Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only .404 Jeffery Barrel Contour ?

Thanks, Dave.

It's definitely a well balanced, fast handling gun.

DF

Got this email reply from Australia on loads for the .404J with 450 gr. bullets. Very helpful and from the main dude, himself...

Now, that's customer service...

450 gr. bullet in the 2,150 fps range is getting into serious firepower...


Hi Robert,
We currently have excellent working loads for H4350 only;
450 gr sn, CCI 250 or federal 215 primer;
76 gr. 2010 fps
78 gr 2050 fps
80 gr 2110 fps
82 gr 2160 fps.
Even the top load showed moderate pressure only, barrel length 24�. For 450 gr fmj, suggest you start at78 gr and work up.

Regards,
Geoff McDonald
Woodleigh Bullets
PO Box 15, MURRABIT, VIC, 3579, AUSTRALIA
Ph. 61 3 5457 2226
Fax 61 3 5457 2339
Email zedfieldiinet.net.au
www.woodleighbullets.com.au

Hell Yeah DF, that will work in spades, I like several of my loads at 2150 fps velocity.

For example.

500 Nitro 2168 fps with 570 gr bullets
458 WM 2150 fps with 500 gr bullets
303 British 2160 fps with 215 gr bullets

Even the vaunted 450 Nitro and 470 Nitro push their 500 gr bullets at that speed...........it just works.

Good luck on your hunt.

Gunner

The .500 NE Merkel I shot was pushing 570 gr. bullets at 2,150 fps. I was expecting punishing recoil but was pleasantly surprised. Big push, no pushishment.

I was able to recover quickly and put the second bullet within 2" of the first at 25 yds. I believe I could do some damage with that gun...

The .404J doesn't even get to 5,000 ft. pounds, even with the 450 gr. slugs. But the 470 NE doesn't quite get there either, at least from the data I've seen.

DF

Phil,

I have to agree with some of the other members, your rifles tend to be the most interesting to me and definitely could win a "character" contest easily!

Thank you for those measurements. I am working on a 404 Jeff build and that information will be useful. I reviewed the thread on the Nitro Express forums where you had a little more information about the rifle and that was also helpful.

One question that I still have about the rifle is the relationship of the stock's barrel channel to the barrel. Is the barrel free floated or bedded in some manner?

Thank you for the information and insight.

Scott

Scott, the rifle and barrel are fully bedded - as you would expect on an English gun from the early 1900's.
I shot the rifle and found the sights were dead on and I carried the rifle for a few days at the beginning of our bear season this fall. but it ended up raining nearly every day of the season so I cleaned it and put it up and carried one of the new Ruger African versions in 416 Ruger. The two rifles are quite similar in weight, balance and performance.

Phil:

Again, thank you for the information.

I haven't been around any old English rifles in person, just an internet voyeur.

Scott