The .404 Jeffery Cartridge

[Vikram]

A good read about the classic big bore calibre.Enjoy reading.

http://www.allaboutguns.net/404_Jeffery.html

.404 Jeffery

Designed by the great British gunmaking firm of W.J. Jeffery and released to the gun buying public in 1905 (1909 according to some sources), the .404 Jeffery, also known as the .404 Rimless Nitro Express and the 10.75 x 73mm, has long been popular for use in Africa and India for all types of game. Its main use has been as a dangerous game cartridge and since Jeffery decided to release the cartridge to the trade, it has been chambered by a wide variety of gunmakers. Prior to 1912, W.J. Jeffery built .404 Rimless Nitro Express rifles on ex-military, standard length, 98 Mauser actions that had the action and magazine box modified to fit. This was the result of John Rigby & Co. having the exclusive distributorship from 1898 to 1912 for the U.K. market of Mauser rifles and components that were manufactured by the Mauser firm. Once Rigby’s exclusive distributorship ended, Jeffery began using 98 Magnum Mauser actions to produce .404 Rimless NE rifles. Vickers also made up a number of guns on 98 Mauser actions that were used by the Elephant Control Department of Tanganyika. Cogswell & Harrison built .404 Rimless NE rifles along with Waffenfabrik Mauser and a host of others.



The cartridge, as originally loaded, fired either a 400 grain bullet at 2,125 fps with a muzzle energy of 4,020 ft/lbs or a 300 grain bullet at 2,300 fps with a muzzle energy of 4,700 ft/lbs. The lighter bullet was intended to be used on thin-skinned game at long range and although the idea may have been a good one, the results of its use in the field usually left much to be desired. John “Pondoro” Taylor remarked in his book African Rifles and Cartridges that the 300 grain bullet was not a reliable killer of dangerous game and advised hunters to use it only on thin-skinned, non-dangerous game. His main complaint was the copper-pointed bullets loaded by Jeffery being too delicate for use in Africa. Granted, Jeffery designed the 300 grain copper-pointed bullet for long-range shooting in India, perhaps for hunters inclined to head for the Himalayas. Taylor did admit that he didn’t use the .404 Jeffery much since he preferred to use double rifles but other hunters did report problems with uneven bullet performance, even with the 400 grain solids. A close reading of the literature hints at poor bullet construction as the chief culprit, which can be remedied today by using some of the excellent bullets from Woodleigh or A-Square. However, other users stated that it performed its intended function quite well. Add to that the fact that the cartridge essentially duplicated the ballistics of the .450/.400 3” Nitro Express (one of Pondoro’s favorite cartridges) in a bolt action rifle that was significantly cheaper than the double rifles usually associated with African hunting and its success was assured.

Although one would assume that the .404 Jeffery fires a bullet that measures .404”, it actually uses a .423” diameter bullet. Kynoch was once one of the biggest manufacturers of .404 Jeffery ammo and for many years, wherever the British flag flew, it was almost certain that a hunter could find ammo for a rifle chambered in this caliber. All that changed with the end of the British Empire and the decision made by Kynoch in the 1960’s to stop producing ammunition. Although RWS continued making ammunition, this singular event marked the long, slow decline of the .404 Jeffery into virtual oblivion. The introduction of the .458 Winchester Magnum at about the same time only hastened its disappearance from the game fields of Africa and India. The .458 Win. Mag. rifles built by Winchester were made up on standard length actions and cost a fraction of any comparable rifle with similar performance. A bit ironic considering the fact that .404 Jeffery rifles were popular because they were the low cost alternative of their day. A change in fortune arrived in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when a sudden resurgence of interest in African hunting created a demand for dangerous game rifles. Many of the old rifles made by British and Continental gunmakers were avidly sought after by hunters along with the ammunition for them. Combined with a soaring stock market and the newfound wealth it created, the conditions were ripe for a return of the .404 Jeffery and its brethren. Bertram brass made in Australia soon became available in the U.S. along with Woodleigh bullets.

A word of caution is in order for anyone interested in firing a rifle chambered for the .404 Jeffery. As stated in the A-Square reloading manual Any Shot You Want, the original drawings for the cartridge specify a groove diameter of .418”, a bullet diameter of .422” and a chamber that has an “abrupt, funnel shaped throat.” The later German drawings call for a groove diameter of .423”. Unless you are absolutely certain that the rifle you are using has a groove diameter of .423”, do not fire any .404 Jeffery ammunition in it until the bore and chamber have been measured. Modern rifles are quite strong but it is the older guns that are likely to have a barrel with a .418” groove diameter and they are not nearly as strong as the stuff produced today. It is suggested in Any Shot You Want that owners of older rifles with .418” barrels should hang them on the wall and admire them, which is sound advice indeed.

