Maximum Point Blank Range for the .30-06 Springfield
For an 8" vital zone, the maximum point blank range zero for a .30-06 with a 165gr bullet at 2,790 fps is 263 yards. Sight the rifle in 3.4" high at 100 with the scope 1.5" over the bore and the bullet stays within 4" of the line of sight from the muzzle to 308 yards, peaking 4" high at 146 yards. That is the longest distance over which a centre-of-chest hold on a deer works without ranging. For a 10" elk zone the zero moves to 286 yards and the window to 337; for a 4" zone it is 203 yards and 237.
The number is nearly the same for 150 and 180gr Fusion loads, 315 and 301 yards, because the .30-06's bullets trade weight for velocity almost evenly inside 300 yards. Any of them can be sighted 3.4" to 3.5" high at 100 and hunted with one hold to 300.
Figures on this page: Federal Fusion .30-06 Springfield 165gr, 165gr G1 .454 at 2,790 fps, Bolt action, standard scope rings, 1.5" over bore, standard conditions. Source: Federal published velocity (24" test barrel) and G1 ballistic coefficient, verified 2026-09-13.
MPBR by Vital Zone Size
Federal Fusion .30-06 Springfield 165gr, 165gr G1 .454 at 2,790 fps, 1.5" over bore (bolt action, standard scope rings).
| Vital zone | Optimal zero | Near edge | MPBR | Max ordinate | Sight in at 100 (in / MOA) | CSV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4" (coyote, varmint, paper) | 203 yd | 0 yd | 237 yd | +2.0" at 118 yd | +1.9" / +1.8 | Download |
| 8" (whitetail, pronghorn, defensive torso) | 263 yd | 0 yd | 308 yd | +4.0" at 146 yd | +3.4" / +3.3 | Download |
| 9" (mule deer, black bear) | 275 yd | 0 yd | 323 yd | +4.5" at 152 yd | +3.8" / +3.6 | Download |
| 10" (elk, moose) | 286 yd | 0 yd | 337 yd | +5.0" at 158 yd | +4.1" / +3.9 | Download |
How to read it: filled circles are the near and far zero, where the bullet's path crosses the line of sight;the triangle is the peak (max ordinate). The shaded band is the 8" vital zone, ±4" either side of the line of sight. The dashed line marks the edge of the hold-dead-on window. The chart is zoomed to where the zero matters; the tables below run to 500 yards.
Prefer a round-number zero you can confirm on any range? .30-06 Springfield: 100-Yard vs 200-Yard Zero compares them with full tables.
Key terms
- Near zero
- Where the bullet first climbs up through the line of sight. It starts below the sight, because the sight sits above the barrel.
- Far zero
- Where it falls back down through the line of sight. A "200-yard zero" is the far zero; the near zero comes with it.
- Max ordinate
- The highest the bullet gets above the line of sight, between the two crossings. This is what makes a zero shoot high in the middle.
- Point blank range (MPBR)
- The zero that keeps the whole arc inside a vital zone for the longest distance, so you can aim at the centre and hold dead-on.
The 8" Zone Trajectory: 263-Yard Zero
Zeroed at 263 yards, the bullet is +3.4" at 100, peaks +4.0" at 146 yards, and has fallen half the vital zone, -4.0", at 308 yards. Hold on the centre of the vitals anywhere inside that window.
| Range (yd) | Drop (in) | Drop (MOA) | Drop (MIL) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Wind drift, 10 mph (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | -1.5" | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,790 | 2,853 | 0.0 |
| 25 | +0.2" | +0.72 | +0.21 | 2,739 | 2,749 | 0.1 |
| 50 | +1.6" | +3.00 | +0.87 | 2,689 | 2,650 | 0.2 |
| 75 | +2.7" | +3.39 | +0.98 | 2,640 | 2,553 | 0.4 |
| 100 | +3.4" | +3.28 | +0.95 | 2,591 | 2,460 | 0.8 |
| 125 | +3.9" | +2.97 | +0.86 | 2,542 | 2,369 | 1.2 |
| 150 | +4.0" | +2.55 | +0.74 | 2,494 | 2,280 | 1.7 |
| 175 | +3.8" | +2.06 | +0.60 | 2,447 | 2,194 | 2.3 |
| 200 | +3.2" | +1.52 | +0.44 | 2,400 | 2,111 | 3.0 |
| 225 | +2.2" | +0.94 | +0.27 | 2,354 | 2,030 | 3.8 |
| 250 | +0.8" | +0.32 | +0.09 | 2,308 | 1,952 | 4.8 |
| 275 | -0.9" | -0.32 | -0.09 | 2,262 | 1,876 | 5.8 |
| 300 | -3.1" | -1.00 | -0.29 | 2,218 | 1,802 | 7.0 |
| 325 | -5.8" | -1.69 | -0.49 | 2,173 | 1,731 | 8.3 |
| 350 | -8.9" | -2.42 | -0.70 | 2,129 | 1,661 | 9.7 |
| 375 | -12.4" | -3.17 | -0.92 | 2,086 | 1,594 | 11.2 |
| 400 | -16.5" | -3.94 | -1.15 | 2,043 | 1,530 | 12.9 |
| 425 | -21.1" | -4.74 | -1.38 | 2,001 | 1,467 | 14.7 |
| 450 | -26.3" | -5.57 | -1.62 | 1,959 | 1,406 | 16.6 |
| 475 | -32.0" | -6.42 | -1.87 | 1,918 | 1,347 | 18.7 |
| 500 | -38.3" | -7.31 | -2.12 | 1,877 | 1,291 | 20.9 |
165gr G1 .454 at 2,790 fps, 1.5" sight height over bore, standard conditions (59°F, sea level), 10 mph full-value crosswind. Positive drop is above the line of sight. Source: Federal published velocity (24" test barrel) and G1 ballistic coefficient, verified 2026-09-13.
