404 Jeffery for Leopard?

[rookhawk]

I have a 404j floating around that has a good scope for leopard on it. I have 450gr Norma solids for use on DG and noticed they make a 450 woodleigh soft also.

Do you think the 450 woodleigh soft is problematic on leopard? I'm concerned about lack of expansion.

Alternative is my old standby .375 London Mauser with 300 a-frames.

If the 404j is better, I'd bring that for leopard and tuskless and use the 375 for PG. As always, trying to keep under the 11lb weight limit.

 

[CAustin]

That 404 is a sweet rifle. I think it would do fine on spots. Very definitely it will be good medicine for an elephant. I am thinking @Wheels took his elephant with the 494 j.

 

[Hank2211]

At the ranges you would be shooting a leopard, both the .404J and the .375 would be ample. Given a choice, I prefer something that might deliver a bit more shock, like a .300 Win Mag, but there's nothing wrong with with either of your guns.

I have used the .375 on elephant, and if you only wanted to take one rifle, the .375 would work well for plains game as well. I admit to feeling a bit undergunned on the elephant with a .375 though, and if you can take two, the .404 is a definite step up. Not as good as the .375 for plains game, although it will be fine if you keep your distances reasonable (or are able to quickly compensate for the drop).

 

[CAustin]

That 404 is a sweet rifle. I think it would do fine on spots. Very definitely it will be good medicine for an elephant. I am thinking @Wheels took his elephant with the 494 j.

Wheels took his 404j nit a 494..... Fat finger strikes again!

 

[Red Leg]

It definitely won't fall into the not enough gun category

You are shooting essentially a deer-sized animal. You won't get much expansion from a .375 0r the .404. But either makes a sufficient hole to kill such an animal. I shot mine through the lungs with a 250 gr .338 and had pretty much a .338 hole coming and going. Like Hank, where legal, I think a .30 cal of some persuasion is hard to beat for spots.

 

[Ray B]

Are leopards REALLY that hard to kill??

 

[LivingTheDream]

Are leopards REALLY that hard to kill??

No they're just that dangerous hurt.

 

[rookhawk]

Maybe this for the leopard and the 404 for jumbo?

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/i-did-it-again-bought-another-brit-gun.33241/

 

[Velo Dog]

Rookhawk,

I'd just bring the .404 and no other, then merrily hunt all the species you mention with it.

Never having shot a leopard or elephant either one, please do take my following comments with a grain of salt.

Anyway, it seems to me that, since elephant are commonly taken at extremely close range, such an adventure would be a quite a bit more pleasant without the scope.

With that, could it be workable to sight your scopeless rifle in at 15 or 20 paces, with your 450 grain Woodleigh "solids" ? (or my preference would be a 400 grain meplat shaped, aka "coffee thermos" shaped monolithic true solid, at around 2150 fps).

After that then, snap your scope into the claw mounts and zero it with 400 grain Woodleigh round nose softs, for your leopard and "plains game" hunting.

Likewise, it seems very likely that, if you used all 400 grainers, your softs and solids can be made to strike to the same point of impact, with perhaps a little bit of reloading bench and rifle range time.

If you are not recoil shy like I am, you could adjust your velocity upward accordingly, since the .404 Jeffery is very capable of at least 2350 fps, with 400 grain bullets, all the while staying within safe chamber pressures (not that 2150 fps is not perfectly adequate already, even for elephant).

A Woodleigh soft is likely not a good thing to mix up during an elephant stalk and one would not want a solid for leopard but nonetheless, personally I prefer all of my ammunition for whatever rifle I am carrying to be "zeroed-in", all to the same point of impact.

Not having shot or even watched a leopard being shot (except on television), perhaps I'm wrong but, I suspect a .423 diameter "Woodleigh Weldcore" round nose soft will knock the spots off of any leopard, whether the bullet expands much or not.

Such is one of the reasons I generally prefer round nose and flat nose bullets, unless I am expecting shots to be past approximately 300 yards / meters.

At any rate, I look forward to reading the full report when you settle on what to bring and how it all works out.

Cheers,
Velo The Rifleheaded.

 

[Red Leg]

And surprisingly difficult to hit well. Most are shot inside 100 yards - often closer to 100 feet. And I suspect more shots are blown on them as a percentage than with buffalo. Their vitals are a tad farther back, and when the cat is reaching for the bait bullets often seem to go into the muscle forward. They are also a fairly narrow target leading to creases high and low. And should the shot be just a little off, well, they are leopards. Mature mountain lions can be shot out of a tree with hand guns, .22 mags, bows, whatever. And the incidents of a wounded animal charging are so rare as to be virtually unrecorded. A wounded, but still mobile leopard, will hide and almost always charge when followed. And if he seemed hard to hit in the tree ...........

 

[Bullthrower338]

If legal, your new 318 WR would be spectacular to take spots with, what a fitting game animal for a classic such as that rifle!
Cheers,
Cody

 

[BRICKBURN]

No they're just that dangerous hurt.

THAT DANGEROUS TO HURT.

 

[Rule 303]

I do not have a 404 and have not hunted ole spots. However I do have a 416 Rigby and have hunted Buff and Ele and have a mate who has shot Buff and heaps of pigs with a 404J. His advice for large DG. Just load it with Woodleigh Hydros and go hunting, I concur. I shot bot the Buff and Ele with a 400grain Hydro. Plenty of Ole spots have been taken with 303's and 7X57. Woodleigh soft nose, I would think might not fully open in spots but hit them in the vitals and they wont go far.

The Hydro and 410 Woodleigh SN both hit at the same POI in my rifle try yours and see. Also look at using the Woodleigh 350 grain SN for the 404 for spots and plains game.

 

[Ray B]

I know it has several limitations for elk hunting in semi-open terrain, particularly when compared to cartridges such as 338 Win Mag, but if I can get up and running with a 404 by next season, I may just take it. I carry the rifle for hours and days, so I might as well make a new friend.

 

[Rule 303]

I would say that depends on what the range is. Using 350 grain projectile and running then harder than the old powders would allow, in a modern bolt rifle 300mts should be doable.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Long time I use 404Jeffery.
My favorite cartridges are from RWS with bullet TMR ( Woodleigh )400gr.
I think that 404Jeffery is very good calibre for leoprd.
Witold