The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Big Bores Advice on .404 Jeffreys buildGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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I am considering building a .404 Jeffreys. Currently my only big bore experience is with my new Winchester M70 Safari Express .375H&H. I have had this rifle for about a year and love it, it will even be my go to deer rifle this year. But now I have the bug and I want a .404 Jeffreys, it holds a huge mistique to me. The action I have in mind for the build is an as new Belgian double square bridge mauser action which already has a three position side safety. It is however a standard length action rather than a magnum length. I know that the original .404's were built on standard length military M98 actions, so I don't have any reservations about it. My questions are: 1)Is there any reason that I shouldn't use a standard length action? 2)How many rounds can I get down with standard bottom metal? 3) If I buy new bottom metal which is the best for this action? 4)Are there any common issues with building a .404 on a standard action that I need to look out for? Thanks for any input guys! Cheers, --Derek It's not the caliber of the rifle that matters - It's the caliber of the man behind it. | ||
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WHERE did you FIND that action, you lucky bugger!? Anyway, the bottom metal to use is made by AR member and legendary gunmaker, Duane Weibe and I can tell you that he is a firstclass gentleman and a pleasure to deal with. That said, my choice for a .404J, which I would love to have and would have built is the current GZ-550 Mag. action and CZ-USA is now importing these with the little pop-up "peep" rear sights that were on the early Brno ZKK rifles. With a 3-pos safety and trigger from AHR and a Micky handle and minor tuning, you can get a .404J that will be ideal for about any uses I can imagine. If, I were younger, I would just have the entire rifle built by AHR and imported to Canada, by Prophet River. | |||
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i'd ask Duane if he can do the metal work... then ask about stocks opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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I am considering using a prefinished Lothar Walther #722 contour barrel, .650 inches at the muzzle, 25.6 inches length. This seems like a fairly affordable barrel, which is very important if I am to complete the project as I am on students budget! I was wondering if this is this a suitable barrel contour and what final barrel length is optimal for the .404 ? I am hoping to build a trim and handy working rifle on a budget. I think I can get the barrel, action, and NECG sights for just over $1000. If I keep the component costs down I am hoping that I will have some money left to have a decent smith make it work, without breaking the bank too much. If anyone has any suggestions of good but reasonably priced smiths in Canada who could do the metalwork, could you please let me know? I know Ralph Martini is good, but he is priced out of the reach of my student budget. As much as I hate synthetics, I may have to put it in a Mcmillan stock until I finish school, just to keep the price down. It's not the caliber of the rifle that matters - It's the caliber of the man behind it. | |||
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The synthetic stocked rifles I have from Martini Gunmakers cost each several times what you are hoping to spend. There is Jan, who worked for Ralf, but, he is very busy and NOT "cheap", you need to spend serious coin to do this properly. Ralf will no longer do any of this kind of work as he is so busy with his custom rifle builds and his rifles start at $14,500, IIRC and he told me a couple of months ago, that he is quite backlogged. I expect his prices to increase soon and sharply, much past a student's budget. There is NO 'smith in Canada, that I would have even touch the action you have except Ralf and it seems like an impractical project to me, given your financial status. | |||
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I think both calibers are important  Welcome to AR Awesome choice on cartridge. Good luck with the project and please update us with the build progress. 577 BME 3"500 KILL ALL 358 GREMLIN 404-375 *we band of 45-70ers* (Founder) Single Shot Shooters Society S.S.S.S. (Founder) | |||
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My 404 Jeffery has a 24" barrel...23" to 24" would be just about right...I would not go any longer than 24" for a 404. | |||
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Derek, First, it's a .404 Jeffery. Not plural but singular. Make sure your gunsmith puts that on the barrel.  Second, it can be done on a standard length action, but I would think that the gunsmithing costs will be prohibitive, given your budget. Much better and less expensive to start with a magnum length action, I would think. Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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I am dreaming of a 404 Jeffery project and have been collecting photos of rifles I like. If you want it to be a real classic, you can get Lothar Walther to do it as an octagon to round profile with a full rib & sights. That would real cool and you could then rust blue it and put some nice wood on it & it would mae an awesome rifle. Yes it would cost a bit more. I wonder if AHR would finish it for you with a stock - their Winchester & CZ magnums are not expensive really & they do look nice. Good luck & hope you post some nice photos.
"When the wind stops....start rowing. When the wind starts, get the sail up quick." | |||
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Good caliber choice. I had one built on a Remington 700 - 300 Ultramag action with a Chick Donnelly barrel. Since the cartridge case diameters are similar, all I had to do was open the bolt face 3 thousands to accomodate the 404. The only thing I miss is the controlled feed of the mauser/M70 actions. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Big Bores Advice on .404 Jeffreys build
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