In the world of long-range shooting and big game hunting, the 6.8 Western cartridge has quickly risen to prominence. Combining the best aspects of traditional hunting rounds with modern advancements, the 6.8 Western offers exceptional performance that appeals to hunters and precision shooters alike.

Understanding the ballistics of this powerful cartridge is crucial for maximizing its potential, whether you're dialing in your scope at the range or lining up the perfect shot in the field.

6.8 Western Trajectory Chart

A bullet's flight path to the target is its trajectory. Long-range shooters measure trajectory in various ways, including inches of bullet drop, milliradians (MIL), and minutes of angle (MOA).

A flat trajectory is preferred for long-range shooting because it requires the shooter to make fewer adjustments to compensate for bullet drop. The 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge and 308 Winchester, with their high ballistic coefficient (BC) projectiles that exhibit relatively little drop at long range, are excellent examples of rifle cartridges with flat trajectories.

Because it doesn't use high BC bullets, the 270 Winchester, another short-action rifle cartridge, has a trajectory that is not nearly as flat as that of the 6.8 Western cartridge.

The 6.8 Western was conceived as a long-range hunting cartridge. Unsurprisingly, its higher BC bullets are ridiculously flat shooting and minimally affected by wind drift. Most 6.8 Western factory ammo drops less than 40 inches at 500 yards.

However, a few loads exhibit nearly 43 inches of bullet drop due to their bullets' design and heavier weight.

Below is a sample 6.8 Western bullet drop chart that gives a general idea of its trajectory.



Note: The chart above is an example of one 6.8 Western load. Actual ballistic performance may vary depending on bullet weight, lot, barrel length, and environmental conditions while shooting.

6.8 Western Velocity

A bullet's muzzle velocity is the rate at which it exits the barrel, measured in feet per second (fps).

A longer 6.8 Western rifle barrel produces a higher muzzle velocity, as the exploding propellant has longer to exert its energy against the projectile.

Bullet weight and design significantly affect how much velocity a projectile will exhibit downrange. For example, lighter bullets tend to have higher muzzle velocities than heavier bullets, and polymer-tipped hollow point boat tail projectiles tend to conserve velocity more efficiently than traditional hunting bullets like soft points.

Heavy bullets, like the 175 grain Sierra Tipped GameKing, have a muzzle velocity of 2,835 fps and maintain 2,135 fps out to 500 yards. Meanwhile, lighter bullets like the 150 grain Nosler AccuBond have a muzzle velocity of 3,125 fps and maintain 2,225 fps out to 500 yards.

Handloaded ammunition can achieve higher velocities than factory-loaded ammo, which is just one reason why reloading is so popular for competitive target shooting. While handloading saves some money, producing enough rounds to justify it does require a significant time investment.

For safety's sake, we always recommend following the instructions in your reloading manual, especially when using heavy-for-caliber projectiles.

6.8 Western Kinetic Energy

Muzzle energy is the force a bullet possesses when it exits the rifle barrel. It is measured in foot-pounds (ft-lbs).

Heavier bullets tend to have higher muzzle energy. A projectile's velocity plays a significant role, which is why lighter projectiles can have a higher muzzle energy than heavier ones. However, heavier projectiles tend to conserve their energy more effectively downrange.

The typical 6.8 Western cartridge has a felt recoil of about 30 ft-lbs in a Weatherby bolt-action rifle. This is less recoil than the 300 PRC (42 ft-lbs), but more than the 6.5 PRC (22 ft-lbs).

This moderate recoil is partly thanks to the kinetic energy of 6.8 Western projectiles. A 150 grain Berger VLD-H has 3,060 ft-lbs of muzzle energy and conserves 1,578 ft-lbs at 500 yards. In contrast, a 170 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip has a muzzle energy of 3,294 ft-lbs and maintains 1,779 ft-lbs of energy out to 500 yards when fired from a typical hunting rifle, like the Browning X-Bolt Western Hunter.

6.8 Western Effective Range

As its name implies, the 6.8 Western was designed for Western hunters pursuing whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, elk, and other big game animals at long range. Depending on the shooter's skill, the 6.8 Western has an effective range for big game animals, such as elk, out to about 700 yards.

Since this caliber bullet maintains over 1,000 ft-lbs of energy out to 1,000 yards, it's technically capable of ethically harvesting deer at this range. Still, you'll need to be an expert marksman to make that shot, as it will have nearly 250 inches of bullet drop at that distance.

For the full guide on 6.8 Western ballistics tables continue reading here.