.404 Jeffery - 10.75 x 73mm
Synonyms: .404 Jeffery Nitro Express / .404 ELEY Magnum / 10.5x73 / 10.75x73 / .404 Rimless Nitro Express
Although the legend of the .404 Jeffery is still alive in the opinion of many gun authorities, this excellent cartridge is the forgotten child of Africa. When the renowned, London gun and rifle maker W.J. Jeffery & Co first advertised a brand new cartridge, the .404 (actually .423 caliber ) in 1905, they were not able to assume that the .404 Jeffery would become an instant hit and ever since has been the standard by which dangerous game cartridges have been measured. As a result, the .404 became the standard dangerous game rifle throughout Africa in both the British and German colonies. Its use was so universal that when someone spoke of his ‘elephant rifle' it was taken as read that they were referring to the .404 unless otherwise specified.
The .404 became famous and widespread in Africa, where inexpensive bolt rifles let its performance be experienced by those who could not afford a double-barrel rifle for one of the .400 Nitro Express rounds. The .404 Jeffery was a standard issue of all the old Colonial game departments and game wardens simply because it worked with a manageable level of recoil for young African Game Scout who carried them almost exclusively.
Soon afterward, Westley Richards responded in 1909 with their .425 Magnum (actually .435 caliber) also based upon the .450/400 and Rigby joined the fray with their .416 in 1911.
While the .425 Westley Richards Magnum never developed the same following as other offerings, the .416 Rigby, on the other hand, gained all the glory, thanks to writers like Robert Ruark, but if the truth be told, it was not nearly as commonly used out here as the .404.
The only complain one will sometimes hear about the .404 was a lack of penetration on frontal brain shots at the big bull elephant. There were two reasons for this: the lower sectional density of the 400-grain .423 caliber bullet of the .404 (.319) and original Kynoch cordite-loaded ammo not attaining its factory-stated ballistics of 2,150 fps (655 m/s).
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| 404 Jeffery, 450-400 N.E. 3`` or 400 Jeffery, 300 Remington Ultra Mag |
However, even in its genuine black powder incarnation, the .450/400 was highly esteemed for its excellent deep penetration on dangerous game. Handling the new lower pressure, higher velocity cordite that was being introduced at the time, the .404 Jeffery could easily have attained a velocity of 2,400 fps (730 m/s) with its 400-grain bullet, much as it is usually charged today.
Anyway, the .404 cartridge was derived from the .450/400NE case and shares the same base dimension, as a whole raft of British rounds. However, the protruding rim of the .450/400, designed for break open double rifles, was replaced with a slightly rebated rim to ensure smooth feeding in magazine rifles. Moreover, the case was shortened to 2.87 inches to fit a standard Mauser 98 action.
Created to be the first dangerous game cartridge designed for magazine rifles, the .404 Jeffery was vastly popular for many years, and then died slowly over many decades. Conventional wisdom says that Jeffrey developed the first .404s on ex-military Mauser K-98 actions, mostly because the exclusive commercial Mauser distributor in Britain at the time was Rigby. Even in the beginning, Jeffery did not attempt to keep the .404 proprietary but released it to the trade. As a consequence, the .404 is also popular on the Continent. Hence Mauser built its own .404s, with the European metric designation of 10.75x73mm Mauser, as early as 1908.
As with most popular products, good design was the major factor. The original .404 Jeffery cartridge was shorter in case length than it is today. The case body of the .404 is rather steeply tapered and without a belt, unlike many other magnum cartridges. The rimless design also contributes to smooth feeding from the box magazine of bolt action rifles. The neck is exceptionally long and seems almost to extend halfway down the case, much like the .30-30 Winchester. When this cartridge was used as a parent design for the modern Ultra Magnums, it was very easy to increase capacity by just moving the shoulder forwards, thereby increasing the body dimensions of the case while the neck was made much shorter.
A well known and esteemed by gun enthusiasts the .404 Jeffery, now a century old and unlike originally used .423" bullets, modern cartridge utilizes .428" diameter projectiles, very similar in diameter to the .44 Magnum at .429." The traditional load for the .404 was and still is a 400-grain bullet at 2,400 fps (730 m/s), identical in bullet weight/ velocity to the .416 Remington.