Beyond that, the .404 Jeffery is a fine choice for anyone hunting thick-skinned game in Africa or the big brown bears of Alaska and Kamchatka. The rimless case feeds smoothly in bolt action rifles and the recoil is not as heavy as the more powerful .416 Rigby, .458 Lott and .505 Gibbs making .404 Jeffery rifles easier to shoot accurately. The guns are often much lighter than the big double rifles employed in Africa with ammunition that is significantly cheaper. The last time I checked with Midway USA (December 2008), .404 Jeffery ammo costs about $4.00 to $10.00 per round compared to $6.00 to $20.00 per round for a .470 Nitro Express. Handloading cartridges will lower the cost of ammunition even further although die sets may have to be special ordered. I was lucky enough to find a set of .404 Jeffery dies made by Redding Reloading Equipment that was stocked by Graf’s about a year ago and have found them to be excellent. The fit and finish of Redding products puts them (in my humble opinion) a cut above their competitors and I have never been disappointed with their performance.

Interestingly enough, another reason for the resurgence of interest in the ,404 Jeffery has been the use of the parent case for some of the newer cartridges made available to shooters and hunters by the likes of Dakota Arms and Remington. Dakota has an entire family of cartridges such as the .300 Dakota and .330 Dakota that are based on the .404 Jeffery while Remington has its line of Ultramag cartridges. Both companies load their cartridges to pressure levels that modern guns are capable of withstanding which produces ballistics that are superior to many of their magnum competitors. Theoretically, since the .404 Jeffery and its offspring headspace on the shoulder and have no belt like the .300 Weatherby Magnum, it makes for a more accurate cartridge. To be honest, I’ve owned and fired rifles chambered for many of the belted magnum cartridges and found them all to be very accurate if they are fed good ammunition, either factory fodder or handloads. I have a Remington 700 chambered in 7mm Weatherby Magnum that shoots well and my friend Dan Poff had a Sako carbine with a full-length, Mannlicher-style stock chambered in .375 H&H Magnum that shot very small groups. Just goes to show that theory doesn’t always translate to actual practice.

My current .404 Jeffery rifle is a Cogswell & Harrison built on an Enfield action. I don’t know much about the history of the rifle but when I bought it many years ago, it looked as though it had led a very hard life. The front sight bead was missing and the express sights were so loose I was afraid they would fall out. The stock had a crack in it just behind the rear tang and most of the finish was gone. I asked Mr. Pete Mazur of Pete Mazur Restorations to restore it for me and after 6 years and several thousand dollars, the result was a rifle that looked almost new. I’ve had a couple of rifles restored by him and it always amazes me how he can take something that looks like an absolute basket case and turn it into a firearm that is not only elegant but functional to the point of giving a shooter absolute confidence in his weapon. If you’re interested in having any sort of restoration work done to a fine rifle or shotgun, give him a call at 530-268-2412.

Happily, there is quite a selection of components and ammunition for the owner of a .404 Jeffery rifle to try out. Barnes and Woodleigh make excellent bullets of .423” diameter and brass is currently offered by Norma. Bertram brass can also be found on occasion and Hornady is planning to offer it soon. Woodleigh solids are constructed much like the original steel-jacketed bullets used in .416 Rigby ammunition sold in the early part of the 20th century. The steel jackets are thicker in the nose section and have bases that are crimped into the rear portion of the core, resulting in a bullet that is unlikely to deform under any circumstances. Ammunition is available from A-Square, Hornady, Kynoch and Norma. Norma’s ammunition is loaded quite a bit hotter than the original specs call for and is almost as powerful as the .416 Rigby. My take on that is if you want the performance of a .416 Rigby or .458 Lott, go out and buy one. The .404 Jeffery has recoil that is fairly mild compared to either one and that is one of the reasons why it was so popular. Loading the cartridge to higher pressures than the original loading calls for negates the design philosophy of most of the old British cartridges used in Africa and India since they were generally used in temperatures that would more often than not be over 100 degrees F, increasing the possibility of sticky extraction. Granted, they were designed that way because Cordite was used to load the cartridges and it was very temperature sensitive, showing dramatic increases in chamber pressure in hot conditions. Today’s smokeless powders are not nearly as sensitive but I still prefer to use the original loadings, as provided by the factory or with handloads. Obviously, if you only own one rifle and it happens to be a .404 Jeffery, by all means use the Norma ammo if it is safe to fire in your gun.

