404 Jeffery Caliber

[krish]

Would love to see pics!

Any news about your 404j yet.
Krish

 

[Sideshow]

Sauer make one. You can swap the barrels out. Nice rifles too!

404 CLASSIC XT

www.rjblackwall.co.uk

 

[BeeMaa]

I know of at least one Blaser R8 barrel made by Elmer Laitala in 404J. It takes the UM bolt head but I'm not sure of the magazine insert. Maybe the same as the 300RUM?

I'm sure other barrel makers would be obliged to make one for the right price.

 

[bowjijohn]

I’ll check the insert on mine

 

[Andrew Short]

Any news about your 404j yet.
Krish

No news yet. We are within 2 months of delivery date though.

 

[John Telford]

Would love to see pics!

Me too!!

 

[Daniel Cary]

I have no affiliation with MNR or own one, but his work & reputation .. +

.404 Jeffery by Matthew Roberts (MNR Custom LLC)

.404 Jeffery by Matthew Roberts (MNR Custom LLC) for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

 

[AZDAVE]

@Ontario Hunter I did say it would take a "GOOD" gunsmith. when I built my first 404 all the GOOD ginsmiths that have the skills to build on a M98 were booked for a couple years. So being a good amateur I built one on a Ruger RMS 375, had PacNor fit and chamber the barrel and I did all the other metal work got the feeding perfect, along with the wood work. I sold it to another member and he has take several heads of african game with it. My second I built off the Buska magnum action as again I didn't feel like try a M98 at the time and it is my current 404. Currently gathering the stuff to build off a M98 as I feel I can tackle it now. All things said it is easier to shoe horn a 404 into a M98 than a 416 rigby.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I use rifle in .404Jeffery. My "Jeffery" was built on a standart length 98 Mauser action. Very good caliber

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I wrote an article once " Dangerous Game rifle in .404Jeffery /10,75x73/". You can find it on the internet.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

@Ontario Hunter I did say it would take a "GOOD" gunsmith. when I built my first 404 all the GOOD ginsmiths that have the skills to build on a M98 were booked for a couple years. So being a good amateur I built one on a Ruger RMS 375, had PacNor fit and chamber the barrel and I did all the other metal work got the feeding perfect, along with the wood work. I sold it to another member and he has take several heads of african game with it. My second I built off the Buska magnum action as again I didn't feel like try a M98 at the time and it is my current 404. Currently gathering the stuff to build off a M98 as I feel I can tackle it now. All things said it is easier to shoe horn a 404 into a M98 than a 416 rigby.

No gunsmiths for at least a day's drive from me so I was kinda in the same boat as you. Early on I figured if Jeffery could build a 404 on standard Mauser, so could I. Two gunsmiths I contacted said it couldn't be done ... only in 375. Huh? Why not? Exactly the same length case for both. I don't think either were "good" gunsmiths. I phoned custom gun maker Duane Wiebe out in Washington and he said hell yes it can be done. He had ten on the fly at that time. Duane was very encouraging. Said if I was smart enough to get a couple of degrees I could handle this project ... if I ordered his $25 booklet. Sure. "How do I pay you?" Just drop a cheque in the mail when you cross the border to pick up the parcel. What a guy. What a booklet. My local machinist was able to open the bolt face using his instructions. Duane suggested contacting Swift for possible bottom metal. Sunny Hill could open up their 375 bottom metal to 404 ... but $700 US was just too much. Swift guy said he THOUGHT their 416 Rem mag bottom metal would work. Looking at the blueprints he sent, I figured there was enough metal to allow for opening one to Paul Mauser specs for 404 so I placed an order. Expensive but not anything like Sunny Hill. Before I did any whittling, I tried the bottom metal as is. It stacked and loaded fine ... off the standard 8mm action's left rail. Right rail required some modification, and of course the feeding ramp required significant modification. Then a bit of carving was needed on the follower to make the last round in the magazine feed. Once stacked rounds were feeding properly I left the precious feeding rails alone. Work with changing the follower to fix last round feeding. Mine feeds like a dream now.