The .404 Jeffery is a good cartridge for hunting large, dangerous game, such as the big five of Africa or hunting bear or other big game at close quarters. With the standard 400-grain bullet, the .404 was a very popular, general-purpose cartridge in Africa and India. That is the load that made the caliber's s reputation.
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| .30-06 Springfield, .375 H&H, .404 Jeffery, |
Modern-day .404 ammo is much better and loaded a bit hotter than originally so it is possible to charge 400- grainers to the region of 2,350 fps (716 m/s) without any pressure signs. Since the characteristics and recoil are similar to other African dangerous game cartridges, the .404 obtains like the .416 Remington, a right balance of power versus tolerable recoil. Furthermore, it can be made a comparison with .416 Rigby and .416 Remington Magnum. Both rounds fire a 400-grain bullet at 2,400 feet per second (730 m/s) with a muzzle energy of about 5,000 foot-pounds force (6,800 Joules), which handily exceeds the ballistic performance of the .404 Jeffery but at the price of greater recoil.
In this configuration a 10-pound Rigby recoils at about 62 foot-pounds of recoil (84 Joules). Proven in practice, those that can handle this recoil level are few and far between. On the other hand, a 400-grain .404 at 2,150 fps (655 m/s) only produces about 50 foot-pounds (68 Joules). The conclusion is pretty clear, means that in similar weight rifles, a .404 is a lot more pleasant to shoot than .416 Rigby, which rifles, by the way, are significantly more expensive.
The .404 began to lose popularity and disappeared from common firearm usage in the late ‘60s, not because of any failing but rather as a result of the former colonies receiving their independence and naturally decreased interest of British hunters. With the decline in the use of large bore rifles Kynoch, the only British producer of the .404 Jeffery and many other British cartridges, ceased production in the 1960's.
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| Norma .404 Jeffery |
Meanwhile, the primacy of hunting large dangerous species has been taken by an American cartridge, the .458 Winchester. It became the standard dangerous game rifle chambering for the next two decades despite its shortcomings of lack of penetration and the early compressed charges resulting in unreliable ammunition. Comparing shooting trajectories, most gun writers would describe the .375 Magnum as flat shooting and the descriptions of the .458 tend to include words like ‘mortar or rainbow trajectory.' In reality, the point of aim for any of the big bore rifles is virtually the same out to 150 meters."
The really exciting development that has flowed from the .404 has been the recognition of its excellent design features that maximize the potential of standard long action rifles. This is the development of modern cartridges based upon the .404.
The USA had never chambered rifles for any large bore British rounds, so the .404 began fading from the scene. This round, being a specialized African cartridge that had never been chambered by any mainstream USA gun maker the .404 remained relatively obscure to USA market for almost 100 years. All this changed a few years ago when Winchester and Remington released a barrage of new magnum cartridges based upon the .404. In the early years of 21.st century both Winchester and Remington jumped on the bandwagon with a pallet of Super Short, Short and Long Ultra Magnums based upon the .404. Interestingly, while Remington acknowledges their parentage, Winchester claims their line to be an entirely new design.
In any case, there are now no less than 11 cartridges on offer from the mainstream USA ammunition manufacturers based upon the .404. Also lately, the .404 as a parent case has seen a revival in use by wildcatters. The most recent .404, are the .404 Dakota and .375 by Dakota Arms and the .400 Tembo by Velocity USA while being proprietary cartridges they duplicate the performance of the .404 Jeffery.
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| Jeffery, W. J. & Co. Ltd. 404 Jeffery caliber, Magazine Rifle |
- Certainly, you know those personality tests in a style of what kind of shoes you wear I'll tell you what kind of person you are. The following story from a Professional Hunter with years of experience in Africa is in a similar context: tell me what rifle you have…
- - “When a client shows up in camp with a .375 Holland & Holland, you immediately know that you have a practical and able chap as a customer, a wise and knowledgeable hunter who will listen to reason.
- - When a client shows up in camp with a .458 Win Mag, you know that most likely the only experience the hunter has had is reading the pages of Outdoor Life magazine, probably 30-year-old editions.
- - When a client shows up in camp with a Remington or a Weatherby in any caliber, you know the hunter’s experience probably does not extend past the clerk at the gun counter.
- - When a client shows up with a double rifle, you know you have an elitist for a customer, much like the guy coming down the charter boat dock at the marina carrying a fly rod, and you approach him with caution.
