JudgeG,

Congrats on your most recent ele....

I know that you have taken ele with both the 416 Ruger and a 404 Jeffery.

Any differences? Would you suggest one over the other?

If I wanted a true classic rifle for Africa, I would have a .404 Jeffery built. (And Mike at Bijou Creek is doing just that for me as I write).

If I wanted an infinitely practical, but somewhat cheap, pedestrian gun for a back up bad weather, I'd go with the .416 Ruger in the Alaskan model. (Which I did on this last trip).

As to performance, a few elephants isn't enough to count, at least using my own experience, but a hundred years of sending .416 and .423 diameter bullets into elephants has shown that they both work quite well.

Pretty and practical or practical and cheap. Either will work just fine.

Ernest: What action are you using for the custom .404J ?

quote:

Originally posted by Frank Beller:
Ernest: What action are you using for the custom .404J ?

JudgeG, to endear yourself here a "push feed" is the correct reply!

In good hunting.

Andrew

Ernest: Another question - which do you shoot better (because of the recoil) - the .404 or the .416 ? I'm trying to sort out which rifle I might be taking this fall for buffalo, hippo, & a possible elephant, and my CZ .404 is fairly pleasant to shoot, but my Blaser R93 .416 Rem (even with the KickStop in the stock) is almost brutal. Both shoot extremely well, but recoil may be a problem in the .416 Rem. What are your thoughts on the recoil of the two ?

quote:

Originally posted by Frank Beller:
Ernest: Another question - which do you shoot better (because of the recoil) - the .404 or the .416 ? I'm trying to sort out which rifle I might be taking this fall for buffalo, hippo, & a possible elephant, and my CZ .404 is fairly pleasant to shoot, but my Blaser R93 .416 Rem (even with the KickStop in the stock) is almost brutal. Both shoot extremely well, but recoil may be a problem in the .416 Rem. What are your thoughts on the recoil of the two ?

Frank,

Sorry to butt in but I noticed you own a .577 and yet you are questioning the recoil of a .416? From my experience the .577 will give a nose bleed on the first shot and I did not bother to find out what would happen with the second.

for my 0.10 - the 404J is one of those strange loads that just flat kills elephants, and everything else. It is pleasant to shoot, can be pleasant to carry and it is an out and out killer of big game in the field.

quote:

Originally posted by JTHunt:
for my 0.10 - the 404J is one of those strange loads that just flat kills elephants, and everything else. It is pleasant to shoot, can be pleasant to carry and it is an out and out killer of big game in the field.

Agreed. It is a classic and I sometimes carry one made (customised ?)by Charles Osbourne.

I think you are all right. I built a 404 Jeffery on a Brno 602 action. I could have bought a 416 for about a quarter of what I paid for my 404 to be built but I wanted the history of the 404.

http://forums.nitroexpress.com...=0&page=0#Post150089

Cheers Neale

quote:

Originally posted by FATBOY404:
I think you are all right. I built a 404 Jeffery on a Brno 602 action. I could have bought a 416 for about a quarter of what I paid for my 404 to be built but I wanted the history of the 404.

http://forums.nitroexpress.com...=0&page=0#Post150089

Cheers Neale

Just out of interest I seem to remember someone mentioning that the ballistics of the .404J and the .416 Rigby were virtually identical?

fairgame.
I havnt bothered, but I know a few 404 owners that get 2400 fps with 400 grain projectiles.
On the flip side my mate has a 416 Rigby he loads 400 grain Barnes at 2220 fps and hasnt had any trouble killing his Buffalo or Elephant.

My little Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan in .416 Ruger only weighs 7 3/4 lbs and you know darn well that you've shot it, but the recoil pad is much better than the little red one that usually comes on Rugers. To deal with the "kick" for an extended period at the range, I use a sissy pad and it is tolerable.

I already have two .404's (beside the one Mike is building). Both weigh at least a pound more than the Ruger. I've never actually thought about the recoil in either and that should speak to the lack thereof???

As I've written before, I'm a fan of the new Hornady DG ammunition. It really is nice that the .404 is available at a reasonable price. I reload, but being able to just pick up the phone and order ammo that works is great.

fairgame: I just received my Searcy .577, & haven't shot it yet. I fully expect it to be quite brutal to shoot, & to be honest, will only shoot it standing & at ranges well less than 75 yards. On the other hand, for the above-mentioned rifles, I'll be using them at ranges out to possibly 125 yards, & am trying to get close to MOA accuracy - for hippo brain shots, etc.