We forumni know that the 404 Jeffery originated in 1905. Alf's scholarly research has documented this fact.

The sad 425 Westley Richards was a me-too competitor of 1909.
But it seems Jeffery felt the pinch of the ugly duckling upstart and worked to nip it in the bud.

This excerpt is from the scholarly work of George A. Hoyem, pg.108 of:
THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION
VOLUME THREE
(BRITISH SPORTING RIFLE CARTRIDGES)



They insinuated that the competitor's 425WR rifles were as ugly and clumsy as the cartridge.

Note also the reference magnum actions being used for the 404 Jeffery, whether true magnums or merely standards length actions opened up.

The section on the 425 WR revealed that it was sometimes formed by turning down the rim of the 404 Jeffery,
shortening the case, then forming to ugly duckling shape.
This was done way back when Parker Hale was
making some 425WR rifles.

Likely that is how the "designed-by-committee" 425 Westley Richards came to be.

Nice to see Jeffrey endorse 3+1 in the face of "a Mauser was never designed to work that way" -- unless they recommended the (to me) silly practice of turning the rifle upside down, opening the floorplate, and trying to stack the last round in...

Maybe they just pushed it down on top a bit and slid it in?

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:

Maybe they just pushed it down on top a bit and slid it in?

That works great with a 500 Mbogo CZ and their standard .416 Rigby box.
4th cartridge CRF's off the top of the box,
which will not quite hold 4 down in the box.
A pregnant guppy floor plate/pocket plate is so unsightly, afterall.

Looks like Mr. Hoyem can't get his facts straight and neither can you Dr. B. You address the cartridges like they are human. A "me-too" competitor????????????? What the hell is wrong with you?????????????????????????????????????? and you are a suppose to be a medical doctor?????????????????

It is a .425 Westley Richards not a .423 Westley Richards as Mr. Hoyem states. It is a .435 caliber. Yes, .435" is larger than .423". The .425 was in-service thruout Africa.

Westley Richards is a prestigious firm with more class in its .425 than you have in your life. Would you mind posting more pictures of your two and three tone laminated stocked muzzle-braked rifles? You probably have been sold ocean front property in Arizona too that you haven't seen yet

Schadenfreude, so fine!

I new that would give Bullwhiff some gratification,
getting to catch the typo of the ".423" even though it was ".425"
at the get go.
Very astute.
But petty.
As usual.
Truth, not typos, about history is what we are after here!

Parker Hale made rifles in 404 Jeffery and 425 WR way back when.
The 404 Jeffery ammo they supplied had a headstamp like so (below represents the lettering circling the primer):

Parker Hale
(((( O ))))
... 404 ...

Interestingly, the 425 WR ammo had the same headstamp sometimes,
albeit with a smaller rim, made from turned-down 404 Jeffery brass.
Hoyem has picture of it.