UPDATE: .17 HMR conversion?
B.L.U.F.
Can a .17 Mach2 have the chamber reamed out to accept .17 HMR safely?
I bought a Savage Mark II when the .17 Mach2 first came out, and I really liked it. It's a very accurate rifle. For the past eight years or so, I haven't had much time for hunting, so my bolt guns and shotgun have been getting neglected.
About a year ago I decided to dig a few out to go shoot, but could find .17 Mach2 ammo anywhere. Come to find out the cartridge went the way of the dodo. I was pretty upset that I now had a really crappy club, instead of the tack driver it once was. I recently had the thought "why can't I get the chamber reamed out to .17 HMR?" Sure, I'll have a single shot since the rounds won't fit in the magazine, but at least I could still shoot it. If I can find a gunsmith with a chamber reamer and a set of headspace gages, it seems like a pretty straightforward job.
Anyway, with all that rambling out of the way;
Is this a viable option?
Is there anything I'm missing that would prevent this from working?
Has anyone out there actually done this?
It's a really beefy barrel, so I don't think the increase in pressure would be a concern. Am I wrong?
Any helpful comments are appreciated.
