I know I could use the old standby 338 for elk, and limited to spike only I could go with the 7mm08, but I'd like to use the new to me 404Jeffery. to get a little more range I'd like to use 350 gr Woodleighs. the only load data that I'm aware of is in the Woodleigh loading manual, which I'm ordering. Does anyone know of another source for lighter lead core bullets or have data they have that you're willing to share?

I loaded 347gr and shot a few red deer and feral goats with my 404J.
RWS 347gr soft point with 87.0grs IMR4831, not a heavy load by any stretch but up to the same POI as factory or reloaded shells using the 400gr bullet.

RWS .423" 347gr steel jacketed soft point

North Fork makes some great bullets, 340-grain and 380-grain premiums with soft lead nose core and solid copper base. And GSC has a 320-grain monometal copper HV. Top notch game bullets.

You can get some Lee or CH4D (better) bullet sizers and get .430-caliber 444 Marlin bullets (300-grainers, or even 265-grain FTX) to size down to what fits your barrel grooves.
Fine for plinking and deer as long as you don't push them too fast.

This is something for me to add to my to-do list.
I have sized jacketed bullets and monometal copper bullets from .416 to .408 and .411. Also .400 to .395.
Going from .430 to .425 for my McGowen barrels should be an easy 2-step re-size. Going down to .423 would be a 3-step re-size.
Will describe if interested.
You just need a cheap (about a hundred bucks) one-ton arbor press from Harbor Freight bolted to your work bench in the garage, and a 2-foot cheater pipe handle.

What barrel make do you have?
The 404 Jeffery barrels are variable.
.423" (Pac-Nor and Lothar Walther), .424" (Krieger), and .425" (McGowen) are common groove diameters.
I think even C.I.P. is confused about it, and there is no S.A.A.M.I. standard for it.

I have load data for the North Fork and GSC bullets mentioned above, plus Woodleigh 400-grainers,
in a McGowen barrel, 1:10" twist, which is the same one used on the CZ factory 550 Magnum 404 Jeffery rifles.
I use Varget Extreme for all bullet weights, with excellent results.
The .423-caliber bullets from North Fork work great in my loose barrels. Dead bison vouch for it.
My DON'T-GO-MUCH-PAST velocities:
2400 fps with 400-grain Woodleighs.
2525 fps with 380-grain North Forks.
2700 fps with 340-grain North fork
2800 fps with 320-grain GSC HV, a real "African Sheep" bullet.

According to the seller it's a Lilja. I haven't slugged it yet, but I'm in the process of getting the equipment/instructions to do so.

Also, is Pac-Nor the maker that bought C.P. Donnelly's equipment?

quote:

Originally posted by Ray B:
According to the seller it's a Lilja. I haven't slugged it yet, but I'm in the process of getting the equipment/instructions to do so.

.423"-groove for Lilja, nice and tight, 1:14" twist.
Excellent barrels from Lilja.
If I were going to build another 404 Jeffery, that is the barrel I would get.

I do not know anything about Pac-Nor buying C. P. Donnelly equipment.

Some data from http://www.accuratereloading.com/404.html
... shows that it was done with a Donnelly barrel, 400-grain bullets, however, no 350-grainers.

I do know that the current McGowen Barrels of Montana bought Harry McGowen's equipment and trucked it from Illinois to Montana in four tractor-trailers.

Here is the data that Woodliegh sent me for the 350gr.

86 grains RE15 for 2600 fps

83 grains H4895 for 2590 fps

85 grains IMR 4064 for 2600 fps

I used the 350 gr. Barnes X and Woodleighs on Cape Buffalo..My favorite load was 89 grs. of RL-15 for 2666 FPS average of 10 shots takeing out the high and low rounds. in a 26" Lothar Walthar barreled Mauser.

87 grs if H4895 gave me over 2500 FPS
91 grs. of WW-748 was good for 2558 FPS
IMR-4064 was good for 2644 FPS
All were good accurate loads in my gun with 350 gr. Barnes X bullets..Those x bullets performed very well on Buffalo, and penetrated good enough. This load data came from a varity of loading books listed in African Dangerous Game Cartridges by Pierre van der Walt, a brilliant source of DG cartridge loading..

That said in cup and core bullets I prefered the 400 gr bullets but my all time favorite Cape Buffalo load is 89 to 90 grs. of H-4831 (old surplus) or 87 grs. of IMR-4831 and the 450 gr. Woodliegh...I really like that 450 gr. Woodleigh.

I intended to use the 450 RN in the thick stuff and PP in the open country, at least that was the plan, but later decided the PP was the best cape buffalo bullet under all circumstances.

The 450 Woodleighs recoil like a 404 should, and killed like a 458 Lott it seemed to me...

Most of todays commercial bullets work just fine in the 404J. The above is just the ones I personally settled on..The 450s ended my search for the perfect bullet in the 404..