Time of Flight Calculator

Vacuum time of flight assumes the bullet travels at a constant muzzle velocity the entire distance with zero air resistance, which never happens in reality. Actual time of flight accounts for the bullet decelerating due to drag, so it is always longer than the vacuum figure -- the difference between the two is reported separately as lag time, which grows with range and shrinks with a higher ballistic coefficient.

A higher ballistic coefficient means the bullet sheds velocity more slowly to drag, so its velocity at range stays closer to the muzzle velocity and its average velocity over the flight is higher. Because time of flight is range divided by average velocity, a higher ballistic coefficient at the same muzzle velocity and range produces a shorter (faster) flight time.

Gravity drop is how far the bullet falls below the bore line over the course of its flight if aimed perfectly level, calculated from time of flight using standard gravitational acceleration. It does not include any upward angle a shooter dials into their scope to compensate -- it's the raw physical drop that a scope's elevation adjustment is designed to counteract, not the bullet's actual point of impact relative to a compensated aim point.

Yes -- across this calculator's full range input, both figures increase as range increases. Time of flight rises because the bullet has farther to travel and is also decelerating along the way, and gravity drop rises even faster because it scales with the square of time of flight, so drop grows disproportionately at longer ranges.