- - When a client shows up in a camp with a .416 Rigby, you know you have someone who has studied and respects the rich history and traditions of the sport of dangerous-game hunting.
- - And when a client shows up in camp with a .404 Jeffery, you know this is someone who cares enough about said history and traditions to go to the immense trouble of building and loading a gun and cartridge long sacrificed to the gods of mass production and commercialism. You take a liking to this guy immediately.”
.404 Jeffery -10.75x73mm
Sinonimi: .404 Jeffery Nitro Express / .404 ELEY Magnum / 10.5x73 / 10.75x73 / .404 Rimless Nitro Express
Iako je kalibar .404 Jeffery i dalje prisutan u legendama o nekadašnjim lovovima, ipak bolji poznavaoci oružja na ovaj metak gledaju kao na zaboravljeno dete Afrike. Kada je 1905 godine poznata manufaktura oružja iz Londona pod imenom Džeferi (W.J. Jeffery & Co) lansirala potpuno novi metak pod imenom .404 (zapravo tačan kalibar je .423 inča-10.74mm) nisu ni mogli pretpostaviti da će on postati pravi pogodak i da će se po njemu upoređivati i ocenjivati svi ostali kalibri namenjeni odstrelu velikih i opasnih životinja. Tako je puška u ovom kalibru postala standardno oružje kako u britanskim tako i u nemačkim kolonijama u Africi. O univerzalnosti ove municije dovoljno je reći da kada bi neko pomenuo “pušku za slonove” to je samo po sebi podrazumevalo kalibar .404 osim ako nije posebno naglašen neki drugi kalibar.
Jedan od osnovnih razloga velike popularnosti i rasprostranjenosti ovog metka u Africi leži i u činjenici da je on bio namenjen jeftinijim repetirkama sa obrtno-čepnim zatvaračima za razliku od skupocenih kuglara-prelamača u kalibrima .400 Nitro Express i sličnim. Pored pristupačne cene, puške u kalibru .404 Jeffery su predstavljale standardno oružje svih kolonijalnih lovočuvarskih službi i zbog trzaja koji se mogao relativno lako podneti.
Zapazivši ovako brzi uspeh i popularnost, konkurentske firme poput Westley Richards-a su 1909 ponudili svoj odgovor takođe koncipiran na osnovu starog metka .450-400, pod nazivom .425 Magnum (zapravo tačan kalibar je .435 inča-11.05mm) a čuveni Rigbi se pridružio ovoj kategoriji 1911 godine razvojem legendarnog .416 Rigby. Dok metak .425 Westley Richards Magnum nikada nije uspeo da stekne ni približan broj pristalica, .416 Rigby je pokupio svu slavu i lovorike, i to ponajviše zahvaljujući tadašnjim piscima - autoritetima u oblasti oružja i municije kao što je poznati Robert Ruark. Ipak, ruku na srce, .416 nikada nije ni približno bio rasprostranjen kao .404 Jeffery.
Naravno ni Jeffery nije bez mana, a kao glavni minus se zamera nedostatak probojnosti kada su u pitanju čeoni pucnji u centralni nervni sistem (mozak) velikih mužjaka slona. Za izostanak dovoljne penetracije su odgovorna dva činioca: prvi je mali poprečni presek zrna kalibra .423 inča (10.74mm) koji iznosi svega .319 inča (8.103mm) i originalna Kajnokova (Kynoch) fabrička laboracija punjena korditom koja nije uspevala da postigne deklarisanu početnu brzinu od 655 m/s (2,150 fps).
Kao metak za karabin, .404 Jeffery je po svojim karakteristikama trebalo da parira performansama do tada popularne .400 Jeffery i .450/400 3¼-inča municije. Čaure ovih metaka sa izraženim rubom- ivicom su bile namenjene kuglarama-prelamačama a opremljene zrnima težine 400 grejna (26 g) su ostvarivale brzinu na ustima cevi od 650 m/s (2,125 fps) i isporučivale kinetičku energiju od 5,450 džula (4,020 ft-lbs). Inače, metak 450 3¼" BPE (black powder express) kada je konvertovan na bezdimni barut 1898 godine dobio je novo ime .450 Nitro Express ili još .450/400 3¼-inch. Međutim i u svojoj staroj verziji na crni barut .450/400 je bio poznat po odličnoj probojnosti i zaustavnoj moći naročito opasnih zveri. Naravno .404 Jeffery je od svog početka kao pogonsko sredstvo koristio malodimni kordit koji mu je omogućavao da pri nižim pritiscima od prethodnika lako ostvari početnu brzinu od 730 m /s (2,400 fps) sa projektilima težine 400 grejna.
