Some cartridges feel bigger than they really are—especially when you haven’t shot them in a while. On paper, the velocity and energy might seem decent enough, but once you’re back in the field, the drop starts stacking up faster than expected. Maybe you forgot how quickly they sink past 200 yards, or maybe your memory’s been padded by flatter-shooting rifles you’ve handled since. Either way, not all rounds hang in the air like you’d like. And when your scope’s zeroed for 100 yards, but your deer steps out at 225, that fast-dropping round might leave you empty-handed. These are the calibers that remind you—sometimes a little too late—that gravity wins sooner than you remembered.
.30-30 Winchester
You probably already know the .30-30 isn’t built for long range, but the drop past 150 yards still surprises people. It’s a reliable brush gun, sure, but with most loads pushing flat-nose bullets around 2,200 fps, things fall off quick. If you’re used to modern high-velocity rounds, this one will humble your expectations in a hurry.
With a 150-yard zero, you can expect to drop nearly 8 inches at 200 yards and close to 20 inches at 250. That’s enough to bury your shot low on a deer’s chest or worse, miss altogether. The .30-30 will always have a place in the woods, but you’ve got to respect its limits.
.45-70 Government
The .45-70 packs a wallop, no doubt, but it’s a rainbow past 125 yards. With factory loads pushing 300-grain bullets at around 1,800 fps, gravity grabs it almost immediately. Even the hotter loads drop like a brick past your typical lever-action sight-in distance.
If you zero at 100 yards, you’ll be looking at nearly 10 inches of drop by 150 and well over 20 by 200. And if you’re running those classic 405-grain soft points, the arc only gets worse. It’s a powerhouse at close range, but you better hold high or stay close if you expect clean hits past the timberline.
.35 Remington
The .35 Remington always gets a little love from folks running older Marlins or Remington pumps, but it’s another round that runs out of air fast. You’re throwing a fat .358-caliber bullet with modest velocity—usually under 2,000 fps—which makes for a lot of drop after 150 yards.
You’ll often see around 7 inches of drop at 200 yards and nearly 18 inches at 250, depending on bullet weight. It carries decent energy and does well in thick cover, but it’s not a caliber you can stretch out across a clearcut without dialing or serious holdover.
.300 Blackout
The .300 Blackout can shine in the right roles, especially suppressed or in short barrels, but long-range shooter it is not. Even with supersonic loads, you’re launching a heavy .30-cal bullet at lower velocities—usually between 2,100 and 2,350 fps.
That means your drop becomes noticeable before 200 yards. With a 100-yard zero, expect to hold 7–10 inches high at 200 and nearly 25 inches high at 300. Subsonics? You’ll be holding feet high, not inches. It’s a cool caliber in the right setup, but you won’t be winning any long-range challenges with it.
.44 Magnum (Rifle)
Out of a carbine, the .44 Magnum delivers a lot more punch than it does out of a revolver—but it still doesn’t shoot flat. You’ll see 240-grain bullets hitting 1,750 to 1,800 fps, and that velocity bleeds off fast. At 100 yards, it does fine. At 150, things are already arcing hard.
Drop can be 10 inches or more at 200 yards, and beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess unless you’ve done serious range work. If your hunting is mostly inside 100 yards, it’s a fine tool. But stretch it too far and it’ll remind you that handgun rounds—even in a rifle—don’t cheat gravity.
.223 Remington (with heavy bullets)
Everyone thinks of the .223 as a flat-shooter—and it can be—but once you start pushing heavy bullets like 77-grain match rounds, the arc comes quicker. Those longer pills start slower, often around 2,600 fps, and they don’t hold velocity like lighter 55-grain options.
With a 100-yard zero, a 77-grain SMK might drop 6–8 inches at 200 and over 20 inches at 300. Not disastrous, but definitely enough to throw off your expectations if you’re used to the flatter 3,100 fps loads. It’s still accurate, but you’ve got to adjust your thinking—and your aim.
7.62x39mm
The 7.62×39 does plenty well for what it is, but you’re not getting a flat trajectory out of it. Most loads clock in around 2,350 fps with a stubby 123-grain bullet. With iron sights or red dots, it’s fine inside 150 yards, but it starts to sink fast after that.
Zeroed at 100, it’ll drop nearly 10 inches at 200 and 25 inches by 300. It’s one of those cartridges that performs well within a narrow window. If you’re trying to take advantage of the AK’s legendary reliability out past that, you’d better do your range math beforehand—or get closer.
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*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
