Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only .375 H&H vs .404 Jeffery

Dirt: I think the issue of "weird" ammo is a tempest in a teapot. It can and does happen, but when you talk to someone like Craig Boddington, with over 100 African Safaris under his belt, the ONLY time I am aware he had ammo issues was with a 318 WR. Anyway, if this is an issue, of all the calibers listed, the 375 H&H is the only one you can find ammo without too much trouble. At least in Zim.

The missing ammo issue is overblown. In 95% of cases you could just use a camp rifle.

Sure it's available today, but in a year, 5 years, 10 years? Availability is a static situation. Again I've played the esoteric less common chambering game and given the choice between two rounds with essentially the same performance I'll go with the more common chambering.

Above .375 H&H, what's the most available?

DF

.458 Win Mag or .458 Lott,that would be my swag.

I assume that you meant to say that availability is fluid or subject to change--whatever. The .404 Jeffery has been around for 108 years and still has a devoted following. I doubt that it will disappear within the next 10 years, assuming that we are all still allowed to own firearms in 2026. I have used both it and the .375 H&H and I can assure you that they are not "essentially the same."

As Jorge said, the .375 H&H (technically a medium bore) is about the only cartridge mentioned for which ammo can be bought just about anywhere. That said, I ventured into a couple of gun stores in smaller towns in Africa that did not stock .375 H&H ammo--you had to order it. Why, I don't know, but they did have a good stock of .308 and .30-06 ammo as well as ammo for a few other European cartridges, including the .404 Jeffery.

I also know that I was the only one in camp that had brought a .375 H&H, so I was very glad that I had made it there with my own ammo.

If I decide to build another big bore rifle, it will probably be a .450 Howell--a wildcat that duplicates .458 Win ballistics at lower chamber pressures. I will be getting a chance to try one or two of those this weekend.

Blue and I compared loads, his 450 Howell and my 458. I was loading basically 77 grains of H335 and he was loading 77 grains of 3031. I haven't run mine over a chronograph but I can feel it when it goes off. That dangerous game rifle shoot this weekend was a hoot.

Here's an alternative if you decide on a 404. Although I have a custom P-64 M-70 404J on the way, this 404-375 Ruger is a very practical option and it produces modern 404 ballistics - 400 gn bullet at 2400 FPS +.

Easy to find brass, one-step forming and reliable, handy rifles.

Yep.

If I wanted a 404 Jeffery I'd build or buy one, stock up on brass and bullets and not play the what if games over maybe, by some chance, losing ammo on a trip to Africa.

Not Africa, but in NM, I hear the .460 Wby is a popular jackwabbit round. Have it on good authority, seen the evidence...

DF

Heard that also DF.

Probably works as well as a 20 gauge slug. I've done that a time or 3...

You can't go wrong with a 375 H&H. Shooting the new Woodleigh 350g HD soft points, penetration (and expansion) should be nothing short of spectacular. We shoot the factory Remington Safari Grade 300g A-Frames in ours and they are amazing also.

Unless elephant were the primary purpose I can't see doing better than the .375. Good for just about anything and ammo is available in most big game areas. I have heard that the 40+ calibers do have more authority but I doubt it would be a major step up until you get to .425 or 458 cartridges. And this only on Buffalo and larger game.

A .375 can be light enough to use as an all around rifle and is not too much for deer and hogs so it could get used more than a heavier more specialized rifle.

I did see ammo for the Jeffrey in the better shops in London, Windhoek and Johannesburg. But to me this is always a moot point.

On the other hand if I wanted a Jeffrey clone classic rifle it would be for the 404 cartridge.

Tar: You won't be "mailing" any ammunition to Africa.

Good to know.

and I agree:



Keep mind the 458 Lott rifle will accept 458 win mag rounds. ( Obviously Not the other way around) My CZ in Lott will reliably feed 458 win mag. If you have a gun built you might make that a requirement. The POI moves enough to definitely require re-zero.

If you start with a cz 505 magnum action, the 416 rigby is a another option. A big classic round, IMHO, that can still get it done. Or order a cz rigby from the custom shop in St Louis made to your specs. This should handle anything and not beat you up as much.