Hi Folks,
You asked about the job. Well, I'm a Predator Control Ranger for the Department of Conservation. I spend a lot of my time riding around about 50-80Km of tracks checking traps. The 10/22 is for putting down animals caught in leghold traps and for shooting bunnies for gathering trap bait. We've got various guns/calibres here for different tasks, but the .22's are the main workhorses.
I'd be interested to know more about converting one of our 10/22's to a .17Mach2!
Here's some pics of the typical sort of terrain round here.J
ooooooo Im so jealous of your job, i have been waiting for that same job to open up here where i live in the states, but the people who have those jobs dont give them up to often. here coyotes are the big problem predator and they dont trap them they will often shoot them from a plane.
as for converting your 10/22 it couldnt be easier. go online and order yourself a kit, or order it from a gun store, then all you have to do is replace the barrel (which involves removing two hex screws) and replacing the bolt handle with a heavier one, and thats it! actual time would probably be about 15 minutes on the conversion.
I love 10/22s !! they are so easy to work on and convert. mine doesnt even look like a 10/22 anymore, I put a carbon barrel on it and an aftermarket stock and trigger assembly with the ultralight carbon barrel the whole thing weighs in at 5Ibs 1oz with scope and full clip and everything
here is a pic of my rabbiting gear
and here is a pic of my 77/22 that i converted to a 17mach2 (which is even easier to convert than a 10/22)
i honestly think the 17mach2 is the best thing to happen to varmint hunters since the invention of the rimfire cartridge! I guarantee that you will be impressed with what it can do.
oh and make sure you dont confuse 17hmr, with the 17mach2 ...the hmr is a bigger cartridge, more expensive to shoot, and has basically the same trajectory. and for the conversion you need to get 17 mach 2 anyway hmr will not convert.
good luck and let us know how your pig tastes!
also you can pm me if you need to know more about the 17mach2 conversion process.