I built mine on a standard action military 98 Mauser for about $2500. Beautiful gun and very accurate. Components are becoming more available. Barnes, Hammer and Cutting Edge bullets are not hard to find. Finding anything but 400 gr can be a chore. Hornady has recently done a big run of loaded ammo but still no brass. If I was starting out I'd buy a couple boxes, pound out the bullets and reload. They put way too much gas in their factory 404 ammo. It's not a cheap gun to shoot but neither are any of the thumper guns. How easy is it to find components for 416 RSM? Not sure I've ever seen any on the shelf.
Hornady 404 brass is good stuff. I've had problems with RWS brass. Too short and rim thickness is inconsistent.
@375 Ruger Fan
To your point it is a fallacy to think you can’t easily get 404 ammo. Then reuse to reload. Not a problem at all
The .404 Jeffery has better sectional density than the .416's - I am having a .404 built at the moment out of a cz-550. Granted I love the .416's as well.Why the 404 Jeff? Well it is a very cool cartridge that comes with only good things said about it by even the earliest users. It far outstripped the actual use when compared to the 416 Rigby that actually shadowed it due to media and books.
It is more effective than the 375 H&H on DG and is probably the all time best cartridge for use on DG, especially buffalo.
Not as versatile or flexible as the King of the medium bores but undoubtedly more effective on DG. With modern bullets and reloading components it can easily be loaded to higher velocities.
If you plan on hunting some of the bigger species and DG it is probably a better "all-rounder" than the King.
Don't forget that the 404 Jeffery took the Chadwick ram, the world record stone sheep taken in British Columbia in 1936 by Dr. Chadwick.
It has very manageable recoil when compared to the 416 Rigby. The case design with the long neck and sloping shoulders makes for easy and smooth feeding.
The case design is also more efficient than the Rigby.
The same rifle in 404 Jeff will hold 1 more cartridge in the mag when compared to the 416 Rigby.
Any books you read will tell you that no matter who used it nobody has anything but praise for its effectiveness on all manner of African game.
The 404 Jeff and its double rifle brother the 450/400 NE are classic African calibers, capable of taking all animals on earth with mild recoil but devastatingly effective on the front end.
Any big game hunter would want a 404 Jeffery in a bolt or 450/400 NE in a double. They both are just such classic and well used and proven calibers for Africa.
Between the 404 Jeff or any of the 416 calibers available, I would choose the 404 Jeff, hands down.
404 Jeffery
Well, you might want to check and be sure he's still alive.
Well you are right I need to check in.Well, you might want to check and be sure he's still alive.
That's happened before .... a guy ships his rifle or pistol to a 'smith for some custom work and there's a long wait due to the complexity of the project or a backlog from early work.
Then one day, suddenly, the 'smith croaks.
Customers can't their guns back for years because they're tied up while the deceased 'smith's estate proceeds through probate court. The wait could be longer if there's infighting among his family members.
With standard bullets 400gr .423 for the 404 Jeff and 410gr .416 for the 416 this is unfortuanately not the case....
Well, you might want to check and be sure he's still alive.
That's happened before .... a guy ships his rifle or pistol to a 'smith for some custom work and there's a long wait due to the complexity of the project or a backlog from early work.
Then one day, suddenly, the 'smith croaks.
Customers can't their guns back for years because they're tied up while the deceased 'smith's estate proceeds through probate court. The wait could be longer if there's infighting among his family members.
If that proves to be the case, the first thing that should have been done was to call all customers with unfinished work and ask if they would like to continue with the new guy. Hopefully there is no issue here and they get this worked out easily, but I’ve heard a lot of issues lately with aging gunsmiths and people getting guns back. I will certainly be asking a few more questions before sending anything out these days to make sure that not only the timeframe is acceptable but also that no health issues are present or possible near future retirements plans are being contemplated. Obviously there will always be the unforeseen, but everything else can and should be taken out of the equation.
Well, easing into retirement and handing over the existing backlog of work to a younger custom ‘smith is one thing. In that circumstance it shouldn’t be any hassle to get your rifle or pistol return-shipped if you’re not comfortable going forward with the new ‘smith.
As I said there is always the unforeseen, however, if you are sending $5K+ rifles to someone, I don't think asking for honest information is out of the question. If someone gets offended by me asking how their health has been because they are getting older to ensure I'm not sending something to someone who may not ever get it finished, then that is a good indication to send it elsewhere.
Apparently you missed the part where I was being a tad facetious.
Even Vlad got it.
