dominion brass

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spi

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I got some brass from the old man a while back.

A bunch of it was 308 Dominion.

I didn't think twice about it, put it aside.

Last week though, I picked up a nice little 308 rifle. As I was rummaging through my brass, I found the Dominion. I thought, "might as well dig out some of this, it's Canadian, it's probably well made".

And holy crap is it ever?!?

The Dominion brass is twice as thick at the neck as Winchester when I trimmed it.

I mean it's visually noticeable.

Any comments?
 
Twice as thick means it work hardens faster, doesn't last as long. Also case capacity is reduced as compaired to new commercial brass and pressure signs will be obvious at lower charges then in a win or rem case. in all honesty it is not worth loading imho but better used for dummy rounds and key chains.
 
I have some

I have some and have used it in my bolt rifle but found it weaker than my FC, Rem, Win or Lapua. You have to trim it sooner and you get case mouth splits sooner as well. These are not screaming loads either. Now it is just being used for hunting loads in my M305, as I'm not too worried about loosing it.

Derek
 
If it is headstamped "Dominion" it is good brass, with plenty of capacity. The heavier necks are a mystery to me, but perhaps. If it is the later offering from IVI headstamped "Imperial" I don't bother. It is not near as good as the earlier stuff. In My 8X57, I use the Dominion brass all the time, found it to be tough and durable. I say go ahead and use it. Regards, Eagleye.
 
I have been using a bunch of dominion brass that I fireformed for my 7x57 A.I. It has been loaded 5 or 6 times now near max loads and still good.Use it its good brass
 
The Dominion brass is good stuff which is better than most of the crap on the market today. One thing to remember though that as it is quite old the case necks should be annealed before resizing and loading. Age hardening can cause a lot of neck cracks when using this older brass "as-is".
 
'Boo said:
The Dominion brass is good stuff which is better than most of the crap on the market today. One thing to remember though that as it is quite old the case necks should be annealed before resizing and loading. Age hardening can cause a lot of neck cracks when using this older brass "as-is".
Click to expand...

Excellent advice.

What you want to do is partially anneal the necks of the cases. A handy way to do this is to use a drill, the shell holder and lock stud from the Lee case trimming set up, and a propane torch.

With a case being held in the shell holder and spun with a drill apply heat from a propane torch to the neck area only of the case. You just want to barely change the color of the brass at the neck with the heat. Don't heat the brass towards the head of the case or it will become soft - case necks should be soft, case heads should be hard.

This heating process will relieve built up stress in the brass that can lead to neck splits, especially in old brass.
 
You guys have had better luck with the dominion then me, I have had it fail on the second firing in 35 rem, 308 and some '06 so I just discard it know. I have had necks split and cracks in the main body just firing off old factory ammo that was stored in the cubboard above the fridge all these years so it wasn't do to the way it was stored afaik. If it works for you then carry on :D
 
yodave said:
You guys have had better luck with the dominion then me, I have had it fail on the second firing in 35 rem, 308 and some '06 so I just discard it know. I have had necks split and cracks in the main body just firing off old factory ammo that was stored in the cubboard above the fridge all these years so it wasn't do to the way it was stored afaik. If it works for you then carry on :D
Click to expand...

I should add than mine was hand picked right at the factory ( it pays to have had a father who worked for C.I.L.)!:D
cat
 
I've had premature failure with Dominion brass. I've also had some that seems to be milspec (heavier) and some not, so you need to weigh it and see what you have so that you don't overload it. I have used it but don't get excited about it. My choice would be Norma, Win, Fed, RP in that order.
 
I am still using some Dominion brass in my 243 since I started reloading in 1975. I have never done anything to the brass and I do a lot of shooting. Good brass.
 
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