Zeroed at 100 yards, a 5.56 rifle is dead on at that distance and low at every step past it. This page opens with the path figures for the familiar 55 and 62 grain service rounds, followed by full speed, energy and drop numbers for three lighter loads. The factory chart closes the page: 20 loads from nine brands, each one sold with a trajectory table built on a 100 yard zero.
Table of Contents [Click to minimize]
Where the Bullet Flies on a 100 Yard Zero
The rows in this table follow each load from 25 yards out to 300, measured against the line of sight with a 2.6 inch sight height. Close in, every load prints low, between 1.4 and 1.6 inches under the aim point at 25 yards. All four rows meet the sight line at 100 yards. Past the zero the fall builds quickly, and by 300 yards the spread runs from 9.28 inches low to 18.8 inches low.
| Load | Path 25 yd (in) | Path 50 yd (in) | Path 100 yd (in) | Path 200 yd (in) | Path 300 yd (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 gr M193, 2.6 in sight height | -1.4 | -0.6 | 0 | -3.9 | -16.8 |
| 62 gr M855, 2.6 in sight height | -1.4 | -0.5 | 0 | -4.5 | -18.8 |
| 55 gr M193, 3,240 fps, BC 0.243, 2.6 in sight height | -1.60 | -0.82 | 0 | -1.76 | -9.28 |
| 62 gr XM855, 3,020 fps, BC 0.349, 2.6 in sight height | -1.56 | -0.78 | 0 | -2.04 | -9.68 |
Speed, Energy and Drop for Three Light Loads
Velocity and energy join the drop figures in this second table, again on a 100 yard zero. The lightest row, a 45 grain load, is the fastest thing on the page at 3,550 fps. The 62 grain row keeps one oddity from its printed chart: its path column reads 1.6 at 100 yards and 0 at 200 yards, inside a table headed for a 100 yard zero, and it is reproduced untouched.
| Load | BC | Velocity 0 yd (fps) | Velocity 100 yd (fps) | Velocity 200 yd (fps) | Velocity 300 yd (fps) | Energy 0 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 100 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 200 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 300 yd (ft-lb) | Drop 0 yd (in) | Drop 100 yd (in) | Drop 200 yd (in) | Drop 300 yd (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 gr Remington UMC (.223 Rem) | 0.173 | 3550 | 2953 | 2430 | 1963 | 1259 | 871 | 590 | 385 | -0.3 | 0 | -2.5 | -11.1 |
| 55 gr Federal American Eagle (.223 Rem) | 0.269 | 3240 | 2874 | 2536 | 2222 | 1282 | 1008 | 785 | 603 | -0.3 | 0 | -2.7 | -10.9 |
| 62 gr Hornady Black (.223 Rem) | 0.274 | 3100 | 2751 | 2428 | 2127 | 1323 | 1042 | 811 | 623 | -1.5 | 1.6 | 0 | -7.5 |
The Factory Chart: Loads Sold With a 100 Yard Zero
Inclusion turns on a single test: the trajectory table a maker publishes for a load must cross zero at 100 yards. Federal marks that set in the notes under its chart, Barnes states a zero range for each of its loads, and every other set here shows 0 in the 100 yard column with negative numbers after it. No path has been shifted or recalculated to fit this page. Where a maker prints nothing for a distance, the cell carries a hyphen. Speeds are feet per second, energies foot pounds, and paths inches from the line of sight.
