The 404 Jeffery plains game hunting rifle?

[Gert Odendaal]

Good day to all members
I really would like you, the 404 Jeffery owners to share your experiences, with photos and loads used while hunting plains game with your 404 Jeffery....I really think this will become an interesting thread regarding the 404 Jeffery as a plains game/small frame game animal hunting rifle ...

 

[CAustin]

Don't have one myself but I know we have at least one member who has hunted elephant with his!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Good day to all members
I really would like you, the 404 Jeffery owners to share your experiences, with photos and loads used while hunting plains game with your 404 Jeffery....I really think this will become an interesting thread regarding the 404 Jeffery as a plains game/small frame game animal hunting rifle ...

Not an exact answer to your question, but close. I have used the 258gr flat base Safari Raptor in .458 caliber from Cutting Edge Bullets in my .458B&M as a PG bullet. I can get over 2800fps with those and they are simply devastating on large PG. The BC on them is horrible, so once you get beyond 200-250 yards the bullets start to drop fast. But if you're shooting that far, I'd say you need to be shooting a medium bore anyway.

So if you build your own, CEB makes the same bullet in .423 and 257gr and I'd bet it would do just as well.

https://cuttingedgebullets.com/shop/cutting-edge-bullets/rifle-bullets?caliber=64

EDIT: Forgot to mention Gert that you can get the CEB's somewhere in Jo'burg. An email to CEB I'm sure could tell you exactly where.

 

[stug]

Unfortunately there are not many lower weight .404/.423 projectiles out there. The .404 was desgned with a 350Gr (?) projectile for hunting game in the Himalayas in mind.
I do have some cast 350gr projectiles loaded up, but only have a few left and haven't taken my .404 out after game yet. I need to get a few animals in the freezer with other rifles before I take the .404 out.

 

[Von Gruff]

That rifle has taken a number of goats @stug with 365gn cast bullets when we got onto a mob and between a friend who was using my 7x57 and the 404 we got 21 animals from a mob in the hills above Cromwell a few years back. The cast bullet over 87gr H4350 (2209) gave 2365fps but even at a reduced load it killed very well.

 

[stug]

Those casts are/were good fun to shoot! Only 6 of the reduced ones left and about 14 of the higher velocity ones. The woodleighs are a bit expensive for plinking on the range! I need to get organised to take it deer stalking and shoot a nice stag with it.

 

[Shawn.54]

GS Custom makes a 320gr HV that runs at 2700fps out of 24" barrel that would probably be great for plains game. This is the bullet that I plan to use for deer/bear when I get my 404 finished.
I'm waiting impatiently for my barrel to be completed. It's not looking good for me to complete the rifle in time to hunt with it this year. But I will give it a shot the last thing I want to do is rush and make a mistake.
I have heard of die to resize 44mag .429 to .423 for plinking I'll put that on my ever growing list of things I need to buy so I can be properly equipped for the 404 Jeffery.
Shawn

 

[fourfive8]

My experience is that a big caliber, usually associated with DG hunting, can work very well for plains game with the caveat that one must be able to handle the recoil. If you can barely shoot your DG gun to minute-of-elephant at close range then forget the testosterone moment and use a caliber you can handle for plains game. I don't have a 404. My closest is a 416 Rem Mag. And I have used it for plains game and it worked very well using DG bullets and full power ammo. Holding steady on the vitals of an impala with the big gun is no different than doing so with an easy recoiling rifle. The nice thing about a big gun is, if you can shoot straight with the DG ammo, the meat, cape/hide damage is usually minimal IF using the tougher DG bullet. Additionally, for eland, a DG rifle and ammo really can't be called over-kill anyway, IMO. A caution for those wanting to take some semi-squib loads for use on small plains game with the big gun... consider the possibility of mixing up ammo and using the squib/pea shooter ammo on DG!! Stuff happens

 

[MSTJEAN]

Good day to all members
I really would like you, the 404 Jeffery owners to share your experiences, with photos and loads used while hunting plains game with your 404 Jeffery....I really think this will become an interesting thread regarding the 404 Jeffery as a plains game/small frame game animal hunting rifle ...

Gert

I have used my AHR CZ550 on impala,Kob and Roan. 400 grain TSX from Superior Ammunition.

 

[TTundra]

Not a 404, but I'm planning on taking my 416 Rigby for PG next May and working up some 350 TTSX loads.

 

[fourfive8]

Used 416 Rem Mag on waterbuck, eland, impala and buffalo. Same North Fork 370 CPS load at 2345 fps used for all and worked exceptionally well. Perfect "riveted" nose profile bullet recovered from buffalo and eland- of course no bullets recovered from waterbuck or impala This bullet and load has proven to be very accurate in my M70, so made perfect sense to use it for both DG and PG. No tinkering with different loads/bullets for different game or re-sighting in during the hunt, etc. Just concentrate on steady hold and shot placement.

 

[DWB]

Used mine successfully with normal 400gr @ 2250fps on:
Impala x 1, Buffalo x 2, Waterbuck x 1, Warthog x plenty, Blue Wildebeest x 2, Zebra x 2, Eland x 1, Giraffe x 1

 

[cpr0312]

Warthog x plenty

I like this description

 

[Gert Odendaal]

The reason naturally why I post this thread is to get your guys to agree, that looking at all these inputs/evidence from you, the owners of the 404 Jeffery regarding their 404 Jeffery rifles as a plains game rifle , I now can make a conclusion:
The 404 Jeffery rifle is the perfect All Rounder hunting rifle...
Hunting from a duiker to an elephant, the all rounder rifle....

