9mm 5/8 dies

[fnq22]

Hi folks so I have an old Super simplex rotating turret press and dies to suit several rifle calibres but I need to start reloading 9mm ammo and all the dies I see for sale are 7/8th whilset the old simplex is 5/8....I have sent an email to the company that now owns Simplex and am awaiting an answer but am wondering if anyone has any other ideas whether these are available somewhere else..

[bladeracer]

Personally, I would put the Simplex gear in a cupboard and buy a proper press.

I'm loading my pistol ammo on a single-stage Lee press with no issues. Not sure how many thousands I've done this year so far, but it's up there. Got another batch to do this week as I'm shooting the three-day Cowboy match "Rawhide" at Little River this weekend.

[No1Mk3]

Ebay, sales websites "Parts & Accessories" listings or try ringing deales such as Northern Shooters Supplies here in Vic as Roger used to deal in a lot of Simplex products. If you find a 2nd hand set ensure they are Simplex not the old 5/8th Lyman dies as the thread pitch is very different, 24 TPi for Simplex and 30 TPI for Lyman.

[fnq22]

Personally, I would put the Simplex gear in a cupboard and buy a proper press.

I'm loading my pistol ammo on a single-stage Lee press with no issues. Not sure how many thousands I've done this year so far, but it's up there. Got another batch to do this week as I'm shooting the three-day Cowboy match "Rawhide" at Little River this weekend.

What would be the advantage of a single stage press over a turret press..?..Surely the turret is more versatile and less stuffing around...???

[fnq22]

Ebay, sales websites "Parts & Accessories" listings or try ringing deales such as Northern Shooters Supplies here in Vic as Roger used to deal in a lot of Simplex products. If you find a 2nd hand set ensure they are Simplex not the old 5/8th Lyman dies as the thread pitch is very different, 24 TPi for Simplex and 30 TPI for Lyman.

..Yeah cheers ....I've contacted the guys who have bought the old simplex stock and company so will see whats going on there first....

[bladeracer]

Personally, I would put the Simplex gear in a cupboard and buy a proper press.

I'm loading my pistol ammo on a single-stage Lee press with no issues. Not sure how many thousands I've done this year so far, but it's up there. Got another batch to do this week as I'm shooting the three-day Cowboy match "Rawhide" at Little River this weekend.

What would be the advantage of a single stage press over a turret press..?..Surely the turret is more versatile and less stuffing around...???

I mainly prefer the rigidity of the O-frame compared to the turret, and I dislike everything about the Simplex design.

I compartmentalise my loading so I don't have any stuffing around.

When I come home I run my brass through the sizing/decapping die and toss it in the bucket with the rest. It only takes a few minutes to do usually. So I always have a big bucket full of sized and deprimed brass. I'll do today's brass as soon as I finish writing this.

Two or three times during the week I'll spend an hour or two priming and flaring brass from that bucket (actually those buckets as I'm loading 9mm, .38, .357, .44-40, and .30-30 every week currently) and toss it into the next bucket. So I have a bucket of primed brass ready for powder and bullets. Last night I primed and flared 300-odd .44-40's I want to load this week.

I keep the powder thrower reservoir full so whenever I have a spare fifteen minutes, I can charge a block of fifty cases, and seat and crimp bullets in them. I toss the loaded ammo into the loaded ammo bucket.

As you can see, each of these processes only uses one die, so a turret or progressive press is of no advantage to me.

I didn't have a Factory Crimp Die for the .44-40 when I loaded ammo for Qld, so I set the seating die up to crimp the bullets, and it worked perfectly with zero issues. The FCD arrived while I was away and I used it to load 533rds as soon as I got back. Two rounds jammed the rifle when the bullets pushed back into the cases, in the first two magazines, which sucks. I adjusted the FCD to max crimp, it can't go any further. So I need to run those remaining rounds through the seating die to crimp them properly for this weekend. We have some side matches I'll use them in and if I still have jams I'll keep them for the pistols and use the stuff I'm loading this week in the rifle. I think a major factor is the bullets. I don't know what brand they are but three 400rd boxes came with the pistols and they're under-size. They only measure .427", I'd prefer .430" for cast bullets. Shooting ISSF matches last week the bullets are tumbling. They're fine for Cowboy but hopeless for precision shooting. Less than 400 left though so I'm loading them just for Cowboy.

Loading blackpowder .38 and .44-40 is much more work. I don't know if the Lee Perfect powder thrower is static-safe for black, so I'm throwing black charges individually using a brass powder flask, still in blocks of 50rds though.

For the shotshells I use the Lee Load-All 2 but I only use it to deprime and size the hulls, push the wad through the old crimp, and then for the crimp. I don't use it for charging the powder or shot. But I've had so many crimps come loose that I'm thinking of moving away from star crimping. I want to try an over-shot card and a couple dabs of hot-glue.

Got to the pistol club at 1030 today and left at 1700. Did some chrono testing, and a bit of .44-40 and 9mm practice but concentrated on the .22. Did four 60rd Standard practices and four 60rd Rapid practices. Then a new member came in to do some Rapid practice with my pistol. Then I shot an air pistol match to finish off.

[fnq22]

geez, you are a one man army arent you mate..!

I'll take your info under advisement but i reckon i'll start out using the Simplex ...

Being inexperienced here I imagine as i go along I'll get a better idea when I need to upgrade and what may be best suited..