| Brand | Load | Product Line | SKU | BC | Test Barrel (in) | Velocity 0 yd (fps) | Velocity 100 yd (fps) | Velocity 200 yd (fps) | Velocity 300 yd (fps) | Velocity 400 yd (fps) | Velocity 500 yd (fps) | Energy 0 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 100 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 200 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 300 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 400 yd (ft-lb) | Energy 500 yd (ft-lb) | Trajectory 0 yd (in) | Trajectory 50 yd (in) | Trajectory 100 yd (in) | Trajectory 200 yd (in) | Trajectory 300 yd (in) | Trajectory 400 yd (in) | Trajectory 500 yd (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | 69 gr Match Burner | PM | 30846 | 0.33 | 20 | 2900 | 2621 | 2359 | 2111 | 1880 | 1666 | 1289 | 1053 | 853 | 683 | 542 | 425 | – | – | 0 | -3.1 | -12.4 | -29.6 | -56.7 |
| Barnes | 85 gr Match Burner | PM | 30848 | 0.403 | 20 | 2600 | 2385 | 2180 | 1986 | 1802 | 1631 | 1276 | 1074 | 897 | 745 | 613 | 502 | – | – | 0 | -4.1 | -15.6 | -35.9 | -66.9 |
| Federal | 55 gr Full Metal Jacket Boat-Tail | American Eagle | AE193 | 0.246 | – | 3165 | 2772 | 2412 | 2080 | 1776 | 1506 | 1223 | 939 | 711 | 528 | 385 | 277 | – | -0.3 | 0 | -3 | -12.1 | – | – |
| Federal | 55 gr Full Metal Jacket Boat-Tail | American Eagle | AE193C | 0.246 | – | 3165 | 2772 | 2412 | 2080 | 1776 | 1506 | 1223 | 939 | 711 | 528 | 385 | 277 | – | -0.3 | 0 | -3 | -12.1 | – | – |
| Federal | 55 gr Full Metal Jacket Boat-Tail | Federal Training | FC556F200 | 0.246 | – | 3165 | 2772 | 2412 | 2080 | 1776 | 1506 | 1223 | 939 | 711 | 528 | 385 | 277 | – | -0.3 | 0 | -3 | -12.1 | – | – |
| Fiocchi | 55 gr Full Metal Jacket Boat-Tail | Range Dynamics Rifle | 556M193L | 0.243 | – | 3240 | 2836 | 2467 | 2126 | 1814 | 1537 | 1282 | 982 | 743 | 552 | 402 | 288 | – | -0.3 | 0 | -2.9 | -11.5 | – | – |
| Hornady | 55 gr CX™ | SF | 812544 | – | 20 | 3175 | 2781 | 2420 | 2086 | 1781 | 1511 | 1231 | 944 | 715 | 531 | 388 | 279 | -1.5 | – | 0 | -3 | -12.1 | -29.1 | -57.3 |
| Magtech | 55 gr Ball SS109 | – | 556A | 0.272 | 20 | 3265 | 2900 | 2563 | 2250 | – | – | 1302 | 1028 | 803 | 618 | – | – | – | – | 0.001 | -4.1 | -13.6 | – | – |
| Magtech | 55 gr Ball | – | 556A-LK | 0.272 | 20 | 3265 | 2900 | 2563 | 2250 | – | – | 1302 | 1028 | 803 | 618 | – | – | – | – | 0.001 | -4.1 | -13.6 | – | – |
| Magtech | 62 gr FMJ | – | 556B | 0.34 | 20 | 3085 | 2803 | 2537 | 2286 | – | – | 1306 | 1082 | 886 | 720 | – | – | – | – | 0.001 | -4.4 | -14.3 | – | – |
| Magtech | 77 gr Sierra Cannelured HPBT | – | 556C | 0.362 | 20 | 2790 | 2541 | 2305 | 2081 | – | – | 1331 | 1104 | 908 | 741 | – | – | – | – | 0.001 | -5.4 | -17.4 | – | – |
| PMC | 55 gr FMJ-BT | X-TAC | 5.56X | 0.243 | 16 | 3120 | 2727 | 2366 | 2033 | 1731 | 1464 | 1189 | – | – | – | – | – | -1.5 | – | 0 | -3.2 | -12.7 | -30.7 | -60.6 |
| PMC | 55 gr FMJ-BT | X-TAC | 5.56X | 0.243 | 20 | 3270 | 2898 | 2555 | 2237 | 1943 | 1674 | 1306 | – | – | – | – | – | -1.5 | – | 0 | -2.6 | -10.6 | -25.6 | -49.9 |
