Bullet Trajectory, Gravity, and Angle Shots: Understanding Ravines, Hills, and Real-World Shooting

Many shooters and hunters assume that bullets travel in straight lines and that terrain—like deep ravines or steep hills—somehow changes how gravity works. In reality, gravity is constant, and misunderstanding this is a common reason for missed shots in hilly terrain. This article explains how a bullet travels, how gravity affects it, and what really happens when shooting across ravines or on uphill/downhill (angle) shots.

How a Bullet Travels After Firing

When a firearm is discharged, the bullet is driven forward by expanding gases, gaining muzzle velocity. The moment it exits the barrel, the bullet becomes a free-flying projectile and is influenced by:

1. Initial velocity – forward speed from the shot

2. Gravity – pulls the bullet downward immediately

3. Air resistance (drag) – slows the bullet over distance

4. Spin stabilization – rifling keeps the bullet stable in flight

Once in the air, the firearm no longer controls the bullet.

Effect of Gravity on a Bullet

Gravity begins acting on the bullet the instant it leaves the muzzle, pulling it downward at 9.81 m/s².

Important point:

A bullet fired horizontally and a bullet dropped from the same height will hit the ground at the same time (ignoring air resistance).

Faster bullets don’t fall less—they simply reach the target faster, giving gravity less time to act. This creates the familiar curved trajectory, not a straight line.

This is why rifles are zeroed with the barrel angled slightly upward relative to the sights.

Shooting Across a Ravine

When firing across a ravine or valley at a target at the same elevation:

• Gravity affects the bullet exactly the same as on flat ground

• The depth of the ravine does not matter

• Bullet drop depends only on horizontal distance and time of flight

Critical rule:

Gravity depends on time, not on what lies beneath the bullet.

If a rifle drops 20 cm at 200 m on flat ground, it will drop the same 20 cm across a ravine at the same distance.

What Is an Angle Shot?

An angle shot is any shot taken uphill or downhill, where the target is at a different elevation than the shooter.

Types:

• Uphill shot: Target above the shooter

• Downhill shot: Target below the shooter

Ballistically, both behave the same.

Why Angle Shots Hit High

In angle shots:

• Gravity still pulls straight down

• Only the horizontal distance affects bullet drop

• The bullet reaches the target faster

• Less time in air = less drop

Result: Angle shots will strike higher than expected if you aim as though the shot were flat.

Numerical Example

• Line-of-sight distance: 150 m

• Downhill angle: 30°

• Horizontal distance: ~130 m

The bullet drops like a 130 m shot, not 150 m. If you compensate for the full 150 m, the shot goes high.

This effect is even more noticeable with slower cartridges such as the .315 rifle or 12-bore slugs.

Rangefinders and Angle Compensation

Modern rangefinders use angle compensation (ARC / EHR):

• Measure line-of-sight distance

• Measure angle

• Display true horizontal distance

Always use the corrected distance, not the raw distance.

No-Math Field Rule (Old-School Method)

When no rangefinder is available:

Shot Angle	Practical Correction
Mild slope	Aim normally
20–30°	Treat the target as ~10% closer
30–45°	Treat the target as 15–20% closer

A popular visual rule:

If you can clearly see both the animal’s back and belly, it’s an angle shot—aim slightly lower.

Wind in Ravines (Often Overlooked)

In hilly terrain:

• Evening/night: cold air flows downhill

• Morning: air often moves uphill

• Narrow valleys can create unpredictable crosswinds

At medium ranges, wind drift can matter more than gravity error.

Terrain Reality in Indian Hill Hunting

• Most ethical shots are under 100 m

• Angle misjudgment causes more misses than a gravity misunderstanding

• Bullets can deflect easily from twigs—never shoot through brush

A bullet begins falling the instant it leaves the muzzle; gravity acts on time and horizontal distance, not terrain—so ravines beneath the shot change nothing, while uphill and downhill shots strike higher unless corrected.

Myth vs Fact: Hill Hunting Ballistics

• MYTH: Bullets drop more when fired across deep ravines in the hills.

  FACT: Ravines don’t matter. Bullet drop depends on time in air and horizontal distance, not the depth of the valley below.

  
  

• MYTH: You must aim higher when shooting downhill in the hills.

  FACT: Downhill and uphill shots usually hit high. That’s why experienced hill hunters say, “shoot a little lower.”

  
  

• MYTH: Uphill shots behave differently from downhill shots.

  FACT: Both behave the same. Only the angle matters, not whether the target is above or below.

  
  

• MYTH: Most misses in hill forests are due to wind.

  FACT: In NE terrain, most misses are from angle misjudgment, not wind—especially under 100 m.

  
  

• MYTH: Brush and twigs don’t affect a fast bullet.

  FACT: In dense forests, even small twigs can deflect bullets—never shoot through cover.

12-Bore Shotgun Ballistics

Most shotguns are regulated to shoot where you look, not where you aim.

• Typical factory setup:

  • 50–60% of pellets above the bead

  • 40–50% below

• If your eye sits too low on the stock, the entire pattern shifts downward.

Unlike rifles, shotguns rely on natural pointing, not precise sight alignment.

• Rib Height & Sight Picture (Major Factor)

This is the biggest reason shotguns hit high or low.

• High rib / raised bead → gun shoots higher

• Flat rib / low bead → gun shoots lower

Field guns are often set to hit:

• 50/50 (half pattern above, half below bead)

• Some shoot 60/40 high for a moving game

• If your sight picture is wrong, you will hit high or low every time, regardless of barrel length.

Buckshot Reality

• Buckshot spreads, but gravity still pulls every pellet

• The effective range is short, especially in hills

• Buckshot is not suitable for long or angled shots.

A 12-bore projectile drops faster than rifle bullets due to low velocity; angle shots still hit high, ravines don’t matter, and most low hits come from gravity combined with distance misjudgment.

In a 12-bore, high or low impact is influenced more by rib height, barrel regulation, and gun fit than barrel length, while gravity and range still control drop.

Why Many 12-Bores Hit Low

Common reasons include:

• Slow projectile speed

• Target beyond zero distance

• Flat rib and low bead design

• Excess stock drop (poor gun fit)

• Misjudged distance

• Recoil anticipation (flinch)

  
  

 "Shotguns don’t shoot where you aim — they shoot where you look"