Maximum Point Blank Range for 5.56 on an AR-15
On an AR-15 with the optic 2.6" over the bore, the maximum point blank range zero for a 55gr 5.56 load at 3,240 fps and an 8" vital zone is 293 yards. Sighted 2.7" high at 100, the bullet peaks 4" high at 173 yards and holds inside the zone from the muzzle to 338 yards. For the 4" zone that matters on coyotes and prairie dogs the zero is 236 yards, the window runs from 11 to 270 yards, and the rifle is sighted 1.5" high at 100. The 62gr M855 gives up 13 yards on the 8" zone and the 75gr match load 31, because both start slower.
The AR's tall sight line is why these windows are longer than a bolt gun's: the same 55gr load with a 1.5" scope holds inside 8" to 327 yards from a 281-yard zero, 11 yards less.
Figures on this page: Federal American Eagle 5.56 55gr FMJ-BT (XM193), 55gr G1 .269 at 3,240 fps, AR-15 / AR-10, standard-height optic, 2.6" over bore, standard conditions. Source: Federal published velocity from a 20" test barrel and G1 ballistic coefficient, verified 2026-09-13.
MPBR by Vital Zone Size
Federal American Eagle 5.56 55gr FMJ-BT (XM193), 55gr G1 .269 at 3,240 fps, 2.6" over bore (ar-15 / ar-10, standard-height optic).
| Vital zone | Optimal zero | Near edge | MPBR | Max ordinate | Sight in at 100 (in / MOA) | CSV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4" (coyote, varmint, paper) | 236 yd | 11 yd | 270 yd | +2.0" at 148 yd | +1.5" / +1.4 | Download |
| 8" (whitetail, pronghorn, defensive torso) | 293 yd | 0 yd | 338 yd | +4.0" at 173 yd | +2.7" / +2.6 | Download |
| 9" (mule deer, black bear) | 304 yd | 0 yd | 352 yd | +4.5" at 179 yd | +3.0" / +2.9 | Download |
| 10" (elk, moose) | 315 yd | 0 yd | 364 yd | +5.0" at 184 yd | +3.3" / +3.1 | 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? The 25/300 Zero Explained: Where It Comes From and Why It Shoots High 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: 293-Yard Zero
Zeroed at 293 yards, the bullet is +2.7" at 100, peaks +4.0" at 173 yards, and has fallen half the vital zone, -4.0", at 338 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 | -2.6" | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3,240 | 1,282 | 0.0 |
| 25 | -0.9" | -3.47 | -1.01 | 3,145 | 1,208 | 0.1 |
| 50 | +0.5" | +1.02 | +0.30 | 3,053 | 1,138 | 0.3 |
| 75 | +1.8" | +2.23 | +0.65 | 2,962 | 1,072 | 0.6 |
| 100 | +2.7" | +2.60 | +0.76 | 2,874 | 1,009 | 1.0 |
| 125 | +3.4" | +2.63 | +0.76 | 2,787 | 949 | 1.6 |
| 150 | +3.9" | +2.46 | +0.72 | 2,702 | 892 | 2.4 |
| 175 | +4.0" | +2.18 | +0.63 | 2,619 | 838 | 3.3 |
| 200 | +3.8" | +1.82 | +0.53 | 2,537 | 786 | 4.3 |
| 225 | +3.3" | +1.40 | +0.41 | 2,456 | 737 | 5.5 |
| 250 | +2.4" | +0.92 | +0.27 | 2,377 | 690 | 6.9 |
| 275 | +1.2" | +0.40 | +0.12 | 2,300 | 646 | 8.5 |
| 300 | -0.5" | -0.17 | -0.05 | 2,224 | 604 | 10.3 |
| 325 | -2.6" | -0.78 | -0.23 | 2,149 | 564 | 12.2 |
| 350 | -5.2" | -1.43 | -0.42 | 2,075 | 526 | 14.4 |
| 375 | -8.3" | -2.12 | -0.62 | 2,004 | 490 | 16.8 |
| 400 | -12.0" | -2.85 | -0.83 | 1,933 | 457 | 19.4 |
| 425 | -16.2" | -3.63 | -1.06 | 1,865 | 425 | 22.3 |
| 450 | -21.0" | -4.46 | -1.30 | 1,797 | 395 | 25.4 |
| 475 | -26.5" | -5.33 | -1.55 | 1,732 | 366 | 28.9 |
| 500 | -32.8" | -6.25 | -1.82 | 1,669 | 340 | 32.5 |
55gr G1 .269 at 3,240 fps, 2.6" 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 from a 20" test barrel and G1 ballistic coefficient, verified 2026-09-13.
