I hope to shoot a cape buffalo and large antelope with my 404 Jeffrey. I am going to mount a 1-6X scope on it. What is the ideal range to zero the rifle? I was thinking 100 yards.

Jim

That will work just fine.

Yeah, 100 yards is the standard, however, I would test it at 150 and 200 to get a realistic drop comparison.

Thank you Gentlemen for the advice.

Jim

I have a 1X6 on my .416. Have always sighted it in dead on at 100. It's 6.5 low at 200 and 21 low at 300. Suspect the .404 is similar.

Take this for what it's worth. I sight all of my rifles 2 1/2" high at 100 yards. That includes a 270 Win, 375 Weatherby and 500 Jeffery. It puts them dead on at 25 yards, and then again at (260 yards for the 270 Win), (240 yards for the 375 Weatherby) and (175 yards for the 500 Jeffery). Works for me.

I sight in the standard 3"s high at 100 yards with all my big game hunting rifles and my doubles using iron sights..both scopes and irons..Its suited me for many years...Some folks sight in from 0 to 2.5 inches at 100 and it works for them also, most important is you the shooter must know the guns trajectory and what works best for YOU, not someone else...

2 inch high at 100.

Then you can aim dead on anything to at least 250 yards.

In most safari situations you won’t shoot further than that.

If shooting buffalo with a 404 I would prefer to stalk and shoot close in, using the 404 for what it was designed for, close quarters on large and dangerous game. In that respect when I put a higher front sight on my 404 to bring the POI down (the Mauser had been converted from a 10.75x68), I filed the blade down until I was dead on at 50 yards. Likewise with my Leupold EER scope fitted it too is shot in to be dead on at 50 yards.

If shooting at non-dangerous hoofed game it is not going to matter too much if the shot from a 404 is a few inches high or low but on a close in buffalo or elephant I would want the bullet to go exactly where I aim. I did shoot a few Aussie buffalo with the 404 and open sights, some very close in and I had the bullet to go exactly where I aimed.

If taking buffalo or other dangerous game at longer range then yes shoot in to flatten the trajectory, but I don't get the point of using a 404 to snipe buffalo.

With irons I want the bullet to shoot 3 inches high at 100...I want to see his nose or eye over my sights, not covering them up..and 2 inches works for some but since I sight all my hunting rifles in the same, I use the 3" method. so its eye memory with all...Same with a scope...

Everything here is 2 1/2" high at 100yds, except 22's.

I thank everyone for their advice. It seems Saeed's advice was the simplest. I think I will give that a go.

Most all are 2, 2.5, and 3"..which every one you settle for isn't going to make a lot of difference, the trajectory is really close...100 yds dead on with all hunting rifles is popular in Africa with pHs for whatever reason..Lot of ex farmers in the business I guess!!

A .404 Jeffery is not a long range rifle.

I say again, a 100 yard zero is all you will need.

Just know your drop table and hold over in the unlikely event you need to fire a follow up shot beyond 125 yards.

I like to sight in 3" high at 100 yards not to make a long range gun, but to be able to see what Im shooting over the sight as opposed to covering it up.. the sights still work well up to 250 to 300 yards, with a center hold on the shoulder plus a few inches, trajectory is very close to my 30-30s in actual tests on animal targets at varius range..I think the longest shot on a buffalo was 175 yards with my 404 Mauser with a receiver sight.

My father always taught me to sight in a couple of inches high at 100 which would usually give you dead on out to 300 with small calibers. And that was all good, but with buffalo in particular, most of my shots are 100 yards or less. So I sight in dead on at 100. Longest shot I ever had to make on a buffalo was just over 200, but I know I'm exactly 6.5 inches low at 200. Longest shot I ever took with my .416 was at a hartebeest at just over 300. I'm 21.5 inches low at that range. That works for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
A .404 Jeffery is not a long range rifle.

I say again, a 100 yard zero is all you will need.