MPBR by Bullet Weight
8" vital zone, 1.5" over bore.
| Load | Optimal zero | MPBR | Max ordinate at | Velocity at MPBR | Energy at MPBR | CSV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Fusion .30-06 Springfield 165gr 165gr G1 .454 at 2,790 fps |
263 yd | 308 yd | 146 yd | 2,218 fps | 1,802 ft-lb | Download |
| Federal Fusion .30-06 Springfield 150gr 150gr G1 .410 at 2,900 fps |
269 yd | 315 yd | 150 yd | 2,256 fps | 1,695 ft-lb | Download |
| Federal Fusion .30-06 Springfield 180gr 180gr G1 .498 at 2,700 fps |
256 yd | 301 yd | 142 yd | 2,185 fps | 1,909 ft-lb | Download |
Velocity and energy are read at the last table row inside the window. Sources: Federal Fusion .30-06 Springfield 165gr: Federal published velocity (24" test barrel) and G1 ballistic coefficient (verified 2026-09-13); Federal Fusion .30-06 Springfield 150gr: Federal published velocity (24" test barrel) and G1 ballistic coefficient (verified 2026-09-13); Federal Fusion .30-06 Springfield 180gr: Federal published velocity (24" test barrel) and G1 ballistic coefficient (verified 2026-09-13).
What MPBR Means in the Field
Maximum point blank range answers one question: how far can I aim at the middle of the vitals and still hit them, without touching the scope? It does that by putting the bullet's peak exactly half the vital zone above the line of sight and finding the distance where it has fallen half the vital zone below. Everything between is a hit with a centre hold, provided the animal is standing broadside and your hold is actually centred.
Those provisos are where MPBR breaks down. The window assumes the whole vital zone is available; a quartering deer or one with a shoulder in the way offers less than 8". It assumes no wind, and at 300 yards a 10 mph crosswind moves a 165gr .30-06 bullet about 7", most of a vital zone on its own. And it assumes you can hold to the centre of the zone from a field position, which nobody does at 300 yards on a running heart rate. Treat the far edge as the distance beyond which you must range and hold over, not as a licence to shoot without knowing the range.
The near edge matters less on a .30-06 than on an AR because the scope is close to the bore: with a 1.5" sight line the bullet starts only 1.5" below the line of sight, inside any zone of 4" or more, so the window begins at the muzzle. What does bite close in is the peak. A 4"-high bullet at 150 yards is a spine shot on a small deer if you hold high on the chest out of habit; hold the centre.
How Sight Height Affects Your MPBR
A big objective and high rings put the scope 1.75" over the bore instead of 1.5", and the table below shows what that does to the 8" MPBR: the zero moves from 263 yards to 265 and the far edge from 308 to 311, with the sight-in at 100 unchanged at 3.4" high. Three yards. Ring height is worth arguing about on an AR-15, where an extra inch of sight height moves a zero by tens of yards; on a .30-06 it is worth choosing for cheek weld and forgetting.
What moves the .30-06's MPBR is velocity and the size of the zone you are honest enough to use. A 9" zone for a big mule deer buys 15 yards over an 8"; a 10" elk zone buys another 14. Going the other way, a 4" zone for a coyote or a head shot cuts the window to 237 yards and the sight-in to 1.9" high, and that is the zero to set if the rifle sees varmints between deer seasons.
| Sight height | Optimal zero | Near edge | MPBR | Sight-in at 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5" — Bolt action, standard scope rings | 263 yd | 0 yd | 308 yd | +3.4" |
| 1.75" — Bolt action, high rings or large objective | 265 yd | 0 yd | 311 yd | +3.4" |
Calculate MPBR for Your Rifle
Prefilled with the load above. Change anything and the full calculator solves your trajectory; pick your own sight height from the list.
Loads Used on This Page
- Federal .30-06 Springfield 165gr Fusion SP Ammo — 165gr, 2790 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.454
- Federal .30-06 Springfield 165gr Swift Scirocco II Ammo — 165gr, 2800 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.45
- Federal 30-06 Power-Shok 150gr JSP Ammo — 150gr, 2910 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.314
- Federal .30-06 Springfield 150gr Fusion SP Ammo — 150gr, 2900 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.41
- Federal .30-06 Springfield 180gr Fusion SP Ammo — 180gr, 2700 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.498
- Federal .30-06 Springfield 180gr Trophy Copper Ammo — 180gr, 2700 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.523
Frequently Asked Questions
How high should I sight in a .30-06 at 100 yards for maximum point blank range?
About 3.4" high for an 8" vital zone with a 165gr load at 2,790 fps and a 1.5" scope; 3.4" for the 150gr and 3.5" for the 180gr Fusion. That corresponds to a zero of 256 to 269 yards depending on the load.
What is the maximum point blank range of a .30-06 for deer?
About 308 yards with a 165gr load and an 8" vital zone: zero at 263 yards and the bullet stays within 4" of the line of sight from the muzzle to 308. For a 150gr load it is 315 yards and for a 180gr 301.
What is the MPBR of a .30-06 for elk?
For a 10" vital zone, zero at 286 yards and hold dead-on to 337 yards with a 165gr load. The bullet peaks 5" high near 158 yards and is sighted about 4.1" high at 100.
Is MPBR a substitute for a rangefinder?
No. It tells you how far a centre hold works on a broadside animal in still air. Past the far edge, and in any wind at 300 yards, you need the range and a hold or dial. Wind alone moves a 165gr bullet about 7" at 300 in a 10 mph crosswind.