.45-70 Government Drop Chart

A big, slow, heavy-hitting bullet with a rainbow arc — devastating up close, short-ranged by design.

Updated July 2026

Load

Barrel

Zero

Units

300 gr JSP · 1,850 fps · G1 BC 0.289 · 24″ barrel · 100-yard zero · 2″ optic height · sea level.

Range	Drop (in)	Hold (MOA)	Hold (MIL)	Velocity
50 yd	+0.5	—	—	1,725 fps
100 yd	0	—	—	1,606 fps
150 yd	−3.8	2.4	0.7	1,495 fps
200 yd	−11.6	5.5	1.6	1,393 fps
250 yd	−23.8	9.1	2.6	1,300 fps
300 yd	−41.2	13.1	3.8	1,217 fps

Stays supersonic to roughly 300 yards — past that the bullet goes transonic and groups usually open up.

Estimate — confirm at the range. These figures are computed for the selected load, barrel, and zero at sea level — the barrel setting shifts muzzle velocity by a typical per-inch rate from published cut-down tests, so it’s an estimate too. Your real drop also depends on your exact ammo and lot, altitude, temperature, and conditions. Use this to get in the ballpark and to pick the right optic — then verify your actual holdovers on paper or steel before you trust them.

What this means for your optic

By the time you're holding several MOA or MIL of holdover, a plain dot stops being enough. That's where a reticle with marked holds (a BDC or MIL/MOA grid), an exposed turret you can dial, and a first-focal-plane scope earn their keep. Pick a rifle below to see the optics that fit it — and how they mount.

What this means for your optic

.45-70 Government rifles in our catalog