| PMC | 62 gr LAP | X-TAC | 5.56K | 0.304 | 16 | 2920 | 2617 | 2333 | 2067 | 1819 | 1595 | 1174 | – | – | – | – | – | -1.5 | – | 0 | -3.6 | -13.6 | -31.7 | -60.8 |
| PMC | 62 gr LAP | X-TAC | 5.56K | 0.304 | 20 | 3100 | 2762 | 2449 | 2157 | 1885 | 1637 | 1323 | – | – | – | – | – | -1.5 | – | 0 | -3.1 | -11.9 | -28.3 | -54.6 |
| PPU | 55 gr FMJBT | RANGEMASTER | PPRM5561 | 0.248 | – | 3240 | 2865 | 2495 | 2145 | – | – | 1282 | 1002 | 761 | 563 | – | – | – | – | 0 | -3.4 | -12.4 | – | – |
| True Velocity | 55 gr Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) | Composite-Cased Ammunition | TV556001 | 0.243 | 20 | 3170 | 2781 | 2423 | 2093 | 1791 | 1522 | 1227 | 944 | 717 | 535 | 392 | 283 | – | – | 0 | -3 | -12 | -29 | -57 |
| Winchester | 55 gr Full Metal Jacket | USA | Q3131 | 0.267 | – | 3270 | 2898 | 2555 | 2238 | 1943 | 1675 | 1306 | 1025 | 797 | – | – | – | – | -0.3 | 0 | -2.7 | -10.7 | -25.7 | – |
| Winchester | 55 gr Full Metal Jacket | USA | WM193K | 0.246 | – | 3180 | 2786 | 2425 | 2092 | 1787 | 1516 | 1235 | 948 | 718 | 534 | 390 | 281 | – | – | 0 | -3 | -12 | -29 | – |
| Winchester | 64 gr Bonded Solid Base | Defender | S556PDB | 0.177 | – | 2800 | 2305 | – | – | – | – | 1115 | 755 | – | – | – | – | – | -0.7 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
Reading a Row From Left to Right
Start with the identity columns: brand, load, product line and SKU, then the ballistic coefficient and test barrel where the maker states them. After that come three distance ladders, one each for velocity, energy and trajectory, running from the muzzle to 500 yards in 100 yard steps. The trajectory ladder adds a 50 yard rung, because several makers publish the path at that short mark as well.
The Cut From 159 Records to 20 Rows
Of the 159 stored 5.56 records, 44 carry a trajectory table in some form, and the zero behind that table decides whether a load belongs here. Hornady aims most of its chart at 200 yards, leaving a single 100 yard row, while five Winchester loads offer only their long range figures. A metric defense catalog, with paths in centimetres over metre distances, sits outside a yards chart altogether. Twenty rows survive the test.
Light Bullets, Heavy Bullets, and Speed
The chart spans 55 grain service loads at one end and an 85 grain match bullet at the other. Two 55 grain loads tie at the top of the muzzle velocity column, 3,270 fps apiece, one from Winchester and one from PMC out of a 20 inch barrel. Weight trades starting speed for staying power: the 85 grain Barnes begins at just 2,600 fps yet keeps 1,631 fps at 500 yards, close behind the Winchester Q3131 and its chart best 1,675 fps.
Energy Near the Muzzle and Far Downrange
At the muzzle the energy crown belongs to a heavy bullet, the Magtech 77 grain Sierra load at 1,331 ft-lb, even though most of the lighter loads in the chart leave faster. Distance widens that gap in the heavies’ favour. The 85 grain Barnes Match Burner holds 502 ft-lb at 500 yards, the strongest figure at that range in the chart, while the Federal 55 grain rows are down to 277 ft-lb.
