"DC Co" cartridge

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snowhunter

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While wandering in the mountains, for staying in all round shape for the hunting season , I stopped at a mountain shoulder, looked around and wondering if this particular site would be a good place to hunt deer. I looked on the ground and found the answer. Here it was, a spend, and patina corvered "DC Co", 30-30 cartridge, in which various insects also had used as a safe incubations home for many years.

Bringing this treasure of past hunting experiences back home in my pocket, I was wondering, does anyone know, when "DC Co" cartrige company was in business ?
 
DC Co

It stands for 'Dominion Cartridge Company.' Dominion Cartridge was the ammunition division of Canadian Industries Limited, Manufaturer of Canada's very famous line of ammunition for many, many years. DC Co was just one of the many headstamps used over the years. I think that headstamp was used in the 1930s, probably before that, and on to about the 1950s, when it was changed to 'Dominion.'
I still have quite a bit of brass in D.C. Co, and yes, I still reload it, if it is otherwise OK.
 
The Dominion Cartridge Company was founded at Brownsburg, Que. in 1886 by Captain Arthur L. ("Gat") Howard, a former officer in the Connecticut National Guard who, during the 1885 North West Rebellion, operated a battery of two Gatling guns loaned to the Canadian Department of Militia and Defence by the the Colt Firearms Company. During the Boer War, Howard served as Machine Gun Officer with the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles, with the rank of Major, and then remained in South Africa after 1CMR came home late in 1900, to form the Canadian Scouts, which he commanded. He was killed in action on 17 February 1901.

In 1910 the following companies merged to form Canadian Explosives Limited -the Hamilton Powder Company, the Dominion Cartridge Company, the Acadia Powder Company, the Ontario Powder Company, the Standard Explosives Company, the Western Explosives Company, and the Victoria Chemical Company. In 1927 the company's name was changed to Canadian Industries Limited.
 
Thank you all for the informations about this cartridge origin. This old "DC Co" 30-30 deer slayer will soon be reloaded, and used again this hunting season, and most likely at this same mountain.
 
snowhunter said:
Thank you all for the informations about this cartridge origin. This old "DC Co" 30-30 deer slayer will soon be reloaded, and used again this hunting season, and most likely at this same mountain.
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That's really neat. :)

Jeff/1911.
 
I have experimentally loaded .45, .30 carbine and .30-06 brass left on the land in the Arctic by the US military in the '50s. Some .45s split, no cases failed catastrophically. But notwithstanding the nostalgic factor, I don't know if loading brass that has sat out in the weather for 50+ years is a good idea.
 
"...wish we still had a canadian ammo company..." We do. IVI. They took over the Dominion brand name in the late 60's and promptly lowered the accuracy standards.
 
sunray said:
"...wish we still had a canadian ammo company..." We do. IVI. They took over the Dominion brand name in the late 60's and promptly lowered the accuracy standards.
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hmm.. havn't seen IVI in my side of the woods!
 
IVI was bought by SNC Lavallin (SNC was recently bought by a foreign company) and they only manufacture for the Military, Government Agencies and Police Forces. They have not manufactured commercial ammo in many years.
 
tiriaq, due to the desert like climate in the interior B.C., like around Okanagan Lake Area, metal like catridge brass, will last many hundred years. I have succesfully reloaded and fired a couple of very old and patina covered, "Dominion" .303 British catridges, which I have found ind the same fashion as the "DC Co", 30-30 cartridge.
 
snowhunter said:
Gatehouse, many pleasures in life cannot be measured in moneytary values :)
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Yes, I agree, and wasn't suggesting otherwise.

I don't look at finding (dirty, old, common) brass and reloading it as a pleasure, but if I did, I wouldn't measure it in a monetary sense.;)
 
snowhunter - if you want desert like conditions, visit the Arctic. Rather little rain when things aren't frozen. Corrosion occurs very slowly, whether ferrous or non-ferrous.
As I mentionned, some of the cases split. Some .30-06 could not be deprimed because the primers crumbled rather than being pushed out. Experimented with trying to reform some of the '06. Experienced cracking and crumbling of the shoulders. Brass was definitely becoming brittle. Fired cases that have laid on the ground for 50+ years cannot be considered first class candidates for reloading.
 
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I've got a Dominion stamped 30-06 shell sitting on my desk. Here's a pic:
3006.jpg


I found it on a mountain summit looking down at a mineral lick where I've often seen sheep. I like to wonder whether he got the ram he was going for.

This is the view from that summit:
boot.jpg


Never thought about reloading it, though.
 
Thanks for the wonderful pictures BBB. There is the saying that when you hear one shoot, he got the deer, two shoot, maybe a deer, and tree shoots, no deer. So, judging from the single empty case, it look like he got what he was shooting at ?

tiriaq, so far I had no problems firing these, patina covered brass left from yesterdays hunters. Like the old copper covered roofs, the patina actually protecs the metal, by slowing down the process of the corrosion.

Well, one day I will come back to the arctic world, in meantime, I am having a lots of fun down here :)
 
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