I used a 404 quite a lot in my early years. 20 and 21 years old at the time. I now have another one, and I like it too. But honestly, living and hunting in the USA, I have not found anything that beats the 375H&H as the "all around" rifle and that's because I live in Wyoming where we have LOTS of big bears and we can hunt moose and buffalo now and then to. For probably 47 of the 50 states a 270, 308 or 30-06 would be a better choice, because in the other states buffalo and Grizzlies are not hunted. Moose are huge, but a good hit with a 270 or a good 30 cal puts them down just fine.

I also have a love affair with the 9.3X62 and the 9.3X74R, but just like these rifles and calibers. For most hunting I admit they are unnecessarily powerful. If I lived in Oz where I had the chance to shoot buff and wild cattle on a regular basis I would probably fall back to my 375, 404 and my 9.3s a lot more and think of them as the "standards. So the point is well taken. You men down under would truly benefit from such ballistics. What I did learn in the 70s using the 404 was that it lacked nothing that I could see. I used mostly the German made ammo (I think it was RWS)and some old Kynoch ammo. The sights on the old Jeffery rifle were zeroed for the 2150 FPS load and the German ammo was 2350. At the ranges I used the rifle, most shots being well under 100 yards, it made no difference that I could see. I was borrowing the rifle, and I was told it was a contract gun sold by Jeffery to the Tanganyikina government in the 30s. I assume that's true, but I cna't prove it.

Anyway, the 404 was a very good "cover every base rifle" and I had full confidence in it's abilities. There in nothing in N. America that really needs such power, but it is still a useful shell even here for those that just like power.