So there you have it. A grand old cartridge brought back from near extinction that has found a new lease on life. If you asked me 20 years ago if there was a future for the cartridge and its brethren, I would have laughed. Just goes to show how much and how fast the world can change. Let’s hope the .404 Jeffery lasts for at least another hundred years and shooters and hunters never give up on it like they once did. -- W.M. Oberndorf

[MoA]

What is the obsession of the forum with cartridges that are obsolete or have no practical appications any longer.
And do not get me started on the .30-06. Was a great cartridge..

[shooter]

416 rigby for me.
you 30-06 was a great cartridge. operative word is 'was'

[timmy]

Thanks, Vikram, for this interesting report. I found the author's explanations interesting as regarding the gun trade and the relative merits of various cartridges.

I'm not a bit surprised in the resurgence of interest in old cartridges. Many years ago, when I was a schoolboy, I recall visiting the National Park Service administered site at Fort Laramie, Wyoming. What was very interesting to a young, impressionable mind was one of the rangers demonstrating the operation and firing of an old .45-70 "Trapdoor" Springfield. I had never seen anything quite like this before. I recall a discussion beetween the ranger and several gentlemen in the group attending the talk, where it was mentioned that Trapdoor Springfields had, up until a recent time (that is, before ~1967), were still present in National Guard armories. It was mentioned that some of these weapons were taken out and discarded as junk, which enraged some of the group, who pointed out that a better deer rifle never existed (in their opinion).

Well, it is probably true that back in the 60s, .45-70s were not in vogue with shooters and hunters. Even in the 80s, when the popularity of .45-70 was increasing, my friend who owned a rifle shop was still considered odd: He had a Gemmer Sharps (Gemmer took over the Hawken works of Hawken rifle fame, and after the Civil War in the USA, would refinish many of the cavalry percussion-paper cartridge Sharps carbines to fire .45-70 cartridges. Many of these, like the one my friend owned, retained the paper tape Lawrence priming system on the lock plate -- this is exactly what toy guns for decades used in cap guns for children!) and one year, drew a buffalo tag for the special hunt that occurs when the bison population of Yellowstone National Park becomes too great. He made up his own ammunition using his own cast bullets (the soft barrels of these old weapons will quickly wash out from modern copper jacketed bullets -- soft lead bullets are what's used!) and black powder loads, and went out to relive "The Old West" by taking a buffalo, which he did.

Many others (including myself) enjoy blackpowder shooting, as well.

While I find arguments about the "best cartridge", which often tout trivial or even non-existant advantages and attributes to someone's wonder cartridge, I do very much enjoy the richness of our gun heritage, which can be enjoyed by using "old time" cartridges and equipment.

I don't doubt, for instance, that there are many rifles on the market that are superior to my .270 Ruger #1 for harvesting game, benchrest shooting, or even varminting, however, I don't see any point in my investing money in one of the new products for these purposes. I could cite a number of reasons, but it would be sufficient to say that I have what I have because I like it, surely more than enough reason for any gun owner to do anything. And, for that matter, the same rationale powers the markets for cars, motorcycles, ski equipment, cameras, and a plethora of other consumer goods, as well.

On another gunboard years back, I often found a lot of pleasure in reading the posts of a Native American Inuit fellow somewhere on the Bering Sea Coast of Alaska. When he talked hunting, his stories were as authentic as our own Prashant Singh's, and his armory consisted of a number of military surplus rifles that would have been pretty modern in WW2 terms. His economic situation made these arms his weapons of choice, and as his actual subsistence depended on the performance of these rifles, whether they were actually "obsolete" or just passe' was really more of a "benchracing" sort of discussion to this fellow.

Anyway, forgive me for digressing -- thanks again for sharing, Vikram! While I will never take that African trip that some are fortunate enough to experience, I like many, still like to read about related things and enjoy contemplating them.

[TwoRivers]

Only one thing, velocity of the 300 grain load was 2600 fps, not 2300. The energy figure given , 4,700 ftlb. is also incorrect. 2300 fps gives 3,524 ftlb., 2600 gives 4,503.

[sa_ali]

Thanks for sharing it Vikram.

