.404 Jeffery

[NWOOD88]

I recently purchased a CZ 550 in .404 Jeffery and I have brass from some Hornady factory loads I fired off that I'm wanting to reload. Just wondering if anybody has a favorite load for the .404 that they would like to share?

 

[bassasdaindia]

our powder is different here in South Africa , but the Hornady brass seems to work well and I use both woodleighs and swift A frames , both at around 2250 fps .

 

[sestoppelman]

I have the same rifle and it really likes the Barnes Triple Shock 400gr ahead of 72grs of IMR4064 for about 2200fps. Accurate load. It shoots other loads well too but that is my favorite. My rifle doesn't feed the big flat topped banded solid all the time, though it shoots well enough. That big meplat will occasionally jam on the way in.

 

[peras]

Ask DOC404,

 

[NWOOD88]

Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[DOC-404]

Welcome to the campfire of the chosen few. You won't find a much better hand-load than what Scott gave you, so take from there...

 

[Pheroze]

so why the preference for the 400gr? I understood the original loading included a 300gr. I saw Woodleigh (I think) has a 350. I was thinking the new bullet construction would allow for a faster bullet with all those inherent advantages. Just wondering because it is purely academic for me at this point.

 

[sestoppelman]

The original 300 gr loading was a loser back then, it didn't penetrate or hold together well. A good bullet like a Woodleigh would be fine of course. When you go down in weight with the same diameter, you lose sectional density, which is what gives us our penetration. Shorter fat bullets equals less penetration generally. 400 grs is the classic weight for the mid 40 cals.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

The 300g was specifically intended for longer shots at plains game with the intention of flattening trajectory. It was intended to increase versatility and make the rifle more easily used on animals that didn't really need so much gun. The 404 was a working man's gun and may well have been used by someone who didn't own a battery of rifles. If it were used as intended, it would have been fine, and the 375 may well not have emerged as the "all-round" rifle. Unfortunately, people being the same then as now, some used it instead of the 400g bullets where the latter were the appropriate choice, so 400g became the only choice for a long time. The 375's approach of one load that is perhaps a bit heavy for the lighter animals and a bit light for the heavier animals but good enough for all is just a more practical approach to the "all-round rifle" than is tailoring the loads to the animal.

A 300g load today would still likely have utility if one could ensure (and one cannot) that it would be used appropriately. I'd bet a 300g TSX would penetrate as well as the old 400g softs and have a flatter trajectory ( although I'd rather just get closer than shoot at ranges where the velocity was a significant help)

I've got some 300g Hornady XTP .429 handgun bullets and a reducing die, the idea being to launch them at about 1800FPS as a cheap practice and short-range deer load. The hollow point is so wide there is no plausible way I'd ever confuse them with the full power/ full weight loads. Just seems a shame to have a nice rifle and only have a practical use for it a few weeks every few years.

 

[Pheroze]

thanks. I was curious because it seems like a great round if you hand load.

 

[Ray B]

I just got the cases, have some bullets being shipped and the rifle is on order from CZ USA. Load data is quite scarce- where's Ken Waters when you need him? :<)

 

[Ray B]

I dug out my old cardboard Powley computer, measured to water capacity of the Norma cases and ran through the calculations for a 450 grain bullet. per the calc the results are: 87 grains of IMR 4350, 2200 fps with 40,000 psi. Looks like a good starting point.

 

[stug]

Sounds about right. I am using Adi 2209 which is the same as H4350. 84gr with a 400 Woodleigh gives 2300fps, give or take.

 

[sestoppelman]

I just got the cases, have some bullets being shipped and the rifle is on order from CZ USA. Load data is quite scarce- where's Ken Waters when you need him? :<)

Check out a recent Hornady manual. There is actually a fair amount of data around. Its basically a rimless .450-400 and performance is nearly identical.

 

[Pheroze]

I just got the cases, have some bullets being shipped and the rifle is on order from CZ USA. Load data is quite scarce- where's Ken Waters when you need him? :<)

Check out www.loaddata.com as it seems to have a number of different loads. Good luck!

 

[8x68]

Here are some loads that shoot well in my 404J:

400gr Woodleigh Weldcore RNSN

77.8gr's IMR 4350, Fed 215M Primer, Hornady cases. 3 shot 0.50" group 100yds. Avg vel 2038fps
82.2gr's IMR 4350, Fed 215M Primer, Hornady cases. 3 shot 1.40" group 100yds. Avg vel 2208fps

80.0 gr's, H4350, Fed 215M Primers, Hornady cases. 3 shot 0.90" group 100yds. Avg vel 2111fps
82.5 gr's, H4350, Fed 215M Primers, Hornady cases. 3 shot 1.80" group 100yds. Avg vel 2300fps

Hornady 400gr DGX

73.9 gr's, H414, Fed 215M Primers, Hornady cases. 3 shot 1.25" group 100yds. Avg vel 2205fps

75.3 gr's, AA4350, Fed 215M Primers, Hornady cases. 3 shot 1.00" group 100yds. Avg vel 2005fps
76.3 gr's, A4350, Fed 215M Primers, Hornady cases. 3 shot 1.25" group 100yds. Avg vel 2034fps

77.8gr's IMR 4350, Fed 215M Primer, Hornady cases. 3 shot 1.10" group 100yds. Avg vel 2127fps
80.7 gr's, IMR 4350, Fed 215M Primer, Hornady cases. 3 shot 1.50" group 100yds. Avg vel 2183fps

There was not much difference between Woodleigh and Hornady bullet performance.
Chronograph was about 15ft from the muzzle. Tried it closer but it did react well to the muzzle blast.
I'm finding that the faster the 400gr bullets shoot the greater the group spread. I haven't got around to shooting heavier bullets yet but I'm guessing the opposite may occur.
Hope this helps.

 

[Rob404]

I also have a CZ550 in 404Jeff with a 24" barrel I found my best groups using
400gr Swifts, I think other 400 with get about the same results
with 84gr of Win760 getting 2363fps

 

[thi9elsp]

Thanks for starting the thread and the responses. I got a good deal on DGXs from Cabelas a few years back and am shooting them through the 404, then planning to have the brass reloaded by someone with better bullets. This information will really be helpful when I get to that point.

 

[CAustin]

You guys that reload amaze me. You really seem to know your stuff! I'm going to learn how to reload if it's the last thing I do!

 

[8x68]

You guys that reload amaze me. You really seem to know your stuff! I'm going to learn how to reload if it's the last thing I do!

It is both satisfying, frustrating, and if you screw up it could be the last thing you do. In most instances it is also cheaper per round especially when getting into larger calibres.