Disappointed In My New 404 Jeffery

[jlb1036]

almost 2 lbs weight difference will translate into more percieved recoil.
if you add 2 recoil mercury tubes in the stock the recoil will be less percieved and
better on your shoulder.
you can also add steel bases and scope rings to add weight and of course my favorite
have it magnaported for which i have in my 458 lott and 375 wby mags and it works well and you avoid the extra leght of the muzzle brakes .

 

[ActionBob]

OMG don't get a 404 Jeffrey Magnaported. You will definitely reduce the value of the gun if you do that. And it just shouldn't be necessary.

 

[Rare Breed]

I've said it a thousand times. A 400 gr bullet at 2350fps is a 400 grain bullet at 2350 fps. No matter what case it comes out of. All this nonsense about the 404 being some pussycat to shoot is BS. Gun weight and stock fit are infinitely more important than any slight case design differences. When the 404 came out it was loaded to 2100 fps or thereabouts. If you load any of the 416 rounds to that level you'll have an easy shooting load as well.
My Winchester 70 416 Rem Mag weighs in at 9lbs even with scope mounts only, no scope. With scope it comes in at 9lbs 14 oz. Loaded to 2350 fps it is no pussycat to shoot either. But it is shootable nonetheless. Especially since I had the stock lengthened to my correct LOP.
Did you have your 404 made to your correct LOP?

+1 to my findings as well. Gun weight and matching LOP for fit are everything

 

[Flewis]

+1 to my findings as well. Gun weight and matching LOP for fit are everything

From what I’ve seen it’s stock shape and fit that make the most difference’ even over more weight.

 

[Rare Breed]

Would not disagree with you…when you start to shoot anything in the 4’s you need everything right…attention to detail matters

 

[crs]

On second thought, 10 pages of this post is more than enough!

 

[Rule 303]

From what I’ve seen it’s stock shape and fit that make the most difference’ even over more weight.

My experience as well. The other thing can be the powders used. For instance, I do not know what powder Hornady use in their 416 Rigby loads but it kicks far worse than my home loads. They use a 400grain bullet and chrony's at 2320 in my rifle. My home loads use a 410 grain bullet and chrony at 2450fps and kicks way less than the Hornady loads. Also if I use AR2213sc-108 grains to get 2400fps - this kicks way more than 96 grains of AR2209. Yes 12 grains more powder will generate slightly greater recoil. But the 2213sc is a slower powder so the recoil, in theory should not be noticeable harder than the faster powder.

 

[ducmarc]

Andrew, Toby, et al, My Miroku Winchester 1895 .405 WCF weighs just under 8 pounds and the recoil with 400 grain bullets at 2100 fps is noticeable. Not bad enough to keep me from hunting with it, but enough to get my attention. However, it does kill Cape Buff and everything that I shoot with it.


A friend has loaded 400 grain Woodies up to over 2150 fps in his 1895 .405, and plans to take it to Africa to shoot some big stuff. I am sure it will do the job if he can hang on to it.

PS Shooting 400 grainers in my .405 double rifle is easy because of the weight and stock design:

That there is a nice rifle it's one on my fill the safe list

 

[ducmarc]

My 1885 high wall is an absolute bear to shoot in 45-120 stuffed full of black powder it's barely 8lbs. Nice to carry though

 

[ashtonjanke4]

I'm sure as much as you would like to spend. I replaced a stock, I used Accurate Innovations, it cost $2K. Check out the website, you can pick your blank and get a ballpark price.

I brought a custom rifle in 9.3x64 with an accurate innovation stocks. While I haven’t shot it the thing I like is the chassis system which will stop the stock for cracking and it’s a nice stock.

 

[Jim Golden]

Install a good thick Decelerator or Kickeze pad.

I have a Kickeze on my A-Square Hannibal clone and it works very well. I also have a 16oz mercury recoil reducer in the stock, and the rifle is heavy at 12lbs empty. But it's controllable and I can shoot it without flinching. I just have to carry it a lot to practice and be used to the weight Mine is a .375 Weatherby with a long barrel and I chrono a 300 at 2889 ft/s. About 5580 ft-lbs. Have been looking at larger calibers and the 404 Jeffery is one I was considering. Neat thread.

 

[HWL]

Eat enough an become a man,... and there will be no recoil....

HWL

 

[Andrew Short]

On second thought, 10 pages of this post is more than enough!

And the rifle was sold long long ago.

 

[Sjakon]

Well after waiting months and months, I finally picked up the 404 Jeffrey today. I came home, and I immediately went out back and put some rounds down range. Much to my surprise, the recoil was very significant. “Much more than my 416.” After just three rounds, I was ready to put the rifle down. I went to the safe and got the 416 Rigby and shot it a few times. After shooting the Rigby and realizing the recoil was much less, I installed the muzzle brake that came with the new 404. I then shot 3 more rounds and the recoil was significantly less, I would say around 40% less.

“Both ammo was factory Hornady”

The 416 weighs 11 lbs and the 404 weighed in at 9.2.

I found the felt recoil of the 404 very surprising. What are all of you guys think?

My Mauser 98E in .416 Rigby with scope and fully loaded with 400gr ammo weighs a bit less than 6 kg. Moderate recoil especially when a buff is in the scope

 

[IvW]

13lbs ouch....

 

[krish]

13lbs ouch....

Ouch now or later when you fire it. LOL
KRISH

 

[Milan]

And the rifle was sold long long ago.

I know this is old but if I recall the rifle was a Ruger RSM. Those stocks beat me up more than anything else I have shot. My CZ 550 in 458 Lott was very comfortable compared to the RSM 416 Rigby. That one hurt after 6 shots. The 458 Lott RSM i only took 2 shots out of and sold it. I could shoot 19 fairly hot .458 loads with the CZ no problem and actually have fun shooting it.

 

[SkullKeeper]

My 404J weighs just over 11 pounds with optic and shoots very nice for me. Stock fit is crucial on a big bore IMO. I only weigh 185 so if I shot a 9 pound 404 I’d be back into last week. It definitely sounds like you need to lengthen your stock from the difference in your other rifle. I’d suggest a 1&3/8” KickEz pad also, I like these much better than a Decelerator. Hoping your comb height is spot on as that can rattle you way worse than a stock that’s too short. Don’t give up on the rifle, make your adjustments and see what happens. Good luck !

 

[krish]

My 404J weighs just over 11 pounds with optic and shoots very nice for me. Stock fit is crucial on a big bore IMO. I only weigh 185 so if I shot a 9 pound 404 I’d be back into last week. It definitely sounds like you need to lengthen your stock from the difference in your other rifle. I’d suggest a 1&3/8” KickEz pad also, I like these much better than a Decelerator. Hoping your comb height is spot on as that can rattle you way worse than a stock that’s too short. Don’t give up on the rifle, make your adjustments and see what happens. Good luck !

He already ssf old the rifle. Looking for a new one to his liking if he can find one.
Krish

 

[Jack Stevens]

He already sold the rifle. Looking for a new one to his liking if he can find one.
Krish

He caved and abandoned Jeffrey's venerable .404 for something else.

The use of a .404J rifle is an opportunity to experience something rare in the world of hunting, but like most opportunities in life it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Some folks don't want work; they want easy.

He's probably got himself a nice little .22 rimfire by now and for a couple of hours on lazy Sunday afternoons at the range he can make pretend he's shooting water buff in Zimbabwe.