.50 BMG ballistics chart
The .50 BMG trajectory with a 750-grain match bullet: drop, wind drift and retained velocity from a 100-yard zero out to 2,000 yards.
Overview
The .50 Browning Machine Gun cartridge has been in service for a century and remains the standard heavy anti-materiel and extreme-long-range round. A 650-800 grain bullet leaving the muzzle near 2,800 fps stays supersonic beyond 1,800 yards and carries enough energy to matter at ranges where smaller cartridges have long gone subsonic.
In a single-shot or bolt rifle it is a serious ELR target cartridge; recoil, weight, muzzle blast, component cost and range restrictions make it a specialist's tool rather than a general-purpose one.
Typical uses: Anti-materiel use, extreme long-range target competition, and 1,000-yard-plus 'light fifty' matches.
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 750 gr A-MAX
- Muzzle velocity
- 2,820 fps
- Ballistic coefficient
- 1.05 (G1)
- Zero
- 100 yd
.50 BMG trajectory table
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft⋅lb) | Drop (in) | Elevation (MIL) | Elevation (MOA) | Wind 10 mph (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 2,731 | 12,420 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| 200 | 2,643 | 11,635 | -3.2 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 0.2 |
| 300 | 2,557 | 10,891 | -11.3 | 1.1 | 3.6 | 0.3 |
| 400 | 2,473 | 10,185 | -24.8 | 1.8 | 5.9 | 0.4 |
| 500 | 2,390 | 9,515 | -43.9 | 2.5 | 8.4 | 0.5 |
| 600 | 2,309 | 8,879 | -69.1 | 3.3 | 11.0 | 0.7 |
| 700 | 2,229 | 8,278 | -100.9 | 4.1 | 13.8 | 0.8 |
| 800 | 2,151 | 7,708 | -139.6 | 4.9 | 16.7 | 0.9 |
| 900 | 2,075 | 7,169 | -185.9 | 5.8 | 19.7 | 1.0 |
| 1,000 | 2,000 | 6,661 | -240.2 | 6.8 | 22.9 | 1.2 |
| 1,100 | 1,926 | 6,182 | -303.3 | 7.8 | 26.3 | 1.3 |
| 1,200 | 1,855 | 5,731 | -375.7 | 8.9 | 29.9 | 1.4 |
| 1,300 | 1,785 | 5,308 | -458.2 | 10.0 | 33.7 | 1.6 |
| 1,400 | 1,717 | 4,912 | -551.6 | 11.1 | 37.6 | 1.8 |
| 1,500 | 1,651 | 4,543 | -656.9 | 12.4 | 41.8 | 1.9 |
| 1,600 | 1,588 | 4,199 | -774.9 | 13.7 | 46.2 | 2.1 |
| 1,700 | 1,526 | 3,881 | -906.7 | 15.1 | 50.9 | 2.3 |
| 1,800 | 1,467 | 3,587 | -1,053.4 | 16.6 | 55.9 | 2.4 |
| 1,900 | 1,411 | 3,317 | -1,216.4 | 18.1 | 61.1 | 2.6 |
| 2,000 | 1,358 | 3,070 | -1,396.8 | 19.8 | 66.7 | 2.8 |
Learn more
New to reading a table like this? These guides explain the numbers: