Maximum Effective Range
The farthest distance at which a given rifle, load, and shooter can still produce reliable hits, the practical ceiling of the whole system.
Maximum effective range is the point beyond which the combination of rifle, cartridge, and shooter can no longer deliver consistent hits on a target of a given size. It extends the idea of effective range to a hard ceiling, set not by where a bullet can physically reach but by where its accuracy, energy, and your ability to read conditions all hold up together. A small target tightens that ceiling, while a larger one pushes it out.
Several limits tend to arrive together near this range. As the bullet sheds speed, falling retained velocity drags it toward the transonic region where flight can become unstable, and the dial-up required can exhaust the scope elevation ceiling before the bullet runs out of stability. Identifying which limit you hit first is the heart of pushing a caliber responsibly to its honest maximum.