We are not shooting laser weapons: EFT ballistics explained

Having trouble hitting your shots? Why do bullets sometimes unexpectedly land above or below your intended target? In this deep dive into EFT ballistics, we’ll explore what happens when you fire a bullet and just how realistic its behavior is.

Recently, I came across an interesting post on Reddit by user newSillssa, which confirmed some ballistics principles I already knew while also teaching me a few new things. While I don’t claim to have become an expert, I’ll try to explain what I’ve learned in a simple way.

No, We're Not Shooting Laser Guns

The first thing to understand is that in a game simulating realistic ballistics like EFT, bullets don’t travel in a straight line like laser beams. Instead, they’re subject to gravity (or at least a simulation of it), and as soon as they leave the barrel, gravity starts pulling them downward, causing them to follow a curved trajectory.

The more “powerful” a bullet is (which depends on the explosion of the gunpowder and the force it generates), the more kinetic energy it carries, and more muzzle velocity. This means its trajectory will be flatter and longer, allowing it to reach farther distances. With less "power" and kinetic energy, gravity pulls the bullet down sooner, resulting in a shorter range.

Check out this demonstration of a projectile trajectory in a video by the great EFT sniping expert and streamer SgtPrepperTV.

The Barrel and Sights Are Not Parallel

Parallel lines never meet, so if your gun’s barrel and sights were parallel, you would never hit your target accurately. When you also consider that bullets don’t travel in straight lines, things get even trickier.

In reality, the barrel and sights are angled so that the bullet’s trajectory and your line of sight through the sights intersect. The point where they meet is called the "zero".

With precision scopes, this zero is adjustable. You can tweak the scope’s angle relative to the barrel so that the point of intersection gets closer or farther away from you. For example, if you need to hit a target at 50 meters, you’d set the zero to 50 meters. If the target is at 100 meters, you’d adjust the zero to 100, and so on.

There Are Two Zeros: the Near Zero and the Far Zero

If bullets traveled in a straight line, the point where the bullet and your line of sight intersect would be singular. However, since bullets follow an arc, there are actually two intersection points.

As seen in the diagram, the bullet exits the barrel, which is slightly angled upward, and begins its arc.

Depending on how the sight is set, the bullet will first cross the line of sight at a certain distance, known as the near zero (B).

If there are no obstacles, the bullet continues its upward trajectory, pushed by the kinetic energy from the gunpowder explosion. However, this energy gradually dissipates due to gravity and air resistance.

As the bullet moves, its kinetic energy decreases, and after reaching its peak, it begins to fall, crossing the line of sight again. This second intersection point is called the far zero (C).

Adjusting Aim

Since it’s impossible to adjust the zero for every possible distance, and typically there are set adjustments for 50, 100, 150, 200 meters, and beyond (depending on the sight), if your target is at a distance in between these settings or beyond the maximum setting, you’ll need to adjust your aim by aiming higher or lower.

Additionally, you may need to make quick adjustments if you don't have time to change the zero, such as when an enemy appears suddenly, and you need to take them out before they shoot or escape your view.

In these cases, it's of crucial importance to know whether you're using the near zero or the far zero to aim at your target, as this will determine whether the bullet is on the ascending or descending part of its trajectory when it hits.

Why?

Looking at the diagram again, you’ll notice that in the case of the near zero, the bullet is below the line of sight before it reaches zero and above after passing it. This means if your target is closer than the near zero, you’ll need to aim higher to hit it. If it’s farther away, you’ll need to aim lower.

If you’re using the far zero, the situation is reversed. The bullet is above the line of sight before it reaches zero and below after it passes. So, if your target is closer than the far zero, you’ll need to aim lower, and if it's farther, aim higher.

This is precisely what happens in the video newSillssa posted on Reddit.

NewSillssa was confused because their first shot, aimed above the enemy’s head, missed, while the second shot, aimed lower, hit the head. They had their zero set to 50 meters, but the target was 160 meters away.

The confusion arose because newSillssa expected to hit their shot by aiming higher, given the target was farther than their set zero, but they didn't account for the bullet’s arcing trajectory.

In fact, by setting the zero to 50 meters, the far zero was beyond 160 meters and thus well past the target. Being already in the downward part of its trajectory, by aiming above the target (the enemy’s head) the bullet flew over it. Aiming lower, at the torso level, the bullet struck the enemy’s head.

Their calculation would have been correct if the target was closer and they were using the near zero, so that the projectile was still in its upward part of its trajectory. But since the target was far away, and already in the downward part of its trajectory they should have used the opposite calculation, for the reasons I explained earlier.

Know Your Weapon

By now, it should be clear how important it is to know your weapon and the trajectory of its bullets. This trajectory is affected by both the weapon and the type of ammunition used.

By understanding these factors, you’ll know at which distance the bullet will reach the peak of its arc and begin descending. This allows you to calculate where to aim depending on whether your target is closer or farther than this peak.

For example, when using an M4A1 with M855 ammo, we know that the bullet’s trajectory peaks around 50-60 meters, which helps us adjust our aim for targets either closer or farther away.

EFT vs Real Life

As for realism, any real-life marksman will tell you that EFT’s ballistics simulation is simplified and lacks some real-world factors, such as wind affecting a bullet’s trajectory. However, it’s fair to say that the elements present are faithful to reality.

All Clear?

To be honest, when I first saw newSillssa’s video, read the post, and went through the explanations in the comments, I was confused. But after re-reading and studying the diagram I’ve shared here, everything made sense.

I hope I’ve explained these concepts clearly, helping you improve your aim and achieve more success in EFT. If not, feel free to ask questions in the comments. I’ll be happy to clarify.

You can also check out the original Reddit post or the web page linked in the post, from which I’ve taken some of the ideas and diagrams used here.