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Members, yes, the post above is a "a tongue in the cheek " remark, but I think it rings true in every aspect. Maybe the most important aspect regarding this thread is : A few years back , it was not even considered that the big bore caliber rifles like the 404 Jeffery , stood a chance to gain popularity again. The reason being it is considered as a dangerous game rifle only....it seems technology caused the recerection of these old stalwarts I will use /are using my 404 Jeffery extensively as a plains game rifle as does a lot of members on this forum, and it should be so , we need to get these old classic calibre rifles out of the safe and honour them by using them for what they were intended to be used for ...to walk with them through vast expanses of wilderness , on game farms and hunt with them...
What bullet /muzzle velocity will be the most applicable to use in a 404 Jeffery to hunt small antilope ?
I used Steward Core bonded bullets , 350 gn at 2100 f/s on Impala , it seems there are still meat damage ...not the type where you used a high velocity shot at close quarters though..
I would like to hear form any member ..

 

[ChrisG]

I don't personally own a .404, (although I wish I did.) I do have a .416 and I would absolutely say that, even though it is a bit heavy, a 400 grain Woodleigh Weldcore (the RN not the Protected Point) out of that gun at 2200-2300fps will work great on plains game and also on anything up to buff. If you wanted a purely plains game bullet, Woodleigh makes a 347 grain Weldcore RN that you could probably get 2500fps out of easily. Thats a solid 250 yard rifle even with the 400 grain bullet. Theorectically, the 347 grain is only dropping 11" at 250 yards and the 400 would only be about 15" at the same distance. Thats pretty flat shooting for a round that will hit harder at 250 yards than a 7x57 does at the muzzle. And lets face it... you don't need 2,000ft.lbs to kill an animal. Airgunners have been proving that for some time now. I think that any loads you have in your .404 will do everything you need them to. Heck, if all you had were 400 grain solids, I wouldn't hesitate to use those! people underestimate the effect that a 1 oz. .40+" bullet traveling at Mach 2 has if it penetrates something vital. A kudu/impala/gemsbok/wildebeest/insert-your-favorite-plains-game-animal-here, will not run far if punched through with a solid from a large-medium bore! If you can get close enough to get them with your black powder rifle, (which I know you can because I pour over and over your 1880's hunt segments, KEEP THEM COMING!) then you have nothing to worry about! Best of luck Gert!

I would also add, That even with a slow (1000fps) 375 grain minie bullet from my muzzleloader, I get meat damage on some smaller animals... It's just something I've learned to accept from killing animals with blunt shaped projectiles hole-punching their way through animals. I've even seen bloodshot meat from bow and arrow kills sometimes.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Chris G thank you kindly for the reply, yes , I totally agree with you . I really think there are still much to learn about my 404 Jeffery and the different bullets for different size animals when hunting with my 404 Jeffery..since this caliber was only known for hunting dangerous game and was great in that department. The best of it all is that there are a lot of different plains game species I will try the 404 Jeffery on...

Chris G , if you and other black powder enthusiast/hunters want to do such a 1883 Era black powder hunt feel free to contact me. One of our current members is an outfitter and a PH to assist in such a hunt since according laws in our country a hunter abroad need to be working through an Outfitter /PH that is properly registered.

 

[ChrisG]

Chris G thank you kindly for the reply, yes , I totally agree with you . I really think there are still much to learn about my 404 Jeffery and the different bullets for different size animals when hunting with my 404 Jeffery..since this caliber was only known for hunting dangerous game and was great in that department. The best of it all is that there are a lot of different plains game species I will try the 404 Jeffery on...

Chris G , if you and other black powder enthusiast/hunters want to do such a 1883 Era black powder hunt feel free to contact me. One of our current members is an outfitter and a PH to assist in such a hunt since according laws in our country a hunter abroad need to be working through an Outfitter /PH that is properly registered.

Hi Gert, Just a quick question,

Are residents of south africa allowed to hunt Dangerous game without having to contract with an outfitter? I ask because it seems like you would be in constant contact with lion, leopard, buff and elephant. Maybe that is a post for another thread but I have always been curious.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Chris, no , whenever a hunter abroad come to hunt in our country you need to be contracted by an outfitter /assisted by a qualified PH. This is what I understand. I think we need to ask Pawprints Hunting outfitter, Pieter..he and other South African outfitters will have all the answers in this regards. The black powder hunts is bush veld game we hunt like kudu, impala and warthog. It seems there are going to be blue wildebeest be added to the list. There are only one specie of dangerous game on the farm we hunt on , the leopard, but it is not to be hunted at all...you may listen to them in the evenings and early mornings to appreciate their calls...To be constant around dangerous game here is South Africa you need to be in the Kruger National park or on large game farms who have all the dangerous game animals on.

 

[DWB]

Hi Gert, Just a quick question,

Are residents of south africa allowed to hunt Dangerous game without having to contract with an outfitter? I ask because it seems like you would be in constant contact with lion, leopard, buff and elephant. Maybe that is a post for another thread but I have always been curious.

As a RSA Resident you need not be guided by a PH.

Even though it is perfectly legal, it is somewhat more advisable to have someone experienced with you.

I was fortunate enough to hunt 2 buffaloes without anyone but a tracker. But needed some backup with the follow up