African Outfitter is an independent international bimonthly publication promoting
fair hunting and ethical business practices within the hunting industry.
From a hunting perspective, the preservation of biodiversity on the
African continent is the first and foremost priority. The emphasis
is however also on the sustainable utilisation of wildlife.

African Outfitter Back Issues: CONTENTS - August / September 2007 - (Vol 2/5)

Favourite rifles and terminal performance : .404 Jeffery - Mauritz Coetzee

I have always been a firm supporter of the .375 H&H Magnum. Having said this, I am also intensely aware that shot placement with this cartridge needs to be clinically precise. Put differently, there is simply no room for error, and in the words of the well-known professional hunter Geoff Broom, it is a light rifle (caliber) for both buffalo and elephants especially in the thick bush (A life on Safari, page 233).

The .404 Jeffery, on the other hand, has always seemed to be a type of workhorse since its inception around 1910.

Like so many of the older type English developed cartridges, velocity figures with 400 grain bullets were kept around 2 125–2 150 feet per second.

The reasoning behind the fondness for bullets to be driven, whether of 400, 480 or 500 grain weight configurations, in different calibers and at velocities usually not exceeding 2 200 feet per second, were simply based on field experience out in the African bush.

With the .404 Jeffery the original loadings offered very modest recoil. Given its extensive use throughout Africa for a period of over 90 years, the performance of this cartridge against especially thick-skinned African game is impressive.

John Tayor (African Rifles & Cartridges – p 108) mentioned problems associated with the 400 grain full-patch solids loaded years ago with the .404 Jeffery. Problems were also encountered when hunters used the high-velocity load 300 grain soft-nose bullet against buffalo.

To a certain extent, the .404 Jeffery cartridge was also plagued with bullet failure as was the case with the .375 H&H Magnum.

Today, due to bullet development the .404 Jeffery, like any big-bore cartridge, can be loaded with premium grade bullets, whether of soft-nose or solid design.

There are numerous owners of .404 Jeffery rifles in Southern Africa. In this regard, many owners of original .404 Jeffery or Cogswell & Harrison rifles have experienced problems with reloaded ammunition.

The reason for this is quite simple: original British specifications called for an undersize barrel (.410“ bore, .418” groove) with a soft bullet (.422”diameter) being squeezed down in an abrupt, funnel-shaped throat.

Most of these old rifles work fine with the original Kynoch-produced ammunition, although reloaded ammunition with the .423 diameter bullets and modern cases like Norma, can prove difficult to chamber in these old rifles irrespective of the degree of full-length resizing.

Such reloaded cartridges usually show heavy squeezing where the neck and shoulder area comes together on the .404 case and the bolt of the rifle, more or often than not, will not close due to the undersize dimensions.

The good news is that any well-trained gunsmith can rectify these undersize chambers with a proper chamber reamer, although nothing can really be done with undersize barrels (.417 – .419 groove diameter) except to replace the barrel.

Some .404 Jeffery users still use modern .423 bullets in these rifles although loads are adjusted to keep pressures within acceptable levels.

Two close friends, Richard Eales and John Huyser, are totally satisfied users of the .404 Jeffery cartridge. Johan only recently acquired his .404 rifle whilst Richard has been using his custom-built .404 rifle, as assembled and finished by Ginger van Zyl, for around six years.

Both rifles have Mauser actions and Truvelo barrels. Johan Huyser has used his rifle against all plains game and recently on hippo in Mozambique.

Richard, on the other hand, has hunted plains game, hippo, buffalo and elephant with his .404 rifle. Since big game is also a regular item on Richard’s hunting inventory, his rifle is equipped with quick-detachable Warne mounts to remove the Leopold 1.5 – 5 x 20 scope whenever you go into thick bush in pursuit of dangerous game.

What is important is that both of those hunters have proved that the .404 Jeffery cartridge is versatile enough for use against all plains game as well as a reliable performer against dangerous game.

Some of the well-known ivory hunters, such as Ian Nyschens, distrusted the .404 Jeffery and .416 Rigby chambered rifles for shooting elephant in the thick bush (Footsteps of an Ivory Hunter – page 201).

Even then this cartridge as official game department ordinance performed very well in the African hunting areas.

Quite rightfully, from a ballistic point of view it could be called the unsung hero in Africa.

Table 1 - Richard Eales reloading data
	Case	Bullet	Propellant	Primer	Velocity
Load 1 Load 2 Load 3 Load 4 Load 5	Norma Norma Norma Norma Norma	Rhino Solid 400 grains Rhino Soft 400 grains Woodleigh Soft 400 grains Rhino Soft 400 grains Claw Soft 400 grains	S 355 71.5 S355 74 grains S 355 73 grains S 35.5 78 grains S 355 73 grains	Federal 215 Federal 215 Federal 215 Federal 215 Federal 215	2 230 FPS 2 260 FPS 2 180 FPS 2 390 FPS 2 150 FPS
Table 2 - Johan Huyser's reloading data
	Case	Bullet	Propellant	Primer	Velocity
Load Load Load	Norma Norma Norma	Rhino 400 grain soft Dzombo Solid 400 grains Claw 400 grains soft	S 355 75 grains S 355 75 grains S 355 73 grains	CCI250 CCI250 CCI250	2 245 FPS 2 265 FPS 2 130 FPS