Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel parallel to the sight, the bullet, like any object in flight, is pulled downwards by gravity, so for distant targets, the shooter must point the firearm above the target to compensate. But if the target is close enough, bullet drop will be negligible so the shooter can aim the gun straight at the target. If the sights are set so that the barrel has a small upward tilt, the bullet starts by rising and later drops. This results in a weapon that hits too low for very close targets, too high for intermediate targets, too low for very far targets, and point blank at two distances in between. For a .270 Winchester, as an example, the bullet first crosses the line of sight at about 23 metres (25 yards) as it is rising and has a maximum impact above the line of sight of approximately 75 mm (3 inches) and crosses the line of sight again at about 250 metres (275 yards). This is for a 130 grain hunting bullet. Therefore point blank range for a deer size target is about 275 metres (300-310 yards). Point-blank range will vary by a weapon's external ballistics characteristics and the allowable error at the target; the flatter the bullet's trajectory or the larger the target, the longer the point-blank range will be.

In popular usage, point-blank range has come to mean extremely close range with a firearm, yet not close enough to be a contact shot.