Interesting and informative reading. I hope that same interest is developed in the mauser .423, so that the bullet is more readily available.

[Vikram]

What is the obsession of the forum with cartridges that are obsolete or have no practical appications any longer.
And do not get me started on the .30-06. Was a great cartridge..

Nothing,MoA. It's just knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Learning about a classic cartridge. Improves one's knowledge horizons and appreciation for important aspect of cartridge development history.Nothing more than that in most cases.

Best-
Vikram

[shooter50]

Informative piece no doubt.

"A word of caution is in order for anyone interested in firing a rifle chambered for the .404 Jeffery. As stated in the A-Square reloading manual Any Shot You Want, the original drawings for the cartridge specify a groove diameter of .418”, a bullet diameter of .422” and a chamber that has an “abrupt, funnel shaped throat.” The later German drawings call for a groove diameter of .423”. Unless you are absolutely certain that the rifle you are using has a groove diameter of .423”, do not fire any .404 Jeffery ammunition in it until the bore and chamber have been measured. Modern rifles are quite strong but it is the older guns that are likely to have a barrel with a .418” groove diameter and they are not nearly as strong as the stuff produced today. It is suggested in Any Shot You Want that owners of older rifles with .418” barrels should hang them on the wall and admire them, which is sound advice indeed."

Would disagree with this.
Having owned and fired many old 404s with modern ammo, even with hot RWS loads i would call this nothing but hogwash. When I put this question to Axel Eichendorff of the German Gun Collectors Association this is what he had to say- "Personally, I would use modern .404 ammo in your rifle without hesitating, provided your Schueler rifle is in decent mechanical condition. First, modern ammo is not loaded to higher pressures than the old British, Kynoch or Eley, was! You cannot simply recalculate the old "tons per square inch" units into modern psi, bar or cup units! The Brits used the Woolwich apparatus for "measuring" pressures. It used the oiled cartridge case for the piston and a copper crusher behind the standing breech. "Pressure" was calculated by the base area of the case and the static load required to compress the copper crusher the same amount. Now pressures are measured with variants of the Rockwell apparatus. These use a small, well defined piston in a hole leading at right angle to the test barrel chamber, this piston again works on a copper crusher (old) or a piezo-electric transducer (modern). As the Woolwich system is more inert it gives only about 80 percent of the "pressure" readout compared to the Rockwell system. Even in the Rockwell system, the "faster" transducers give much higher peak pressure readouts than a copper crusher. These are usually recalculated to compare them to coppercrusher standarts.
As you know, the old British loads used Cordite, a powder with a high nitroglycerine content, as a propellant. By today's standards Cordite was a fast-burning powder, giving sudden high peak pressures, but these peaks were "swallowed" by the Woolwich apparatus. Proper modern progressive powders don't have such high pressure peaks.
Then, Cordite is very heat sensitive, giving much higher pressures under tropical conditions than in England, hence the "Tropical Loads" once made for many double-rifle cartridges. Modern powders don't react to temperature changes in this way. Okay, the German factories, both DWM and RWS, loaded the 404 to much higher velocities than Kynoch, but they used better powders and kept to the same pressures.
Now to bullet diameter: The .002" difference you found is unimportant, being within manufacturing tolerances. .423" is the maximum allowable diameter according to proof rules, but makers usually keep their bullets slightly slimmer. I just measured two modern nominally .423" bullets:
Woodleigh 400grs round nose soft point: base .4215" - .422", behind crimping groove .4205", forward of crimping groove .419"
Custom Stoklossa 350grs flat nose s.p.: base .421 -.422", .3" in front of base .418"
Note that both are slightly out of round. And, a .002" difference is only .44% in a .423" diameter, while the difference between 8mmI = .318" and 8mmS = .323" is 1.6%! In 1940 RWS claimed there was never an accident when using S bullets in an I barrel on a Mauser M98 action".
Waidmannsheil!
Best wishes

[TwoRivers]