Just know your drop table and hold over in the unlikely event you need to fire a follow up shot beyond 125 yards.

They also say a 375 is not a long range rifle.

I am using one, and I have shot game animals at over 500 yards with it.

My PH said “Bloooody hell! That is ridiculous!”

For many a caliber, nothing like hunting at 2800fps+

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
A .404 Jeffery is not a long range rifle.

I say again, a 100 yard zero is all you will need.

Just know your drop table and hold over in the unlikely event you need to fire a follow up shot beyond 125 yards.

Every cartridge is a long range round if you know the trajectory of your load. Gravity is a constant so as long as you know your load you can shoot out pretty far.

I haven't shot my 375 on game as far as Saeed has but I have killed a zebra at 300 yard with a 2,500 fps 300 grain TSX.

2.5" high at 100 yards for a rough 200 yard zero. I screwed up and did dead on at 100 with my .416 Remington and shot under a big kudu in Zambia. I knew better, but for some reason had it in my head that I needed to be dead on at 100 for the leopard I eventually shot. Like a tad high at 100 is going to make a hill of beans of difference at 40. I bumped it up after the miss and felt like an idiot. It was a big kudu.

There is no reason not to sight it a bit high at 100 so you don't have to think about a 200 or farther shot. Both of my hartebeest (Namibia and Zambia) were over 200 yard shots as was a follow up on my wife's sable (later found to be unnecessary).

Jeremy

Since it's your only rifle, which you will be using for both plains game and dangerous game, then a couple of inches high at 100 yards would not be a mistake. It's just that to me, it would not be necessary, either.

To my way of thinking, a .404 Jeffery is a DG rifle, first and foremost.

I have never shot DG beyond 100 yards, and I like to get much, much closer than that.

I'll stretch that maximum range out to 300 yards or so on PG if need be. But then I'll generally be using a high velocity medium bore rifle better suited to the task.

If I had to bet green money on it, I would say that the average range at which I have shot every big game animal I have ever shot, over many years and on five continents, would be inside of 150 yards.

Yes.

The majority of game animals are shot within 200 yards.

But, occasionally you have no choice but to shoot at longer distances.

It is not a problem, as long as you know your rifle’s trajectory.

This year I think I only shit one animal further than 200.

A sable.

One shot.

But I was using my own NO MISS AMMO!

Hold over is easy if you know the drop of your caliber as you should, my problem has normally been wind, it meses with my mind, its never the same where I stand and where the critter is at those long ranges.

I have to change my 175 yard kill to the Teapot bull as the PH called him..225 yards with a rest on the side of a tree, at the shot he tipped over on his nose and died with a shoulder shot much like you pour a spot of tea!! 416 Rem., 400 gr. woodleigh soft..Buffalo seldom dump over at the shoulder shot, it happens but its rare indeed..

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
2 inch high at 100.

Then you can aim dead on anything to at least 250 yards.

In most safari situations you won’t shoot further than that.

This!

Scope sighted for 100 yards. Irons for 50 yards.

This is a cartridge designed to kill big stuff at reasonable distances.

The long flat vugas in Tanzania will furnish you with some long shots, as will mountain bulls, not all buffalo are killed in the thick stuff at 50 yards, and shots must be taken at longer ranges with big bores..Ive never bought of on long range guns and short range guns on DG..A 416 etc for instance shoots pretty darn flat with 350 gr. Monolithics as does the 375 and 404..Ive hunted elk with my 404 and its pretty darn good across a Idaho canyon. I recommend setting up animal targets at 100, 200, 300 and 400, its fun and a surprising experience to most.

One wonders who quotes ballistic charts or actually shoots targets 100,200,300 and 400 is my actual tests in the desert..

Saeed

"I only SHIT one animal at two hundred yards!

DO YOU SHIT A LOT OF ANIMALS USUALLY???



Hip

Hipshot,
I know Saeed has shot no less than 300 cape buffalo and I would never take him on as to experienced hunting..