.404 Jeffery

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.404 Jeffery
L/R: .30-06 Springfield, .375 H&H Magnum, .404 Jeffery, .505 Gibbs
Type	Rifle
Place of origin	England
Production history
Designer	W.J. Jeffery & Co
Designed	1905
Produced	1905–present
Specifications
Case type	Rimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter	10.72 mm (0.422 in)
Land diameter	10.46 mm (0.412 in)
Neck diameter	11.48 mm (0.452 in)
Shoulder diameter	13.46 mm (0.530 in)
Base diameter	13.84 mm (0.545 in)
Rim diameter	13.79 mm (0.543 in)
Rim thickness	1.27 mm (0.050 in)
Case length	73.02 mm (2.875 in)
Overall length	89.66 mm (3.530 in)
Case capacity	7.32 cm3 (113.0 gr H2O)
Rifling twist	1 in 16.5 in (420 mm)
Primer type	Large rifle magnum
Maximum pressure (C.I.P.)	365.00 MPa (52,939 psi)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 300 gr (19 g) SP 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) 4,600 ft⋅lbf (6,200 J) 400 gr (26 g) FMJ/SP 2,125 ft/s (648 m/s) 4,020 ft⋅lbf (5,450 J) 400 gr (26 g) FMJ/SP (modern) 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s) 4,700 ft⋅lbf (6,400 J) 450 gr (29 g) FMJ/SP 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s) 4,620 ft⋅lbf (6,260 J)
Test barrel length: 610 millimetres (24 in) Source(s): Cartridges of the World,[1] Ammo Encyclopedia,[2] Kynoch[3] & Norma[4]

The .404 Jeffery is a rifle cartridge designed for hunting large, dangerous game animals, such as the "Big Five" (elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, lion and leopard) of Africa.^[5] The cartridge is standardized by the C.I.P. and is also known as .404 Rimless Nitro Express.^[6] It was designed in 1905 by London based gunmaker W.J. Jeffery & Co to duplicate the performance of the .450/400 Nitro Express 3-inch in bolt-action rifles.^[7] The .404 Jeffery fired a bullet of .422 in (10.72 mm) diameter of either 300 gr (19 g) with a muzzle velocity of 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) and muzzle energy of 4,500 foot-pounds force (6,100 N⋅m) or 400 gr (26 g) with a muzzle velocity of 2,150 ft/s (660 m/s) and 4,100 foot-pounds force (5,600 N⋅m) of energy. It is very effective on large game and is favored by many hunters of dangerous game. The .404 Jeffery was popular with hunters and game wardens in Africa because of its good performance with manageable recoil. By way of comparison, the .416 Rigby and .416 Remington Magnum cartridges fire .416 in (10.57 mm) bullets of 400 gr (26 g) at 2,400 feet per second (730 m/s) with a muzzle energy of approximately 5,000 foot-pounds force (6,800 N⋅m). These cartridges exceed the ballistic performance of the .404 Jeffery but at the price of greater recoil and, in the case of the .416 Rigby, rifles that are more expensive.