.308 Winchester ballistics chart
The .308 Winchester trajectory with a 168-grain match bullet: drop, wind drift and retained velocity from a 100-yard zero out to 1,000 yards.
Overview
The .308 Winchester is the reference short-action target and hunting cartridge and the benchmark other cartridges are measured against. A 168-175 grain match bullet around 2,600-2,700 fps is accurate, mild-recoiling, and well understood, with match ammunition available from every maker.
Its limitation at distance is velocity: the .308 goes transonic somewhere around 900-1,000 yards, so shooters who regularly stretch past that have mostly moved to the 6.5 Creedmoor and 6mm cartridges. Inside 800 yards it remains an excellent, forgiving choice.
Typical uses: Service rifle, F-TR and tactical competition inside 1,000 yards, deer and hog hunting, and general-purpose precision.
Sample load
The trajectory below is calculated for this representative factory load in a standard ICAO atmosphere. Your rifle will differ — enter your own chronographed velocity and verified BC in the calculator for numbers you can dial.
- Bullet
- Hornady 168 gr ELD-M
- Muzzle velocity
- 2,650 fps
- Ballistic coefficient
- 0.263 (G7)
- Zero
- 100 yd
.308 Winchester trajectory table
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft⋅lb) | Drop (in) | Elevation (MIL) | Elevation (MOA) | Wind 10 mph (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 2,479 | 2,293 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| 200 | 2,314 | 1,997 | -4.2 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| 300 | 2,155 | 1,733 | -14.8 | 1.4 | 4.7 | 0.7 |
| 400 | 2,004 | 1,498 | -33.0 | 2.3 | 7.9 | 0.9 |
| 500 | 1,858 | 1,288 | -59.8 | 3.4 | 11.4 | 1.2 |
| 600 | 1,717 | 1,100 | -96.8 | 4.6 | 15.4 | 1.5 |
| 700 | 1,581 | 932 | -145.5 | 5.9 | 19.9 | 1.8 |
| 800 | 1,449 | 784 | -208.3 | 7.4 | 24.9 | 2.2 |
| 900 | 1,324 | 654 | -287.6 | 9.0 | 30.5 | 2.6 |
| 1,000 | 1,204 | 541 | -386.8 | 10.9 | 36.9 | 3.0 |
Learn more
New to reading a table like this? These guides explain the numbers: