Need help buying a donor rifle for 404 Jeffery later today!

[Rule 303]

I am in the process of building a .404 Jeffery rifle, starting with a Remington 1917 Enfield action, taken from a .30-06 I purchased for$400.00. The rifle also included an older model Redfield 2-7X scope which now serves on one of my .22 l.r. rifles.

Back to the Enfield action... Pac Nor is making and will be fitting a .404 barrel to the action, in addition to chambering it, opening up the bolt face and the feed rails.

This would have been my suggestion, the 404 calibre and the M17 are made to go together.

 

[TOBY458]

Semi-weight (19mm) fluted 375H&H barrel with hi-viz iron sights.
However I do believe there are better options for a Blaser out there.
IMO - $5.5K is a bit optimistic for a used rifle.
GB has R8 Luxus new for $300 just more.
Although it is the 17mm barrel and no iron sights.
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/887381341
There are also some good deals on GI.

Just keep in mind, you have to pay sales tax on new rifles from most dealers. Also the one in the ad I shared comes with a scope mount and has iron sights. Like you said though, maybe not a screaming deal, but not bad either

 

[BeeMaa]

Just keep in mind, you have to pay sales tax on new rifles from most dealers. Also the one in the ad I shared comes with a scope mount and has iron sights. Like you said though, maybe not a screaming deal, but not bad either

Lately I've been keeping my eyes on GI.
There are some wicked good deals that come up, as you well know.
And it seems that there are less scammers than GB.

 

[TOBY458]

As for using the standard magnum Model 70 as the donor action. I was looking to convert a Win 70 7mm Rem Mag to 416 Ruger at one time. I was told that this action would not accommodate the wider case body of the 416 Ruger. SSK Industries is who I contacted about this work. They are an extremely reputable company when it comes to caliber conversions. They would not guarantee that it would feed correctly. That said, I would think that the 404 Jeffery would be more of the same. You would need the Ultra Mag action to make a proper 404 I believe.

 

[Justbryan]

I am also looking at converting a 7mm Remington Magnum Winchester Model 70 to 404 Jeffery. Gunsmith told me it would be no problem to add extended magazine box and get it to feed.

I would be interested in know if anyone has rebarreled M70 7mm to 404 Jeffery.

Option would be to switch gears and build a 416 Taylor.

 

[gbflyer]

Friend of mine has a 416 Taylor in a tang safety Ruger 77. Nice option for caliber if the 404 doesn’t work out. Not nearly as cool though.

 

[Justbryan]

Friend of mine has a 416 Taylor in a tang safety Ruger 77. Nice option for caliber if the 404 doesn’t work out. Not nearly as cool though.

I agree!

 

[fourfive8]

This would have been my suggestion, the 404 calibre and the M17 are made to go together.

Agreed! If you have found a gunsmith who can do the work, the M17, correctly sporterized, would also be my suggestion for the 404.

If needing a hunting rifle/caliber with equal horsepower, the Win 70 in 416 Rem Mag will get there much easier, quicker and at less expense. Simple to load the 416 Rem down a notch to match the ballistics of the Taylor.

 

[8x68]

I built my 404J using a Win M70 Stainless CRF in 375H&H as a donor rifle. Very little gunsmith work involved, plus you don't see too many stainless 404J's around.

 

[TOBY458]

I am also looking at converting a 7mm Remington Magnum Winchester Model 70 to 404 Jeffery. Gunsmith told me it would be no problem to add extended magazine box and get it to feed.

I would be interested in know if anyone has rebarreled M70 7mm to 404 Jeffery.

Option would be to switch gears and build a 416 Taylor.

Look at it this way. If Winchester could've made the standard magnum action work with the 300 Ultra Mag, I doubt they would've went to the expense of making all the modifications to the action for it to work like they did. The 404 and the Ultra Mag are basically the same case, other than the 404 hasn't been "improved" like the Ultra Mag case has been. So with the 404 having more body taper and a long sloping neck, maybe it can be made to feed more easily?
As for the 416 Taylor, JD Jones with SSK said it will work fine. I also bought some 416 Taylor dies and made up some cases from 458 brass. They feed through my 7mm Rem Mag very smoothly, so I see that as a very good alternative to the 404.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I found a Win Mod 70 in 300 RUM to be my 404 Jeff donor.

There is a Montana Rifle Co (Win type action) in 300 RUM on GB. Just swap out the barrel.

GunBroker.com - Error

 

[Wheels]

Just curious. Is the Montana action a CRF?

 

[Deleted member 53080]

Just curious. Is the Montana action a CRF?

They are billed as a M70-Mauser hybrid. In image #4 of post #31 there is a breakdown of rifle/action features

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Need help buying a donor rifle for 404 Jeffery later today!

I want to buy locally (Dallas area) but I cannot make up my mind. Here are my choices? These are the prices on the guns but will probably get the rifles for a few hundred dollars less than marked. I prefer wood.

New CZ 550 375 H&H with Standard Walnut Stock, Blued $1,200.00
Used CZ 550 375 H&H Safari Magnum with Beautiful Custom Walnut Stock, Blued $3,000.00
Used Custom Bansner's Model 70 SM 375 with Custom Synthetic Stock and Stainless Steel $1,699.99
New Sako 85 Classic 375 H&H Nice Walnut with Rosewood Forend, Blued $2,200.00
Pre-64 Winchester Model 70 300 H&H Wood and blueing shows usage but good for the age $2,000.00
Possible New Blaser R8 Professional 6.5 Creedmoor with Green Stock $3,600.00. Is this worth the money?

I take one oversees hunting trip per years. Last few years have been to Africa 2x, New Zealand, Europe, etc. Already booked to go back to New Zealand 2021, Bear 2021, Africa 2022. I have a custom 375 H&H but want a 404 Jeffery.

What would you do?

@Justbryan
I would start with a good P14 or M17 action that can be picked up for less than 100 bucks and go from there and build your dream.
They are big sold actions capable of handling everything up to 505 Gibbs and Art Alpins big A Square magnums.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Agreed! If you have found a gunsmith who can do the work, the M17, correctly sporterized, would also be my suggestion for the 404.

If needing a hunting rifle/caliber with equal horsepower, the Win 70 in 416 Rem Mag will get there much easier, quicker and at less expense. Simple to load the 416 Rem down a notch to match the ballistics of the Taylor.

@fourfive8
A P14 would need less alterations and has the advantage of a magnum bolt face already and wider feed. A P14 bolt is interchangeable with the m17.
The choice of llijla barrel is good. I have one on my 25 and its a tack driver.
Bob

 

[Rule 303]

@fourfive8
A P14 would need less alterations and has the advantage of a magnum bolt face already and wider feed. A P14 bolt is interchangeable with the m17.
The choice of llijla barrel is good. I have one on my 25 and its a tack driver.
Bob

Far easier to find an M17 than a P14. The bolt face on the M17 is big enough, just, for the 404 case head, anything bigger and you need the P14 Bolt.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Far easier to find an M17 than a P14. The bolt face on the M17 is big enough, just, for the 404 case head, anything bigger and you need the P14 Bolt.

@Rule 303
Mate I'm fortunate to have a P14 for my 25 and a M17 for my 35AI as well as a spare P14 bolt.
Bob

 

[Rule 303]

Just remember those made by Winchester (esp the the first year or so of manufacture) do not have a full interchangeability of parts with the Rem and Eddystone while Rem and Eddystone are full interchangeable. Bolts should be OK as I think it was minor parts.

 

[Professor Mawla]

I would highly recommend using a CZ Model 550 action . They have only just been discontinued and are still fairly plentiful on the secondhand market ( and that too ; at a reasonably affordable price ) .

All pre 64 Winchester Model 70 rifles should be left unmolested . This applies quadruple to the .300 Holland & Holland Magnum variants , because Winchester no longer manufactures the Model 70 in this calibre .