Experiences with the 404 Jeffery?

[Adie]

It is my go to bush calibre.
I have shot Impala right through to buffalo and it has never disappointed.
The recoil is manageable with my 2250/fps.
I shoot peregrine points.
It is not a round designed to chase speed, if you want to do that, rather get a 416.
The furthest shot I have taken is around 200m but it is comfortable up to 150m.
In my biased opinion there is no better bushveld calibre.

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This is perhaps a very crude question so please excuse my naive train of thought but would you say that the 404 Jeffrey is the dangerous game ‘version’ of a 7x57? I love mine for the bushveld, and just like the 404 it isn’t exactly a speed machine in it’s class. But it’s recoil is so pleasant and meat damage minimal with 170 grains.

[Adie]

At that velocity I could not tell the difference in recoil between the two.

Thank you.

[Adie]

I can second that, I shoot 400gr claws at 2190fps out of my custom 404, I use it almost as my only bushveld gun, its a joy to shoot and meat damage is minimal

Would you also say that 200m is pushing it in terms of max range?

[bonesgun]

This is perhaps a very crude question so please excuse my naive train of thought but would you say that the 404 Jeffrey is the dangerous game ‘version’ of a 7x57? I love mine for the bushveld, and just like the 404 it isn’t exactly a speed machine in it’s class. But it’s recoil is so pleasant and meat damage minimal with 170 grains.

I think that is a spot on comparison.
The heavy slower bullet gives little meat damage but penetrates exceptionally well.
At 200m the bullet drop is about 30cm in my rifle setup. I shot an eland cow slightly quartering on and the bullet still penetrated to under the opposite skin. The peregrine did not open up as much as on a 100m shot. So for my setup I would not go further.

Ps at 250m bullet drop is 65cm. So if you are out by only a bit you can burn your fingers between 200 and 250. I also only have a 1.5 to 5 scope with no markings thus it becomes too much guess work for me.

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[A-R]

Would you also say that 200m is pushing it in terms of max range?

Depends on where you are zeroed and how accurate your range estimation is. But yes, I would limit shots to 200m.

would you say that at velocity’s of around 2350 FPS the recoil felt as sharp as the 416 rem or less?

The 404 has more case volume than the 416 Rem. This allows you to use slower powders, which reduce the peak pressure and spread out the pressure curve a little, resulting in the same amount of momentum being transferred to the bullet over a longer time span (we are talking milliseconds here). The lower pressure and flatter pressure curve translate to more of a push and less of a kick, in terms of perceived recoil. So, with the 2 rifles weighing the same and having the same ballistic performance and same dimensions, the one with the higher case capacity will have a "softer" recoil impulse.

[Robert M]

Would you also say that 200m is pushing it in terms of max range?

I shoot min out to about 150m max, for longer range and plains game there are definitely better calibres, but for bushveld where most shots are 50 to 100m it is lovely

[Adie]

I think that is a spot on comparison.
The heavy slower bullet gives little meat damage but penetrates exceptionally well.
At 200m the bullet drop is about 30cm in my rifle setup. I shot an eland cow slightly quartering on and the bullet still penetrated to under the opposite skin. The peregrine did not open up as much as on a 100m shot. So for my setup I would not go further.

Ps at 250m bullet drop is 65cm. So if you are out by only a bit you can burn your fingers between 200 and 250. I also only have a 1.5 to 5 scope with no markings thus it becomes too much guess work for me.

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Haha good to know I haven’t totally lost it. I think as you’ve pointed out, 200m is kind of the outer limits before you start risking it. Great to know how much it drops from 200-250m. Thank you!

[Adie]

Depends on where you are zeroed and how accurate your range estimation is. But yes, I would limit shots to 200m.



The 404 has more case volume than the 416 Rem. This allows you to use slower powders, which reduce the peak pressure and spread out the pressure curve a little, resulting in the same amount of momentum being transferred to the bullet over a longer time span (we are talking milliseconds here). The lower pressure and flatter pressure curve translate to more of a push and less of a kick, in terms of perceived recoil. So, with the 2 rifles weighing the same and having the same ballistic performance and same dimensions, the one with the higher case capacity will have a "softer" recoil impulse.

I didn’t actually realize that that was the reason as to why the felt recoil is less. Makes so much more sense now. Thank you for taking the time to explain. I think this is definitely the next caliber for me.

[Adie]

I shoot min out to about 150m max, for longer range and plains game there are definitely better calibres, but for bushveld where most shots are 50 to 100m it is lovely

I agree there 100% are. Always nice to know that if something steps out at say 200m and this is all you’ve got, then you know what to do to make it happen.

[TStone]

The 404 has more case volume than the 416 Rem. This allows you to use slower powders, which reduce the peak pressure and spread out the pressure curve a little, resulting in the same amount of momentum being transferred to the bullet over a longer time span (we are talking milliseconds here). The lower pressure and flatter pressure curve translate to more of a push and less of a kick, in terms of perceived recoil. So, with the 2 rifles weighing the same and having the same ballistic performance and same dimensions, the one with the higher case capacity will have a "softer" recoil impulse.

So, if you load a .308 win and a .30-'06 Springfield (in identical rifles) with the same bullet at the same velocity, using a slower powder in the .30-'06, the .30-'06 will have the "softer" recoil impulse?