404 Jeffery Update

17 March 2003, 16:31

<MT-Man>

404 Jeffery Update

Last May I posted a problem with a newly received 404 Jeffery. The feeding problem turned out to be my reloading problem and was easilly resolved. The rifle functions very well and feeds flawlesly so far. The rifle was based on the CZ550 and I stayed with the original barrel length.

I have been shooting it periodically and today I had the opportunity to finally chronogragh some loads. With 90 grains of IMR 4831 and 400 grain Woodleighs I am averaging 2435 fps.

I believe that is nearly exactly what Ray had predicted with the load data he forwarded to me. Thanks Ray!

So far the shooting has been mostly water jugs. No real bench rest type shooting for accuracy checks. So far the water jugs have never had the chance to charge though.

Thanks to all for their advice when "I" was having problems.

17 March 2003, 17:04

Mickey1

quote:
Originally posted by MT-Man:
.........
So far the shooting has been mostly water jugs. No real bench rest type shooting for accuracy checks. So far the water jugs have never had the chance to charge though.

Water jugs are usually quite sluggish in Montana in the winter. [Wink]

Too cold blooded I guess. Wait until summer and then watch out.

Congrats on the .404, the aristocrat of English Calibers. It is the caliber all others are compared to. [Big Grin]

17 March 2003, 18:13

<lb404>

MT-MAN,
What kinds of loading problems did you have and how did you resolve them?
lb404

18 March 2003, 15:17

<MT-Man>

The problem I had was the cartridges were VERY hard to chamber. To the point of hurting your hand trying to close and/or open the bolt. I had made the mistake of loading all of my new brass without having the gun in hand to check if there were any problems after one load instead of 40. Not the real problem but it made solving the problem a longer process. With these difficulties I ordered a new batch of Bell Brass. They fit in the chamber fine. The problem turned out to be that I wasn't getting a full size in the dies. Ran the shell in a touch further and now all rounds fit and feed as fast as I can cycle the bolt. I pulled all the bullets and resized the cases and everything now works fine.

The gunsmith was ready to rework the chamber if needed but as it turns out the problem was mine and easily remedied.

As an aside, the rifle will fit 5 rounds in the magazine. I have fired 5 quick rounds and the only problem encountered was that the shells get ejected hard enough to dent in the mouth of the case. Where they hit I don't know, could be my hard head.

One minor issue I would like to check/resolve is that the soft lead on the nose hits the chamber entrance and occasionally will leave a bit of lead to get smeared on the case. Is this unusual or to be expected with the larger rifles? Anybody have the same problem/issue?

18 March 2003, 22:02

Pete E

MT-Man,

What caliber was the original CZ550 you used for this project?

Regards,

Pete

18 March 2003, 22:43

RIP

MT-Man,
Could be that the smith did not bevel the edge of the chamber entrance on the barrel for smoother feeding. A sharp edge there can mar the bullet or brass as the round enters the chamber. If so, that would mean pulling the barrel off to do so.

19 March 2003, 15:17

<MT-Man>

Pete E

The rifle was originally a .375H&H. My Dad liked mine so much in the original form that he had to get one also. That "Hog-back" stock may not appeal to everyone but it sure seems to make the rifle fit very nice.

DaggaRon,

I'll check into the Chamber entrance and see if that's my problem. Thanks.

19 March 2003, 16:11

RIP

Glad to hear someone else likes the hogback. It suits me fine too. I have seen a few with pretty nice wood. Do you reckon those that hate it are midgets that can't handle the 14" factory pull? They come with a Pachmayr Decelerator and handle recoil well. They are about as close as possible to allowing scope and iron sight interchangeability as any stock. Midgets could cut the stock down. [Wink]

20 March 2003, 15:16

diesel_dude

MT-Man, did you use the same stock? What kind of sights?

20 March 2003, 16:15

<MT-Man>

diesel_dude.

I kept the original stock. It has some great tiger striping in the wood. A lot of people have expressed the opinion that it could be the best CZ stock they've seen. Heh, coming from our neck of the woods that could be down right ugly but I'll take it as a compliment, and good luck as it was ordered, sight unseen, not selected.

I went with a quarter rib, 3-leaf express sights and NECG front sights. Went with a barrel band in lieu of the stock swivel. Now I have an extra screw in the stock where the swivel was. Wish I had a way to post pictures but so far I don't.

Need to remember that this is my first "big bore" and I was on a budget. The quarter rib isn't integral, but like I said I was on a budget. Maybe after I scrape up the money for my first couple of African hunts I can get some more improvements. But, so far the rifle is very functional, shoots whenever and wherever I need to. It's got some bugs to work out but it sounds like nearly every big bore does so I'm not worried. At this point I would feel comfortable hunting anything with it. Right...until I get nervous at the sight of an actual Cape Buffalo, shoot the dirt and head back to camp for a toddy to steady the nerves.

Anyway, so far I would be one of the first to recommend a CZ550 for any rifle. Now that I have the 404 Jeffery I need to try and stop thinking about a .358 Norma. Wife wants me to stop thinking about it too.......