Would like to see the drawings A-Square is referring to, as all German data I have seen calls for a .422" groove and max bullet, vs. the .423 of the 10.75x68. CIP now specifies .422 for the .404, while going to .4244" for the 10.75x68. In any case, it is the chamber throat that counts, it has much more influence on recorded pressure than barrel diameter.
To illustrate the point, after WWII many Japanese rifles, both 6.5 and 7.7mm Arisakas were brought back to the States. The 7.7x58mm was often rechambered to .30-06. Which by the way is a safe enough practice, even though our reloading manuals warn against the practice of resizing .30-06 cases to 7.7x58, while showing a .001 difference in base diameter for the cases. There was one highly publicized case of a resized military.30-06 case blowing up in a 7.7mm Arisaka rifle. However the outcome of the trial, it was obvious that the case was faulty to begin with. While warning against using .30-06 cases in the 7.7x58, they will show 9.3x62 reload data in resized .30-06 cases, which have a nominal .470" base diameter, vs. the 9.3's .476". Go figure.
To get back to the gist of this, one genius "gunsmith" rechambered a 6.5mm rifle to .30-06. The owner fired it, and everything was fine, except that he complained about the "awful recoil". If I remember the story, he then wrote to "The American Rifleman" about that, and that's how this "experiment" became known. The rifle survived without any damage. Which speaks highly of the Arisakas, which had been considered weak junk by the "experts".

[timmy]

That is the story on the Arisaka. The Type 99s made toward the very end of WW2 were of inferior finish, like the end-of-war M98s turned out by the nazis. The case mentioned here was of a Type 38, the one originally chambered for 6.5 Arisaka. Evidently, the "gunsmith" used a .30-'06 chambering reamer and made it work by grinding the pilot down to fit the 6.5 mm bore. It leaves one breathless, does it not?

Whatever, I also agree that the throating would make a significant difference in pressures when shooting a bullet perhaps 0.001" oversize. A short throat would raise pressures more quickly than one with more taper.

In our litigious times, it only makes sense for the article's author to talk like this. Really. Here in the USA, there are warnings on lawn mowers against holding the mower while it is running. It seems some fellow started his mower and picked it up to trim his hedge bushes. He sued the mower company and won. Were I king of the USA, I'd have the man executed for stupidity -- his ability to pass on his genes to offspring constitutes a clear and present danger to society. However, in more sober moments, I realize that there are plenty more like him, and the population of gun owners is not free of this type. No magazine writer is going to say, "Sure, go ahead, chamber your 6.5 mm Arisaka for .30-'06 by grinding down the pilot of the reamer..."

I don't feel that the writer was being foolish or uninformed -- he was very likely exercising his "CYA" self preservation mechanism.

[miroflex]

Hi,

I find the posts on the .404 Jeffery very interesting. I also read informative posts on africahunting.com about this cartridge. I would love to hear from members who own this rifle and have used it.

[shooter50]

Micro
I had a lovely 404 Jeff, the pictures of which I posted under the head "Dangerous Game Rifle" in the photo section, there is a clip of my son shooting it also posted there. An England based friend of mine purchased it, and now I miss the rifle more than ever.
All the best

[miroflex]

Micro
I had a lovely 404 Jeff, the pictures of which I posted under the head "Dangerous Game Rifle" in the photo section, there is a clip of my son shooting it also posted there. An England based friend of mine purchased it, and now I miss the rifle more than ever.
All the best

Dear Shooter50,

It is interesting to know that you had owned a .404 Jeffery. I have been offered one by a dealer for Rs. 1,10,000 along with about 80 cartridges of Winchester make. The weapon has been reblued and is in excellent condition although I am not sure if the stock is original as the chequering is quite sharp and looks fresh. The dealer says that the stock is original.

It has to be kept in mind that although Kynoch is loading ammunition for the .404, the calibre is not listed by the DGFT among those allowed to be imported by dealers.

Is the price fair keeping in mind that it comes with 80 cartridges

[shooter50]

Micro
A lot depends on the make of the rifle and the action on which it is built. If u mail me the pictures maybe I could advise you better. There were hundreds of 404s in India, why it was not put on the DGFT list is because of an unscrupulous syndicate who bought these rifles for junk and sold them at mad prices in the famous gun rooms of England and America but that is a different story. I doubt if Winchester ever made 404 ammo but i could be wrong.
All the best

[miroflex]

Micro
A lot depends on the make of the rifle and the action on which it is built. If u mail me the pictures maybe I could advise you better. There were hundreds of 404s in India, why it was not put on the DGFT list is because of an unscrupulous syndicate who bought these rifles for junk and sold them at mad prices in the famous gun rooms of England and America but that is a different story. I doubt if Winchester ever made 404 ammo but i could be wrong.
All the best

Hi Shooter50,

It is made by WJ Jeffery on a Mauser 98 action. I have not taken pictures of the rifle but the general condition is excellent.

Regards.