MPBR by Bullet Weight
8" vital zone, 2.6" over bore.
| Load | Optimal zero | MPBR | Max ordinate at | Velocity at MPBR | Energy at MPBR | CSV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal American Eagle 5.56 55gr FMJ-BT (XM193) 55gr G1 .269 at 3,240 fps |
293 yd | 338 yd | 173 yd | 2,149 fps | 564 ft-lb | Download |
| Armscor 5.56 62gr M855 FMJ 62gr G1 .304 at 3,020 fps |
280 yd | 325 yd | 165 yd | 2,085 fps | 599 ft-lb | Download |
| Hornady Frontier 5.56 75gr BTHP Match 75gr G1 .355 at 2,910 fps |
277 yd | 321 yd | 162 yd | 2,172 fps | 786 ft-lb | Download |
Velocity and energy are read at the last table row inside the window. Sources: Federal American Eagle 5.56 55gr FMJ-BT (XM193): Federal published velocity from a 20" test barrel and G1 ballistic coefficient (verified 2026-09-13); Armscor 5.56 62gr M855 FMJ: Manufacturer's advertised velocity; G1 BC as published for the M855 projectile (verified 2026-09-13); Hornady Frontier 5.56 75gr BTHP Match: Hornady published velocity and G1 ballistic coefficient (verified 2026-09-13).
What MPBR Means in the Field
Maximum point blank range gives you one hold for the whole useful range of the rifle. The solver finds the zero at which the bullet peaks exactly half a vital zone above the line of sight, and the window ends where the bullet has fallen half a zone below. For a 55gr 5.56 on an AR that is a 4" peak at 173 yards and a far edge of 338 yards for an 8" zone; for a 4" zone it is a 2" peak and 270 yards.
Two things about the 5.56 make MPBR less generous than the numbers look. The bullet is light, so at the far edge of the 8" window it is drifting about 10" in a 10 mph crosswind at 300 yards, more than the whole margin. And the 55gr FMJ is doing about 2,150 fps at 325 yards with 560 ft-lb of energy, enough for a coyote and not much of a case for a deer, whatever the window says. On this cartridge the 4" zone is the honest one for most of what it shoots.
The near edge is the other 5.56 peculiarity. With the optic 2.6" over the bore the bullet starts 2.6" low, outside a 4" zone, and does not enter it until 11 yards; a coyote at 5 yards is shot 2" low. The 8" zone contains the bore line from the muzzle, so it has no near edge.
How Sight Height Affects Your MPBR
This page is solved at the 2.6" optic height of a flat-top AR-15 because that is where 5.56 lives. The table below shows the same 55gr load on a 1.5" bolt-gun scope: the 8" MPBR zero moves from 293 yards to 281, the far edge from 338 to 327, and the sight-in at 100 from 2.7" high to 3.2" high. Eleven yards of reach and half an inch of sight-in come from the extra inch of sight height, because the taller line lets the bullet climb through more of its arc before the peak.
The 4" zone is where the sight height shows most. On the AR the window is 11 to 270 yards with a 236-yard zero; on the bolt gun the window starts at the muzzle and ends at 256 with a 221-yard zero. A varmint AR gets 14 more yards at the far end and gives up the first 11 at the near end. Neither figure transfers to the other rifle, so solve it for yours.
| Sight height | Optimal zero | Near edge | MPBR | Sight-in at 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.6" — AR-15 / AR-10, standard-height optic | 293 yd | 0 yd | 338 yd | +2.7" |
| 1.5" — Bolt action, standard scope rings | 281 yd | 0 yd | 327 yd | +3.2" |
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
- ATS 5.56x45mm NATO 55gr M193 FMJ Ammo — 55gr, 3150 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.243
- GGG 5.56x45mm NATO 55gr M193 FMJ Ammo — 55gr, 3330 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.243
- Armscor 5.56x45mm 62gr M855 FMJ Ammo — 62gr, 3020 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.304
- Hornady Black 5.56x45mm NATO 62gr FMJ Ammo — 62gr, 3060 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.274
- Frontier Cartridge 5.56x45 NATO 75gr BTHP Match Ammo — 75gr, 2910 fps advertised, G1 BC 0.355
Frequently Asked Questions
How high should a 5.56 be at 100 yards for maximum point blank range?
About 2.7" high for an 8" vital zone with a 55gr load at 3,240 fps and a 2.6" AR optic, which is a 293-yard zero. For a 4" zone sight in 1.5" high for a 236-yard zero.
What is the maximum point blank range of 5.56?
About 338 yards for an 8" zone and 270 yards for a 4" zone with a 55gr load on a 2.6" optic. A 62gr M855 reaches 325 on the 8" zone and a 75gr match load 307.
Is the 50/200 zero the same as MPBR?
No. The 50-yard zero peaks 2.2" high and holds inside an 8" zone to 302 yards. The MPBR zero for the same zone is 293 yards, peaks 4" and holds to 338. The 50-yard zero is a lower-arc compromise; MPBR is the maximum.
Why does a 4" zone start at 11 yards on an AR?
Because the optic sits 2.6" over the bore, the bullet leaves 2.6" below the line of sight, outside a zone that only extends 2" below it. It climbs into the zone at about 11 yards. An 8" zone contains the muzzle, so its window starts at zero.