When you pick a caliber, the label might sound good at the gun counter. Maybe it’s got a flashy name or promises great things in close quarters. But when you stretch it out past 100 yards, the story changes. Some of these rounds drop off hard in energy, velocity, or accuracy before they even get a chance to prove themselves. If you’re a hunter, that can mean wounded game. If you’re a shooter, that can mean disappointing results on paper. And if you reload, you already know which ones can’t hang once you step off the 50-yard line.
.410 Bore Slugs
The .410 slug can punch a hole in something up close, but once you get beyond 50 or 60 yards, its limitations hit hard. The slug bleeds energy fast and starts to tumble or drift more than you’d like, even with decent sights or a rifled barrel.
Plenty of folks try to stretch it out for deer in tight brush, but the margin for error gets too wide. Past 100 yards, it struggles with both accuracy and terminal performance. You’re better off with a 20-gauge if you’re set on using a shotgun. The .410 has its place, but long-range work isn’t part of it.
.22 LR
Everyone loves to talk about how much fun the .22 LR is, and they’re right—inside 50 yards. But once you reach out to 100 yards or more, the round drops like a rock and drifts all over with the wind. Even the “high velocity” stuff falls off quickly.
It’s a fantastic training round, and you can use it for small game with no issue, but it has no business in the field past that distance unless you’re target plinking with a solid rest. Don’t expect clean kills or consistent hits once you get beyond that 100-yard mark. It’s meant for close work, and it stays there.
.32 ACP
The .32 ACP isn’t known for hunting, but every now and then, someone asks if it can handle a coyote or similar critter at distance. The answer is no. Out of a pistol, it loses steam before it even makes it to 50 yards. Out of a rifle, it might stretch a bit farther, but not with any real authority.
The energy curve falls off steeply, and the slow-moving round doesn’t expand much or penetrate deeply. It’s a pocket pistol round for a reason. Once you step back past 100 yards, you’re not hitting hard enough to rely on it for anything serious.
.25 ACP
This one’s barely got enough to cycle a small pistol at close range, let alone hold power at 100 yards. The .25 ACP hangs out in the same neighborhood as the .22 LR in terms of energy, but with worse accuracy and even less ballistic efficiency.
Even with handloads, you’re not going to squeeze much more out of it. It was designed to be carried close and used even closer. Trying to do anything meaningful past 100 yards with it is a waste of time and ammo. This one was never meant to stretch its legs.
.30 Carbine
The M1 Carbine was a neat little rifle for its time, but it was never a powerhouse. The .30 Carbine cartridge looks like it should do more than it does, but once you reach past 100 yards, you start to see why it was never used for anything past light-duty.
Energy falls off fast, and its light bullet gets pushed around easily. For close work, it’s fast and manageable, but beyond that, you’ll be questioning your choice. A lot of hunters tried it once and didn’t try it again. It fades fast past that 100-yard mark.
5.7x28mm
The 5.7x28mm gained attention for its flat trajectory out of short barrels, but it runs out of steam fast. Even in longer barrels, the lightweight bullets don’t carry enough weight to hit hard at extended range. Past 100 yards, they tend to yaw, tumble, or fail to expand properly.
It’s fine for close-quarters or range use, especially when you want low recoil and high magazine capacity. But when you need reliable knockdown power past 100 yards, this cartridge starts to show its limitations. It’s more buzz than bite once you stretch it out.
.380 ACP
Plenty of folks try to turn a .380 into more than it was ever meant to be. It’s a short-range defensive round, not a long-range performer. Even with hot loads and a longer barrel, it starts running out of gas quickly.
If you’ve ever tried hitting steel at 100 yards with a .380, you’ve probably noticed the delay between shot and impact—and how often you miss. That slow-moving bullet doesn’t carry enough energy or precision to matter much past 50 yards, let alone 100. It’s not the right tool for the job.
.22 Magnum
The .22 Magnum does better than the .22 LR, no doubt, but it still has its ceiling. Past 100 yards, wind becomes a real issue, and bullet drop starts stacking up faster than expected. Its extra velocity helps early on but can’t make up for the light projectile weight.
You might see it used for varmints or small predators, but many folks who’ve tried it past 100 yards walk away disappointed. There’s not enough margin for error, and its energy at distance can come up short when it matters most. Inside 75 yards, it works fine—but not much farther.
.44 Special
The .44 Special was never built for reach. It was designed for controllability and punch at short distances. Fired out of a lever gun or longer barrel, you’ll get a little more out of it, but it still drops off hard once you hit that 100-yard line.
Accuracy isn’t terrible if you know your setup, but energy drops steeply, and the bullet starts lumbering toward the target. It’s a great cartridge in the right role, but it loses a lot of usefulness when distance gets involved. If you’re shooting past 100 yards, you need something that hits harder and flies straighter.
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP is known for thump at close range, but beyond that, it turns into a rainbow launcher. The bullet drops fast, and even if you manage to hit something at 100 yards, it’s not doing much damage. The velocity is too low to guarantee expansion or deep penetration.
It’s accurate enough inside 50 yards with the right pistol, but the curve after that isn’t kind. Plenty of folks try to push it into roles it wasn’t designed for. It’s a great close-range cartridge, but you’re asking too much of it once you step beyond that 100-yard barrier.
.300 Blackout Subsonic
The .300 Blackout in subsonic form was built for suppressed shooting, not for stretch. With 200-grain or heavier bullets chugging along around 1,000 feet per second, it drops and drifts like a rock beyond 100 yards.
Accuracy is fine with good loads, but terminal performance falls apart unless you’re shooting within archery range. The subsonic rounds simply don’t carry the energy needed for anything serious beyond that first hundred yards. It’s a specialized setup, not a general-purpose round, and it starts falling apart the farther out you go.
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Here’s more from us:
Calibers That Shouldn’t Even Be On the Shelf Anymore
Rifles That Shouldn’t Be Trusted Past 100 Yards
*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