U svakom slučaju .404 metak je za nastanak koristio kao uzor čauru metka .450/400NE s kojom deli slične dimenzije baze čaure kao i čitava serija drugih britanskih kalibara. Naravno, čaura sa ivicom metka .450/400 namenjena prelamačama je zamenjena čaurom sa delimično upuštenom - užom ivicom (rebated) i blago naglašenim žljebom koja olakšava rad sa zatvaračem mauzerovog tipa. Osim toga čaura je skraćena na 2.87 inča (73mm) kako bi se prilagodila standardnoj dužini akcije Mauzera 98.
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| 404 Jeffery, 450-400 N.E. 3`` or 400 Jeffery, 300 Remington Ultra Mag |
Firma Džeferi je u početku razvoj ovog metka bazirala na prerađenim vojnim mauzerkama modela K-98 iz prostog razloga što je Rigbi i dalje kao ekskluzivni zastupnik Mauzera u Velikoj Britaniji polagao sva prava na komercijalne modele firme nemačkog konstruktora. Za razliku od Rigbija, Džeferi se nije trudio da zaštiti patentna prava na svoj pronalazak koji je na taj način veoma brzo našao svoje mesto u rukama mnogih evropskih lovaca. Uvidevši ogromnu popularnost ovog metka, Mauzer je već 1908 godine, napravio svoju verziju municije .404 koja se u metričkom sistemu naziva 10.75 x 73mm Mauser.
Na popularnost Jeffery-ivog metka, osim neospornih balističkih performansi, uticao je i dobar dizajn, baš kao što je i slučaj sa modernim proizvodima. Prvobitna čaura je bila nešto kraća od one iz trenutne proizvodnje, dok je telo čaure napravljeno sa ramenima pod oštrijim uglom i bez venca-ojačanja na dnu čaure koje inače poseduje većina današnjih magnuma. Zahvaljujući čaure bez ivice-ruba, ubacivanje metka iz magacina puške u cev se odvija glatko i besprekorno. Vrat čaure je neobično dug, i proteže se skoro do polovine čaure te na taj način podseća na klasični .30-30 Winchester. Ovakva geometrija čaure je pogodovala kasnijim Magnum mecima koji su kao uzor koristili .404, jer jednostavnim pomeranjem ramena čaure unapred, skraćivao bi se vrat a zauzvrat zapremina čaure bi se srazmerno povećavala.
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| .30-06 Springfield, .375 H&H, .404 Jeffery, |
Municija .404 Jeffery je potpuno odgovarajuća za lov krupnih i opasnih primeraka životinjskog sveta, kao što su « Big five» (Pet velikih) ili medveda i njima sličnih stvorenja na bliskom odstojanju.
Kao što je ranije rečeno, u prvobitnoj varijanti metak .404 je punjen korditom i projektilima prečnika .423" i težine 400 grain (26 g), te je ostvarivao početnu brzinu od 648 m/s (2,125 fps) i kinetičku energiju od 5,450 Džula (4,020 ft-lbs) što je bilo izuzetno za 1905 godinu. Međutim, proizvođač municije Kajnok (Kynoch) je u jednom trenutku ponudio i nešto lakše zrno od 300 grejna sa vrhom ojačanim bakarnom košuljicom koje je postizalo čak 800 m/s (2,625 fps) i energiju na ustima cevi od 6,230 Džula (4,595 ft-lbs).
Po dostupnim izveštajima ova laboracija je imala devastirajući efekat posebno na velike životinje sa tanjom kožom, te je u velikoj meri upotrebljavana u Indiji I Cejlonu (Šri Lanka) u lovu na tigrove. Naravno, jedan broj neinformisanih lovaca je pokušavao da ovim lako-ekspandirajućim zrnom odstreljuje debelokošce za šta je bilo potpuno neadekvatno, te je Kynoch ubrzo zbog incidenata prouzrokovanih ovako nenamenskom upotrebom povukao ovu laboraciju iz proizvodnje.