Good luck with your 98 Mauser conversion. Drop me a line if you have any questions. Swift bottom metal was worth the money but it does come in the white and with machining marks that need to be cleaned up. Sunny Hill is top shelf but I just couldn't justify that much dough. I bought a magnum follower from New England Custom Gun. Very nice and reasonable price.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

I have a post war Jefferies if I remember correctly it was made in 1951 or 53. The original cost was around fifty pounds.

I need to get the rifle out of the safe, but if I remember correctly it was made by Jefferies on a standard mauser action. Magazine capacity is 3 rounds and you cannot put one up the spout.

This is probably the best “pointing”, best balanced rifle I own, including my original pre war .416 Rigby.

What is special about the caliber? Nothing except that it works and works well, just like it’s cousin the .450-.400.

Lon

 

[krish]

When cz built 404j had they offered it at the same price point as 416 Rigby today we might have seen more of them. But people went with 416 Rigby as there is not a big difference berween. 416 and .423. So demand for ammo was less to. It is acycle that made 404j to be less in circulation. It may surge again.
Krish

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have a post war Jefferies if I remember correctly it was made in 1951 or 53. The original cost was around fifty pounds.

I need to get the rifle out of the safe, but if I remember correctly it was made by Jefferies on a standard mauser action. Magazine capacity is 3 rounds and you cannot put one up the spout.

This is probably the best “pointing”, best balanced rifle I own, including my original pre war .416 Rigby.

What is special about the caliber? Nothing except that it works and works well, just like it’s cousin the .450-.400.

Lon

Have you tried to snap over a round dropped in the chamber? Mauser action should do it. Mine does ... now ... finally. Yours also may need some "tuning." My similar Springfield 03A3 controlled feed never had any issues with claw extractor snapping over on rounds dropped in the chamber. Makes sense that military rifles would be designed to do that. Enemy with a gun and grenades is the most dangerous game on earth. The ability to instantly chamber a round into an empty rifle is a necessity.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

I leave my .404j made by Jefferies over 70 years ago as it was. I have no need for snap- over.

 

[steve white]

Anyone out there loading their 416 down to 2150 fps to stay in the 450=400 sweet zone?

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I leave my .404j made by Jefferies over 70 years ago as it was. I have no need for snap- over.

Look at the bolt face end of the extractor. If it is beveled, then Jeffery installed an extractor designed to snap over the rim of a cartridge dropped in the chamber. If it is flat, then the extractor won't snap over. I would be surprised if your extractor claw has a flat face.

So you hunt dangerous game with only three rounds in the rifle? Or did Jeffery put an extended magazine on yours? I could have picked up an extended magazine (4+1) from Swift for my project but it would have required having a custom stock made for the gun.

 

[John458Lott]

I believe (with no real evidence) that Ammunition manufacturers and rifle makers make caliber selections based on popularity. 404J isn’t the most well known cartridge to the uneducated public. If you ask the average person at a gun store which round is bigger a 404 or a 416 most would choose the 416 not knowing the 404 is actually .423 as the knowledge base for larger calibers is outside of most shooters wheelhouse. Personally I’d love to see more offerings from more manufacturers so I can buy a 404 and ammo someday

Well Diamonds are rare!

Fortunately I came across one. Bought in 2003 fired in anger in 2022. Two cape Buffalo and a huge Roan. It's just fabulous!

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I leave my .404j made by Jefferies over 70 years ago as it was. I have no need for snap- over.

Sorry, my mistake. I see from your original post that your Jeffery made M98 is 3+1 and a safe queen. It doesn't hunt so snap over to carry one in the tube is immaterial.

Attached is a page from Duane Weibe's "Feeding and Function of a Converted Mauser" (reprinted without permission). See what a snap over extractor is supposed to look like.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

I built my 404 on a standard 98 Mauser action, it’s a 3+1 with a modified'09 bottom metal, took a while for me to do, partly as I wasn’t in a hurry, but mostly because work kept getting in the way of the important things in life, such as my gun work. I sourced brass through Anthony George off here and projectiles through a good friend who sadly died of cancer before he could see the finisked rifle.
gumpy