I have asked this question before. No one at that time had anything to post. The information I was able to get from a Dakota dealer is that the 404 Dakota is the 375 Dakota necked up. This would make it a 404 Jeffery improved and shortened to 2.5". That is unfortunately all I can add.
The 404 Dakota offers no real advantage over the 404 Jeff. The 404 Jeff gets 2400 fps with a 400 grainer which is ideal. All you get from the Dakota is more recoil, more chance of bullet failure, less resale value and more difficulty finding ammo.
Posts: 18352 | Location: Salt Lake City, Utah USA | Registered: 20 April 2002
The .404 Dakota was brought to market so that Dakota's potential customers would have a viable big bore option for their travler rifle. It, like most cartridges with a pedigree, has certainly been done before.
Posts: 1250 | Location: Golden, CO | Registered: 05 April 2001
Dakota sent me one of their rounds and its a neat little round and has a lot to offer, but I like the ambiance of the Jefferys, so I'll just hang in there with it....It has never let me down in the least...
The 404 Jeffery will work in a standard action ie Mauser 98, Win M70, Rem M700. You will undoubtedly need to open up the Mauser, but if you get a M70 or M700 in a belted magnum chambering you should be able to get away with almost no modification outside of removing the possible spacer in the back of the magazine box and open the rails. The rails may not even need to be touched if the relative shoudler positions between the original case and the Jeffery are close enough. If you study most cartridge designs you will notice that the distance form the head to the shoulder is often very close to the same from one cartridge to another. This is desireable because it allows for one receiver to feed several different cartridges without modification. Now that I have said this someone will most likely dispute it but oh well.
If I were you I would do the 404 Jefferys on a Mauser M1898 (or equivalent) or a Win M70.
I have no personal experience with the VZ24. It will however accept a 404 Jeffery. The extent of action modifications I cannot however discuss. Please remember though that it is ALWAYS BEST TO MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF ACTION MODIFICATIONS.
