Canadian Arsenals and Diemaco

x westie

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When Canadian Arsenals was closed down in 1976 ...i believe...and the Canadian Forces were without a 3rd and 4th maintenence line to service its inventory of small arms...what was the time frame involved before Diemaco Ltd of Kitchener was given the contract to maintain the Forces small arms.

Maybe some of you former "Gun Plummers" can help....thanks guys
 
"...about 1985..." Yep. Early 80's. The da of one of my Cadets, at the time, was the guy who sold them all the machinery.
"...closed down in 1976..." 1975, but close enough. Trudeau shut the place down and sold off ALL the machinery as soon as the C1A1 production run was finished. A few years later, some bright light decided to find out how much it would cost for more, if required. FN wanted roughly a grand or so EACH. CA was making them for about $400 each. Fiscal incompetence from the Socialist F**ks is nothing new.
The CF did have a 3rd level maintenance, but it wasn't Diemaco. Don't know who it was though. There was a huge inventory of C1A1's, pistols and MG's anyway. Most of which has since been destroyed.
 
"Diamaco Incorporated" is given photo credits in "The Metric FAL" by Stevens for photos of prototype CAMPs, FALs, Ex's & T48s.
This would tend to indicate that the CAL "reference collection" had been transfered to Diamaco before 1981.

The Metric Fal was published in 1981. Diamaco is not mentioned in the photo credits in "North American FALs" (1979) nor "UK & Commonwealth FALs" (1980).

Canadian Arsenals Limited Jan 1, 1946 - June 30, 1976.

Small Arms Limited was dissolved December 31, 1945 and it's assets were transfered to the new crown corporation Canadian Arsenals Limited Jan 1, 1946.
 
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destroying c1a1 is a sin how could anyone bring themsef to do that? besides coudl't they sell them or something it just does't seem like the right thing to do
 
I understand there was an attempt in Ottawa to sell off the inventory of spare parts to Numrich or Sarco.
Not even the C1 spare parts could be sold off...they too were destroyed.

About 300 of each gun type (C1, C2 and SMGC1) were retained for museum and technical purposes.
 
I understand there was an attempt in Ottawa to sell off the inventory of spare parts to Numrich or Sarco.
Not even the C1 spare parts could be sold off...they too were destroyed.

About 300 of each gun type (C1, C2 and SMGC1) were retained for museum and technical purposes.


That explains why there is never any Canadian parts in the ads in Shotgun News.....lots of Aussie and Brit parts available.......i know the Aussie Socialist government had all war reserve weapons destroyed...not too sure about the Brit rifles....not too mention all the Argentine FN's captured in the Falklands
 
"...couldn't they sell them or something..." There was a very conscious descision not to sell anything to anyone by the Socialist F**ks. Not even their communist/dictatorial buddies in the Third World. Especially not the Canadian shooting public.
 
That explains why there is never any Canadian parts in the ads in Shotgun News.....lots of Aussie and Brit parts available.......i know the Aussie Socialist government had all war reserve weapons destroyed...not too sure about the Brit rifles....not too mention all the Argentine FN's captured in the Falklands


im not fimiliar with this site :shotgun news , sounds like an odd place to put an ad for assault rifle parts.
 
He Said Assault Rifle- Stone Him-, WELL MAYBE THAT'S a little drastic- but the fn was nothing more than a semi-auto 20 round rifle- a darned fine one, but you have to remember that even the states has been cutting up their surplus arsenals for some time- esp when clinton and the big bush were presidents-
 
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im not fimiliar with this site :shotgun news , sounds like an odd place to put an ad for assault rifle parts.

Shotgun News is advertised as the worlds largest Gun Sales Publication.....lots of interesting articles on modern weapons.....handguns...rifles ..auto weapons...Milsurp....and ads for guns for sale...parts....ammo.....but no Shotguns...lol.. i pick it up in the grocery store in the magazine section all the time here is the address www.shotgunnews.comhttp://www.shotgunnews.com
..
 
"...couldn't they sell them or something..." There was a very conscious descision not to sell anything to anyone by the Socialist F**ks. Not even their communist/dictatorial buddies in the Third World. Especially not the Canadian shooting public.

All this crap started with Trudeau and carried on with Chretian and his bum buddies....Allan Rock...the master mind of the Gun Registry and the Lieberal foreign affairs minister ...Lloyd Axworthy....a advocate of soft power....and ....the UN....the ultimate cluster f**k..
 
Shotgun News is advertised as the worlds largest Gun Sales Publication.....lots of interesting articles on modern weapons.....handguns...rifles ..auto weapons...Milsurp....and ads for guns for sale...parts....ammo.....but no Shotguns...lol.. i pick it up in the grocery store in the magazine section all the time here is the address www.shotgunnews.comhttp://www.shotgunnews.com
..

thanks x westie, i will pick up one up and looksy.

t-star : oooops, i meant military rifle....:D:D:D
 
IVI (SNC Canada's ammunition division) was bought by General Dynamics.
The CF paid almost 40 percent more for the C7s from Diamaco than we could have bought M16A2s from Colt, in order to ensure we had a domestic arms manufacturing concern. We have also, over the 60 years since WWII, paid premium prices for our ammunition in order to shore up CIL (later IVI and still later SNC-Lavallin Group) - so that we would have a domestic supply of ammunition. I have no issue with these decisions, - there were valid strategic concerns.
In the past year Diamaco has been sold to Colt, and IVI to General Dynamics. The US needs this production surplus to meet the requirements of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, what happens when these wars inevitably end and the excess production capacity is not needed? Do we honestly think these US firms are going to close their plants in the US and throw US workers out of jobs? I don't think so. No, they will close the Canadian plants and move any useful machinery south. So, Canada will have lost the security of supply guaranteed by having domestic suppliers. This is a very bad strategic move, and anybody should recognise it as such.
 
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