Po dostupnim izveštajima ova laboracija je imala devastirajući efekat posebno na velike životinje sa tanjom kožom, te je u velikoj meri upotrebljavana u Indiji I Cejlonu (Šri Lanka) u lovu na tigrove. Naravno, jedan broj neinformisanih lovaca je pokušavao da ovim lako-ekspandirajućim zrnom odstreljuje debelokošce za šta je bilo potpuno neadekvatno, te je Kynoch ubrzo zbog incidenata prouzrokovanih ovako nenamenskom upotrebom povukao ovu laboraciju iz proizvodnje.
Municija iz savremene produkcije je kvalitetnija i postiže nešto bolje rezultate od originalne, dok je trzaj na nivou ostalih tropskih kalibara namenjenih lovu opasnih životinja. Po dobro izbalansiranoj snazi i umerenom trzaju ovaj metak je sasvim uporediv sa .416 Remington, a u odnosu na .416 Rigby je nešto slabiji ali je ipak udobniji za pucanje i ne zaboravimo znatno jeftiniji. U brojkama to znači da puška težine 10 funti (4.5 kg) u kalibru .416 Rigby generiše energiju trzaja od 84 Džula što predstavlja solidan udarac koji mali broj strelaca može da kontroliše. Sa druge strane puška slične težine ali u kalibru .404 Jeffery proizvodi povratnu silu na rame strelca od samo 68 Džula što je očigledno čini mnogo udobnijom za pucanje.
Na žalost, posle Drugog Svetskog rata kalibar .404 je postepeno gubio na popularnosti i konačno nestao sa svetske scene krajem šezdesetih godina prošlog veka. To se nije desilo zbog nekog nedostatka ovog metka ili oružja za njega već zbog osamostaljenja britanskih kolonija koje su sa sticanjem nezavisnosti izgubile interesovanje za britanske lovce. Kao posledica ovih geo-političkih događaja u isto vreme prestao je sa radom i jedini Ostrvski proizvođač krupno-kalibarske municije- Kynoch, tako da je .404 Jeffery kao i čitav niz ostalih tropskih kalibara jednostavno nestao iz prodajnih kataloga.
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| Norma .404 Jeffery |
U međuvremenu je primat u lovu na najkrupniju divljač preuzeo jedan američki metak po imenu - .458 Winchester. Iako je u početku bio često na lošem glasu zbog nedostatka probojnosti i municije nepouzdanog kvaliteta Vinčesterov metak je za dve decenije ipak uspeo da postane standardan kalibar u lovu na veliku i opasnu divljač. Kao još jedan nedostatak, autori su u stručnoj literature često opisivali trajektoriju zrna .458 Win., upoređujući je sa putanjom minobacačke mine ili oblikom duge. A činjenica je da svi projektili krupno-kalibarske municije imaju sličnu putanju sve do nekih 150 metara.
U svakom slučaju .404 Jeffery je u SAD ostao prilično nepoznat čitavih 100 godina, budući da nijedan američki proizvođač nikada nije napravio pušku u ovom kalibru tako da je podelio istu sudbinu kao i većina ostalih britanskih tropskih kalibara. Ali sve se izmenilo u zadnjih nekoliko godina sa uvođenjem čitave serije novih magnum metaka baziranih upravo na .404. Naime, Vinčester i Remington su početkom ovog veka izbacili na tržište lepezu modernih magnum metaka poznatih kao: Super Short, Short i Long Ultra magnum. Zanimljivo je reći da dok Remington priznaje da je kao uzor koristio kalibar .404 Jeffery, Vinčester to negira i tvrdi da je u pitanju potpuno nezavisan i nov dizajn iz njegovih laboratorija.
Kako bilo da bilo, najveći američki proizvođači municije danas u ponudi imaju najmanje 11 metaka baziranih na .404 Jeffery-u, dok je njegova čaura bila inspiracija velikom broju wildcatera. Tako su nastali i .404 i 375 Dakota i .400 Tembo čije su balističke karakteristike preslikavaju one metka .404 Jeffery.
.404 Jeffery – Puška za slonove
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Jeffery, W. J. & Co. Ltd. karabin u 404 Jeffery kalibru,
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