Curious what the recoil feels like with 400 grain bullets compared to the 375 with 300 grains. Most big bore shooters think the 375 is fairly easy on the shoulder and mild. The "push" vs the punch. As far as 40 caliber, now we're clearly into bigbore so is the 404 the mildest recoiling of the 40 cal. and up? It's size and shape reminds me of the 375, with the gentle taper and soft shoulders. It does not have the imposing look of a 416 Rigby or 458 Lott. I've only shot the 375 and didn't think it was all that bad. The 404 has me intrigued so I'd like to know how it recoils. Thanks.

Depends on the powder measure. Loaded to traditional velocities it will be a bit more than the 375 but if you use Ray's loads you will be in 416 Rigby territory. I have both the Jeffrey and the Rigby and with certain loads the Jeffrey kicks harder than the Rigby. Both have similar stocks and weigh about 10.5#. Get one, you will like it. Good Hunting.

D Hunter, what kind of loads are the hard kickers? I was thinking of the 400 grainers at 2400 fps.

If you can handle the .375h&h w/ 300gr bullets, then the original .404j load of a 400gr bullet @ 2150fps+/- will be no problem. I had a Lott made up & found that even 6-9 ronds from the bench was just plain brutal w/ 500gr bullets @ 2200fps. Sold it, had a .404j made & have spent 30-40 round days on the bench doing load dev. & felt fine after. The key is staying below the 2250fps mark w/ a 400gr bullet. When you start to pass that, recoil starts getting annoying, at least for me. Great cartridge, just wish bullets were more readily available. If you get one, drop Hornady a note & beg for a 400gr bullet.
BTW, a 400gr bulelt @ 2400fps whether from a Rigby, Remington or Jeffery will smack you the same from like rifles.

The recoil of the 375 H7h Rigby is 44.1 Ft-Lbs (300 gr @ 2,526 fps)
The recoil of the 404 Jeff is 48.1 Ft-Lbs (400 gr @ 2,150 fps).
The recoil of the 416 Rigby is 64.5 Ft-Lbs (410 gr @ 2,313 fps)
The recoil of the 458 Lott is 72.7 Ft-Lbs (500 gr @ 2,275 fps)
The recoil of the 460 Weatherby is 98.6 Ft-Lbs (500 gr @ 2,444 fps)
The recoil of the 500 Jeff is 106.9 Ft-Lbs (535 gr @ 2,333 fps)

Chris

Truvello, since felt recoil is also a matter of the weight of the rifle, what rifle weights are you assuming in your calculations? On my "what it felt like to me" scale, your numbers look like what I feel. I have both a 404 and 416 Rigby which almost the same. If, using your calculating method, you up the speed on the 404 to 2400 fps do you get the same felt recoil as the 416 Rigby? In my opinion you should be darn close as the only difference will be the powder charge.

quote:

Originally posted by truvelloshooter:
The recoil of the 458 Lott is 72.7 Ft-Lbs (500 gr @ 2,275 fps)
The recoil of the 460 Weatherby is 98.6 Ft-Lbs (500 gr @ 2,444 fps)
The recoil of the 500 Jeff is 106.9 Ft-Lbs (535 gr @ 2,333 fps)

Chris

Chris,
you'll need to post weights and please use NOMINAL loadings (webbt is 2600)... IF you assumed the same weight, find another calc. as it's 'improbable' that a webby, 500gr at 2600(factory load) will kick less than a 535 at 2350.


recoil in relative ranking, assuming proper weights
458lott 500@2300
500 jeffe 535@2350
550 express 700@2125
460 webby 500@2600
550 magnum 700@2350
577 nitro 750@2050

there's a huge FELT difference in the 458lott and the 500 jeffe, even though there really shouldn't be.

To draw a closer line, the 416 rem and the 416 rigby, both at 2400, in near same weight guns... the rigby kicks MUCH more, without a doubt, but it's burning 30+ more grains of powder to get there.

a 404 is a lite recoiling gun, at factory spec, and just about the same as a 375 at factory, in the same weight gun

jeffe

Feffeosso,

Felt recoil is different from calculated (mechanical) recoil. Weight of gun, stock design, muzzle brakes, recoil pads, etc all create a different feel of recoil.

The bullet weights and velocities quoted are all with South African powders and is merely for illustrative purposes and not meant to be cast in stone. With different loads (low, medium & high), the recoil energy is bound to vary for any given cartridge.

Felt or perceived recoil also has to do with recoil velocity - for example a 300 Weatherby magnum may kick harder than a 9,3 mild load, as the recoil is felt as a sharp jab, rather than a a modest push from the 9,3.

Chris

In identicle rifles, the .416Rigby will kick more than a .404jeffery using indentical bullets & vel. due to the extra 20-30gr of powder. I find w/ a 380gr NF @ 2250fps, recoil is much like a .375 shooting 300gr bullets @ 2550fps.

Prewar 70, as most rifles for the 404 tend to be heavier than rifles for the 375, George Caswell at Champlin Arms prefers to outfit females going on a DG hunt with the 404 Jeff above all other calibers when considering recoil. It can be loaded hotter, but if your concern is recoil, the 404 will be fine.