Help Identifying an old 404 Jeffery? - 09/02/20
Hello!
First post on the forums here.
I inherited a rifle from my father, and I would really appreciate any help from more experienced people in identifying it.
Link to the image gallery I posted here:
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/15189366/404-jeffery
My father purchased this rifle back in the 1950s from the wife of an elderly man who had regularly gone on safari to Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. She said that he had gotten the rifle in Africa and brought it home to the states, but I have no way of knowing if that's true.
The rifle is on what appears to be a Mauser action, with a ribbed octagonal-to-round 27.4" barrel. My father said it was chambered in 404 Jeffery, but the barrel is marked 10.4mmx73. From my understanding, the metric designation for the 404 Jeffery should be 10.75x73 so I'm a little confused.
Next to the chambering are several proof marks I know nothing about, and "10/26" which makes me think the barrel was manufactured in October 1926, but that is just a guess. It has the crown over N nitro proof mark next to Stm.G. On the underside of the barrel it is marked "Made in Germany" (written in English), with a stylized cursive "WK", the rifle's serial number, and "BOHLER-STAHL".
The receiver is drilled and tapped for a scope mount, but that is likely an addition my father made. The receiver has proof marks on the left side (A thing over a P, and a thing over a U), along with the rifle's serial number. After removing the scope base and the action from the stock, it has no other markings at all, and doesn't look like it has writing worn off and then refinished. The underside of the receiver, on the flat behind the front action screw also has the full serial number, and the magazine well (Shiny brass-looking piece) has the last two digits of the serial number, along with the trigger. The magazine follower also has the last two digits of serial number, along with a stylized cursive M on the underside, and is highly jeweled on top.
The trigger guard/magazine box has absolutely no markings of any kind on it.
The bolt is highly jeweled like the magazine follower, and has a B and a crown over a U marked on the top of the bolt handle where it meets the bolt body. The safety lever is marked Buehler and is made to swing only enough to not hit a scope, but that is quite possibly a modification my father made and not original to the rifle.
The stock has "Made in Germany" (in English) impressed into it behind the front action screw. The stock is not in great shape (no pictures attached, but it looks like someone tried to re-cut the checkering with a pocketknife and occasionally went outside the pattern). The stock also seems to have a 4-digit number (not the serial number on the barrel/action) impressed into it under the cheek-piece, along with an illegible mark in a circle. The forend tip and grip cap may or may not be real ebony. They're not solid black, and clearly a different kind of wood than the rest of the stock, but I don't know how to tell if it's ebony or just some other hardwood stained to be dark.
The lack of any manufacturer or military or import marks has me confused. The barrel was clearly made in Germany, but the English writing on the barrel and inside the stock mean it was intended for export. The stripper clip guide makes me think it was an old military action with custom work done, but all the serial numbers on the parts are matching which makes me think it was not cobbled together from parts. The cheek piece of the stock, plus the ebony make it seem like a nicer commercial gun, but the numbers and symbol crudely stamped into the wood, plus the terribly redone checkering make it seem like a rifle that had been in someone's inventory, like a military rifle that has seen some use.
Any insight somebody might have on the provenance of this rifle would be very much appreciated, as I have absolutely no clue!
First post on the forums here.
I inherited a rifle from my father, and I would really appreciate any help from more experienced people in identifying it.
Link to the image gallery I posted here:
https:/
My father purchased this rifle back in the 1950s from the wife of an elderly man who had regularly gone on safari to Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. She said that he had gotten the rifle in Africa and brought it home to the states, but I have no way of knowing if that's true.
The rifle is on what appears to be a Mauser action, with a ribbed octagonal-to-round 27.4" barrel. My father said it was chambered in 404 Jeffery, but the barrel is marked 10.4mmx73. From my understanding, the metric designation for the 404 Jeffery should be 10.75x73 so I'm a little confused.
Next to the chambering are several proof marks I know nothing about, and "10/26" which makes me think the barrel was manufactured in October 1926, but that is just a guess. It has the crown over N nitro proof mark next to Stm.G. On the underside of the barrel it is marked "Made in Germany" (written in English), with a stylized cursive "WK", the rifle's serial number, and "BOHLER-STAHL".
The receiver is drilled and tapped for a scope mount, but that is likely an addition my father made. The receiver has proof marks on the left side (A thing over a P, and a thing over a U), along with the rifle's serial number. After removing the scope base and the action from the stock, it has no other markings at all, and doesn't look like it has writing worn off and then refinished. The underside of the receiver, on the flat behind the front action screw also has the full serial number, and the magazine well (Shiny brass-looking piece) has the last two digits of the serial number, along with the trigger. The magazine follower also has the last two digits of serial number, along with a stylized cursive M on the underside, and is highly jeweled on top.
The trigger guard/magazine box has absolutely no markings of any kind on it.
The bolt is highly jeweled like the magazine follower, and has a B and a crown over a U marked on the top of the bolt handle where it meets the bolt body. The safety lever is marked Buehler and is made to swing only enough to not hit a scope, but that is quite possibly a modification my father made and not original to the rifle.
The stock has "Made in Germany" (in English) impressed into it behind the front action screw. The stock is not in great shape (no pictures attached, but it looks like someone tried to re-cut the checkering with a pocketknife and occasionally went outside the pattern). The stock also seems to have a 4-digit number (not the serial number on the barrel/action) impressed into it under the cheek-piece, along with an illegible mark in a circle. The forend tip and grip cap may or may not be real ebony. They're not solid black, and clearly a different kind of wood than the rest of the stock, but I don't know how to tell if it's ebony or just some other hardwood stained to be dark.
The lack of any manufacturer or military or import marks has me confused. The barrel was clearly made in Germany, but the English writing on the barrel and inside the stock mean it was intended for export. The stripper clip guide makes me think it was an old military action with custom work done, but all the serial numbers on the parts are matching which makes me think it was not cobbled together from parts. The cheek piece of the stock, plus the ebony make it seem like a nicer commercial gun, but the numbers and symbol crudely stamped into the wood, plus the terribly redone checkering make it seem like a rifle that had been in someone's inventory, like a military rifle that has seen some use.
Any insight somebody might have on the provenance of this rifle would be very much appreciated, as I have absolutely no clue!