High folks,

Can anyone point me in the direction of some loading data for the .404 Jeff? Specifically for 400 gr A-Frames and 400gr Woodleigh solids?

Thanks,
Dean

My real life experience is with the French powders, probably not much use to you. But if you've got some, 78 grains of Vectan SP 11 should give you around 2,300 fps. With NorthFork 380 Flat Point Solids and 78 grains of SP 11 I get 2,290 fps in my rifle.

The load data I have for American powders shows a starting load of 84 grains for IMR-4350 with the 400 grain bullet. It shows a maximum load of 87 grains for a velocity of 2,344 fps. This would appear to be a reprint from the N Harvey Reloading Manual.

I'm sure others in the USA will chime in with more appropriate powders.

Thanks Wink. French powders might be a little hard to find around here . .404 J loads are proving hard to come by, but IMR-4350 does seem to be commonly used.

Dean

If you look at the reloading pages on AR (rather than at the forums) you will see that Reloader 15 from 75 to 77 grains will give you 2,250 to 2,350 fps with 400 grain bullets in the 404 Jeffery.

A generous soul did a Quickload printout for me of powders for the 404 Jeffery with the Swift A-Frame 400 grain bullet. I asked him to set the parameter for maximum admissable pressure, which means the loads listed below are theoretically all at max pressure(46,321 psi).

Powder Load / grains Velocity

Accurate XMR 4350 78.1 2,272
Accurate XMR 3100 86.3 2,256
Hogdgon H4350 79.9 2,235
Hogdgon H4831SC 87.2 2,252
IMR 4831 80.3 2,267
IMR 4350 76.9 2,265
Ramshot BigGame 74.9 2,260
Alliant Reloader 19 82.3 2,270
VihtaVuori N150 73.1 2,230
VihtaVuori N550 77.4 2,269
VihtaVuori N160 82.9 2,202
VihtaVuori N560 87.5 2,315

Remember, these are computer generated data, not field chronographed and pressure tested results.

Thanks again Wink. I'd totally forgotten about the reloading pages.

Dean

maki, just for records, I tried VihtaVuori N160 with the Swift A-Frame, 400 grains, this last weekend at the range in my 404 Jeffery. I got the following results:

NI60 - 83.0 grains - 2150 fps average
NI60 - 85.0 grains - 2196 fps average

Brass was Norma, Fed 215 primers, Lee Factory crimp on the bullet cannelure. Contrary to the Quickload predictions, I find I can still get a little more powder in the case without compression.

Same case, primer and 86 grains of N160 with the NorthFork 380 grain softpoint bullet gives me 2290 fps average.