| 125 | 962 | 82 | -4.6 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 1.9 |
| 150 | 930 | 77 | -11.6 | 2.2 | 7.4 | 2.2 |
| 175 | 901 | 72 | -21.1 | 3.4 | 11.5 | 2.5 |
| 200 | 875 | 68 | -33.2 | 4.7 | 15.9 | 2.7 |
| 225 | 851 | 64 | -48.2 | 6.1 | 20.5 | 3.0 |
| 250 | 828 | 61 | -66.2 | 7.5 | 25.3 | 3.3 |
Learn more
New to reading a table like this? These guides explain the numbers: