404 Jeffery builders

[Capt_Oscar]

I had Dallas Lane (Lane Precision Rifles - has a website) build mine. He let me specify every detail I wanted and made some outstanding recommendations that really enhanced the final rifle. I have a controlled round feed, silky smooth action with a premier trigger, match grade barrel, mercury recoil reducer in a custom length of pull stock, full cerakote. (My full custom build came in at ~$4500) rifle shoots clover leaf patterns with 400gr Woodleighs under a stout charge of Reloder 15.

 

[Puddle]

One idea I'm considering is having a .416 Ruger "bushveld" built to be handloaded to classic 404 Jeffery MVs. Mostly because I can imagine more easily acquiring a life time quantity of brass.

 

[Jack Stevens]

Wayne @ AHR built my .404J years ago off a CZ 550 action which was tuned and blueprinted. Everything else was a custom add-on - barrel, sights, stock, etc.

 

[sgt_zim]

One thing for certain...when you find brass for it, buy a lot. I just picked up a LH MRC 404J about a month ago. I have 40 brass, but I'd like another 100 or so. I have an annealer, and preliminary reloading has me with a decent group at about 2250.

I checked with Norma today. They are totally out of the 404J business. All I can find out there is Hornady, and nobody has any.

 

[rifletuner]

Bertram? https://bertrambrass.com/shop-1/ols/products/404-jeffrey

 

[sgt_zim]

Bertram? https://bertrambrass.com/shop-1/ols/products/404-jeffrey

Looks like that's it. Apparently, Hornady is no longer in the 404J brass business, either.

Good gravy. It's almost as expensive as 50 BMG brass.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Looks like that's it. Apparently, Hornady is no longer in the 404J brass business, either.

Good gravy. It's almost as expensive as 50 BMG brass.

RWS perhaps??

 

[baxterb]

The 404 is nothing to sneeze at, especially when using a standard Mauser action. Lots of internet gunsmiths think they can shoehorn one together, but to get it to function, and I mean function, takes a keen understanding of the Mauser system and how to reallly make it work.

 

[Andrew Short]

Wayne @ AHR built my .404J years ago off a CZ 550 action which was tuned and blueprinted. Everything else was a custom add-on - barrel, sights, stock, etc.

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We have very similar taste. This is basically what I’m building but with quarter rib.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

I own 3 .404j
#1 original Jefferies M-98 action
#2 original Rigby converted Mauser SSB
#3 Converted CZ

I prefer the original Jefferies

 

[geoff rath]

I had Dallas Lane (Lane Precision Rifles - has a website) build mine. He let me specify every detail I wanted and made some outstanding recommendations that really enhanced the final rifle. I have a controlled round feed, silky smooth action with a premier trigger, match grade barrel, mercury recoil reducer in a custom length of pull stock, full cerakote. (My full custom build came in at ~$4500) rifle shoots clover leaf patterns with 400gr Woodleighs under a stout charge of Reloder 15.

the Way to go !!!

 

[sgt_zim]

RWS perhaps??

Doesn't look like they make anything bigger than10.3x60. I ordered the Bertram anyway. Not any other choices, and a box of 100 should last me a long time anyway.

 

[Jack Stevens]

One thing for certain...when you find brass for it, buy a lot. I just picked up a LH MRC 404J about a month ago. I have 40 brass, but I'd like another 100 or so. I have an annealer, and preliminary reloading has me with a decent group at about 2250.

I’m loading mine to about 2050fps with good accuracy.

I checked with Norma today. They are totally out of the 404J business. All I can find out there is Hornady, and nobody has any.

I have some Norma 404J brass but more Hornady. Some small amount of old Bell brass.

Except for a rare seasonal run of brass by Hornady, the best time to have gotten into the 404J game, as far as ammo and reloading components, was back around 2010. Available and affordable.

Possibly you might find some on tables at a large state-wide gun show or at a SCI event where vendors who specialize in the African big game accouterments are known to hold hold court, but good luck on that.

 

[Jack Stevens]

We have very similar taste. This is basically what I’m building but with quarter rib.

That’s the only thing mine lacks, a true quarter rib as the classic Jeffrey rifles of old had.

Although with the right rifle ‘smith who has experience building African big-game rifles (e,g., Lon Paul), it wouldn’t be a terribly difficult mod to replace the current abbreviated rib for the classic elongated with the one standing sight and three folding “leaves.”

 

[Jack Stevens]

I own 3 .404j
#1 original Jefferies M-98 action
#2 original Rigby converted Mauser SSB
#3 Converted CZ

I prefer the original Jefferies

If you could, please post up some pics of each so we can get a comparative view.

 

[sgt_zim]

I’m loading mine to about 2050fps with good accuracy.

