Guys,
Apologies if this has been discussed before.

I want to put a good set of express sights on my 404 (looking at NECG). I'm leaning towards a single fixed blade as opposed to a 3 or so leaf. As I would intend to use a scope for longer shots, and the express sights range (0 to 100 yards).

So my question is, with the 404 loaded to do around 2400fps with a 400 grain projectile, and the rifle sighted in at 100, does the 404 shoot flat enough to use the sight out to say 200 yards if necessary?

I am looking at the NECG ring base for sights and I see that some of them have a lug that extends down, which I guess is a second recoil lug? Necessary on a 404?

I haven't got the figures handy but you might just need to use a back line hold.

I'll come back later.

.

Something to read.

Quote
"Ballistics expert Keith Luckhurst ran some trajectory tests comparing a .404 Jeffery loaded with 400-grain bullets at 2280 fps, a .458 Winchester Magnum loaded with 500-grain bullets at 2090 fps, and a .375 H&H leaded with 300-grain bullets at 2550 fps, all sighted in at 100 meters.

According to Luckhurst, “At 250 meters the
.375 Magnum has dropped 11 inches,
the .404 has dropped 13 inches and the
.458 has dropped 18 inches.

But at 150 meters there is a spread of only one inch between these calibers, and at 200 meters it is four inches.

Most gun writers would describe the .375 Magnum as flat shooting and the descriptions of the .458 tend to include words like ‘rainbow trajectory.’ In reality, the point of aim for any of the rifles is virtually the same out to 150 meters.”

Luckhurst concludes that the .404 Jeffery, with better penetration and less recoil than the .458, a trajectory almost as flat as the .375 H&H, and overall performance similar or equal to the .416 Rigby, is a particularly well-balanced rifle for the largest and most dangerous game."

You can take your reality and stuff it.

Did you read the mythical trajectory stories in the topic about what distance to sight-in a rifle for buffalo? Yikes.

Never shot African game, probably never will, BUT on the other hand I know some things that, historically, may be of interest and have seen many DG (and other "classic" rifles) go through British auction houses.

1) For British Army officers to have their rifle transported free of charge with the rest of their regiment or battalion weapons it had to carry sights to 1,000 yards.

2) It was common in Africa to acquire meat by "blazing" at long range into a herd of animals at long range and then sending trackers to follow up and collect the dead and wounded animals.

Thus these three or four leaf express sights with 1,000 yard ladder sight "combo" IN THEIR TIME may have had a purpose...but maybe only in the narrow period when circumstances 1) AND 2) existed.

What is fact is that similar calibre DG rifles for India where condition 2) was never relevant don't have these three and four leaf express sights.

My view would be that one fixed and one folding leaf on most rifles is about enough.

My 404s and 416s irons are sighted in 2 inches high at 100 yds. I like to see a close buffalo over the top of my sights. I can hit a buffalo at 200 yards with a top line hold on his back.

A second lug sure won't hurt a thing. I like them..

I also like Jim Wisners .375 shallow V sight on a elevation ramp, as you can change loads and sight it in. It's a nice sight.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
My 404s and 416s irons are sighted in 2 inches high at 100 yds. I like to see a close buffalo over the top of my sights. I can hit a buffalo at 200 yards with a top line hold on his back.

Thanks for confirming that. Saves me looking it up.