How the Drop Builds Past the Zero
One hundred yards past the zero, nothing in the chart has fallen far: the 200 yard column runs from -2.6 to -5.4 inches. By 300 yards the spread has opened to a band between -10.6 and -17.4 inches across the 19 rows that publish the figure. Only eight rows quote a path at 500 yards, and there the PMC 55 grain load from a 20 inch barrel leads at -49.9 inches, with the heavy Barnes 85 grain at the deep end on -66.9 inches.
PMC and the Four Inch Barrel Gap
PMC is the one maker here that prints the same load from two barrels, so its X-TAC rows arrive in pairs. Stretching the 55 grain load’s barrel from 16 inches to 20 lifts muzzle velocity from 3,120 fps to 3,270 fps and trims the 500 yard drop by more than 10 inches, from -60.6 to -49.9. The 62 grain LAP pair tells the same story at lower speeds, 2,920 fps against 3,100 fps at the muzzle.
What the Chart Does Not Show
Nineteen rows carry a ballistic coefficient, from 0.177 on the Winchester 64 grain Defender up to 0.403 on the Barnes 85 grain load; the Hornady row stands alone without one, because that chart prints no BC column. A test barrel is named on 12 rows only. Federal sells the same 55 grain load under three SKUs with one shared set of figures, Magtech prints its zero point as 0.001 rather than 0, and PPU gives its path numbers with no unit attached, leaving them exactly as they stand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens at 100 yards when a rifle is zeroed there?
Bullet and sight line meet at that distance, so the 100 yard trajectory figure is 0 for every load in the factory chart. Beyond the zero the bullet is always below the line, and the negative figures further out measure that gap.
Why does the factory chart stop at 20 loads?
Plenty of 5.56 loads publish trajectory tables, 44 of the 159 stored records, but most of those tables are built on a 200 yard zero or another pattern. Only 20 loads come with a set that crosses the sight line at 100 yards.
Which load holds the flattest path to 500 yards?
The PMC X-TAC 55 grain FMJ-BT from the 20 inch barrel dataset, dropping 49.9 inches by 500 yards. Its 16 inch twin drops 60.6 inches over the same ground, and the Barnes 85 grain Match Burner drops deepest at 66.9 inches.
How much drop should a shooter expect at 300 yards?
On a 100 yard zero, plan on roughly 11 to 17 inches of drop at 300 yards with factory ammunition. The 19 chart rows that publish the figure land between -10.6 and -17.4 inches, and the opening path table brackets a similar span.
Which loads tie for the highest muzzle velocity?
The Winchester Q3131 and the PMC X-TAC 55 grain FMJ-BT from a 20 inch barrel, both printing 3,270 fps. The Winchester load also posts the best 500 yard velocity in the chart, 1,675 fps.
Where does the strongest muzzle energy sit?
With the Magtech 77 grain Sierra Cannelured HPBT at 1,331 ft-lb. Bullet weight does the work there, since that load’s 2,790 fps muzzle velocity trails every 55 grain row in the chart.
How come only one Hornady load made the cut?
Hornady’s chart lists 11 loads in this cartridge, and ten of them carry a 200 yard zero, crossing the sight line too far out for this page. The lone qualifier is item 812544, the 55 grain CX, whose path reads 0 at 100 yards.
What do the two PMC barrel lengths change?
Four inches of barrel move the 55 grain X-TAC load by 150 fps at the muzzle and by 10.7 inches of drop at 500 yards. The 62 grain LAP pair shifts the same way, gaining 180 fps between the 16 inch and 20 inch datasets.
Which bullet weights show up in the chart?
Six weights appear: 55, 62, 64, 69, 77 and 85 grains. The 55 grain rows dominate the list, and the heavier match and hunting bullets fill out the rest.
What explains the 0.001 figure in the Magtech rows?
Magtech prints the zero point of its table as 0.001 rather than a plain 0, and the value is carried over unchanged. Its drop figures are likewise printed with the minus sign trailing the number, shown here in front with the same value.