I have some Norma 404J brass but more Hornady. Some small amount of old Bell brass.

Except for a rare seasonal run of brass by Hornady, the best time to have gotten into the 404J game, as far as ammo and reloading components, was back around 2010. Available and affordable.

Possibly you might find some on tables at a large state-wide gun show or at a SCI event where vendors who specialize in the African big game accouterments are known to hold hold court, but good luck on that.

View attachment 515943

I just bought 100 from Bertram. Beggars can't be choosers and all that.

Right now, there is a decent selection of bullets available, though no Swift, there is Hornady DGX, Hawk, North Fork, Hammer, and Barnes.

I don't really consider Hammer to be much of a choice - all they make is a 307 gr, which they brag could be pushed to about 2800 fps. Field reports on Hammer bullets are a mixed bag, too.

I've seen more than a few good reports on Hawk, but those aren't bonded. Most of the reports I've seen are positive about weight retention, so I guess that's a possibility. I'd really like some SAF, though. Apparently, Hawk is a clone of the original Barnes.

 

[Jack Stevens]

I just bought 100 from Bertram. Beggars can't be choosers and all that.

Right now, there is a decent selection of bullets available, though no Swift, there is Hornady DGX, Hawk, North Fork, Hammer, and Barnes.

I don't really consider Hammer to be much of a choice - all they make is a 307 gr, which they brag could be pushed to about 2800 fps. Field reports on Hammer bullets are a mixed bag, too.

I've seen more than a few good reports on Hawk, but those aren't bonded. Most of the reports I've seen are positive about weight retention, so I guess that's a possibility. I'd really like some SAF, though.

I haven’t checked my “bullet stash” of late but I have a variety including Hornady’s bullets and some Hawks and Swifts.

For me the .404 shines when it launches the .423” projectiles at or near its original velocities. Per the ancient texts, that’s in the 2000-2050fps (low end) or 2100-2150fps (max) range. Anything faster, such as Hornady‘s factory 400grn ammo (@ 2350fps), is unnecessary and of no additional benefit to the cartridge’s stopping/killing power at original velocities.

In its heyday the .404 Jeff imparted the least felt-recoil of the .400-cal class of cartridges and was primarily for that reason the overwhelming choice of African game departments staffed with skinny, underfed, native employees who were assigned game-control tasks involving dangerous African game of all types. They had to be able to hit what they aimed at without the anticipatory flinches. And back then typical .404J working rifles were no different in size and weight than a slender .375H&H rifle, and in that package the felt-recoil was on par with (and no worse than) a stiff 300grn .375 load.

Today apparently the .404’s original specs are considered “reduced” loads, and I’ve found 5744 to be excellent for duplicating them without the need to use fluffy “filler” material.

 

[Andrew Short]

That’s the only thing mine lacks, a true quarter rib as the classic Jeffrey rifles of old had.

Although with the right rifle ‘smith who has experience building African big-game rifles (e,g., Lon Paul), it wouldn’t be a terribly difficult mod to replace the current abbreviated rib for the classic elongated with the one standing sight and three folding “leaves.”

I agree But your rifle is perfect the way that it is. Absolutely beautiful!

 

[sgt_zim]

I haven’t checked my “bullet stash” of late but I have a variety including Hornady’s bullets and some Hawks and Swifts.

For me the .404 shines when it launches the .423” projectiles at or near its original velocities. Per the ancient texts, that’s in the 2000-2050fps (low end) or 2100-2150fps (max) range. Anything faster, such as Hornady‘s factory 400grn ammo (@ 2350fps), is unnecessary and of no additional benefit to the cartridge’s stopping/killing power at original velocities.

In its heyday the .404 Jeff imparted the least felt-recoil of the .400-cal class of cartridges and was primarily for that reason the overwhelming choice of African game departments staffed with skinny, underfed, native employees who were assigned game-control tasks involving dangerous African game of all types. They had to be able to hit what they aimed at without the anticipatory flinches. And back then typical .404J working rifles were no different in size and weight than a slender .375H&H rifle, and in that package the felt-recoil was on par with (and no worse than) a stiff 300grn .375 load.

Today apparently the .404’s original specs are considered “reduced” loads, and I’ve found 5744 to be excellent for duplicating them without the need to use fluffy “filler” material.

That's one of the reasons I opted for 404J over the 416s. I'm certainly not allergic to recoil, but if it'll do the job with a 400 gr bullet at 2100, give or take a bit, I don't see a reason to lean into it. But that's just me.

I do the same kind of loading for my 9.3x62 and my 45-70. Improving MV by 100-200 fps doesn't kill animals any deader at the distances at which I'm willing to engage the target anyway.

 

[Beck]

Sauer and Sons