404 Jeffery Build on a standard action ??

[GoexFFG]

Is it doable??

 

[BlueFlyer]

Which standard action? - Enfield P14 or M17 is a definate yes, Mauser?

 

[GoexFFG]

Whitworth Zastava action

 

[BlueFlyer]

I think Ontario Hunter on this forum has done this. There are some photos of his rifle in 404J on my thread 416WSM.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Yes, it is doable. I started my project in April last year and finished it in time for safari four months later. Lija in Montana made the barrel and Dennis Olsen mounted it. A local machinist here opened the bolt face using Duane Wiebe's booklet for guidance. I did the rest of the work. A couple of gunsmiths told me it couldn't be done but I knew it could because standard 98 Mauser was all Jeffery had to work with when he first introduced the cartridge in 1905. To accommodate the thicker cartridges, Jeffery removed the sides and front of magazine box and opened up the stock cavity. I bought 416 Remington Mag bottom metal from Swift and it worked without modification. 404 does not require cutting into the locking ring like 375 or 416 Rigby. Modifying the extractor, follower, feeding rails, and loading ramp was the most challenging aspect. Screw up the feeding rails and throw away the action. Using standard depth bottom metal, the 404 will hold three cartridges max in the magazine but a fourth can be pushed under the extractor for closing with a total of 3+1. Extended four-cartridge capacity bottom metal can be ordered but requires a custom stock.

It's not an easy project but it is doable. My 404 cycles very slick. Standard action 404 gives the advantage of shorter stroke and less weight than magnum length action. But not necessarily lightweight. With #5 profile 24" barrel my rifle still weighs right at ten pounds fully loaded. But that's not a bad thing. 404 is noted for relatively light recoil for a dangerous game thumper gun but it still has plenty to dish out. Weight is your friend when shooting these guns.

Here's my 404 built on an 8mm military Czech 98 Mauser action. It wears Warne QD rings, a 1-5x 30mm Bushnell scope, and optional iron sights from a 1990's Winchester Safari Express.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

The Germans specifically designed the 10.75x68mm Mauser (another .423 caliber cartridge with a smaller case capacity) in order to fit standard length Mauser Oberndorf actions.

But as @Ontario Hunter has proven, it can be done. Also on Winchester Model 70 actions.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

The Germans specifically designed the 10.75x68mm Mauser (another .423 caliber cartridge with a smaller case capacity) in order to fit standard length Mauser Oberndorf actions.

But as @Ontario Hunter has proven, it can be done. Also on Winchester Model 70 actions.

I did a bit of quick research on 10.75x68mm. Wikipedia says it was developed twenty years after 404J for Mauser magnum actions which doesn't make sense because the cartridge is nearly half an inch shorter than 404J. It would seem it was designed specifically for standard Mauser actions. The magazine box would not need to be lengthened and presumably the loading ramp would not need to be modified. It shot the same diameter bullet as 404J but fifty grains lighter. Apparently the 10.75x68 performed very poorly on dangerous game but was for some reason popular in Africa. Possibly because it was more cheaply produced in standard action Mausers. It is claimed the rifles were also lighter at 7 to 7.5 lbs but that might be an exageration. Even with modern bullets I think that cartridge in a 3×1 standard Mauser would be pushing the envelope for dangerous game. A banana clip detachable magazine and legs capable of Olympic sprinting might make it a more workable option.

I see your old comrade Major Khan didn't think much of that cartridge or its chief advocate, the mighty white hunter Don Anderson. The Major could be quite blunt in expressing his opinions. I hope his unsettled soul has finally found peace in the hereafter.