As I have various caibrated measuring devices for the .243 and 30/30 I have nothing to calibrate the powder thrower for the comparativly light loads of pistol shells..Should i get a scale of some sort and what would you recommend..

and anything else I must have initially...??..maybe calipers for measuring the right length..??...I'm pretty broke at the moment so am happy to do with the mimimum set-up to start with and build up as I need it..

[bladeracer]

geez, you are a one man army arent you mate..!

I'll take your info under advisement but i reckon i'll start out using the Simplex ...

Being inexperienced here I imagine as i go along I'll get a better idea when I need to upgrade and what may be best suited..

As I have various caibrated measuring devices for the .243 and 30/30 I have nothing to calibrate the powder thrower for the comparativly light loads of pistol shells..Should i get a scale of some sort and what would you recommend..

and anything else I must have initially...??..maybe calipers for measuring the right length..??...I'm pretty broke at the moment so am happy to do with the mimimum set-up to start with and build up as I need it..

My first, and only, first-hand experience with Simplex was because they were one of the few companies doing .303-25 dies. With the cost of the thread adaptor to fit a proper press I think it was over $200 with postage for both items. I ordered Lee dies from the US for $170 (so much better). The Simplex design doesn't support the case head at all, the case head is free to wander off-centre while depriming and sizing the neck - they don't full length size or shoulder bump either so are pretty useless for loading for rifles. This freedom of movement results in atrocious ammo as the end result.

9mm is a very short case though so I would expect the Simplex to work fine with it. But if you think you might start loading other things, including rifle cartridges, I would weigh the cost of the Simplex die sets against a better press and dies before investing too much money in their 5/8" stuff. For pistol rounds you'll need a way to flare the case mouth, I don't know if Simplex offered a flaring die, and a crimp die to crimp the bullets afterwards, again, no idea if Simplex offered crimp dies either. Lee does offer a very simple flaring tool for use with their Lee Loader.
https://leeprecision.com/flaring-tool-38

I primarily use the Gempro 250 scale, about $300 ten years ago, and been discontinued for years. But this last year I've also been using jewelery scales from Temu for about $30, and they're impressive. The Gempro is sensitive so you have to give it a few seconds to settle before each load, the Temu one just drops back to zero immediately ready for another load.

I just took photos of the scale and the calibration weight pack but they're way too big to post here. People have told me for years that emailing them to myself shrinks them, so I just did that but it didn't work, they're the same size. My computer is still dead so I'm stuck with working on the phone.

You will need a caliper for working with rifles but I doubt you'll need it for 9mm. I do like to know the bullet diameter to avoid under-size bullets but you'll likely be okay.

For rifles you will eventually need to trim the case mouths and bump the shoulders. You should be able to get vice dies for these, but again, weigh up how much you're investing in the system.

And you'll need something to chamfer the case mouths. The double-ended RCBS tool is still the best I've used.
https://shop.rcbs.com/deburring-tool/

[fnq22]

Thanks for the info.....

https://www.castbulletengineering.com.au/

So Cast Bullet Engineering have bought out Simplex and intend to offer their range and a Simplex website is in the making...they also make projectile moulds..

I'm just not sure whether its worth investing in expanding my reloading base in a brand that makes dies that only fit their own presses...though they mention they are making dies in all calibres..no doubt I'll also need dies for other pistol calibres in the future..

My old man was a much better shooter then me and shot roo's professionally back in the day using the super simplex press to good effect..

Any thoughts...?...I 'd like to support Aussie made where possible...though I think I already know your thoughts...

[Wapiti]

You don't have am O-frame press that takes 7/8 standard dies, fnq22?

A neighbour once gave me a milk crate full of Super Simplex dies, bullet sizers and two presses. One was brand-new, however very old.
I set the "new" one up (it was the least wobbly and had no wear) to neck size .30 and .22 cal centrefire necks as an extra press on the bench but it's now back in a crate high on the pallet racking in the shed.

Reason being, the ammo loaded with it was atrociously out of straight and yes, it was "reloaded ammo" like grand dad made but now that we all know the precision we can get from even straight factory ammo, and the way more precise dimensionally handloaded ammo that can and does, improve our results further,
why invest in this stuff nowadays?
Yes probably millions of cartridges were loaded with these setups in the past for people who shot to feed their families, but only because the better gear was out of reach.
I completely agree with Blade, invest in gear that will allow you to evolve as you demand more precision from your gear... and this starts with ammo.

For s**ts and giggles yeah, use this bit of nostagia, but I reckon it would be better to invest in what is standard 7/8 presses and dies and you can always graduate from there as you demand perfect ammo for firearms that will perform with more precision for it.

[bladeracer]

I like CBE stuff, but $250 for a 3-die pistol set is ridiculous. The Lee four-die set is around $150.

Screenshot_20251113_090517_Chrome.jpg (583.99 KiB) Viewed 2848 times

To be viable, the Simplex needs redesigning from the ground up. The old Lee Loader that uses a hammer or vice will produce better quality reloads than you'll get from Simplex.

I would be looking for a secondhand Lee Breechlock press, or their C-frame press would be fine for what you want to do currently. Their turret presses aren't terrible from what friends tell me that use them, but I have very limited experience with turrets. I don't like any system that loads rounds individually. I prefer to be able compare a batch of loads at each stage of the process for consistency.

Thanks for the info.....

https://www.castbulletengineering.com.au/

So Cast Bullet Engineering have bought out Simplex and intend to offer their range and a Simplex website is in the making...they also make projectile moulds..

I'm just not sure whether its worth investing in expanding my reloading base in a brand that makes dies that only fit their own presses...though they mention they are making dies in all calibres..no doubt I'll also need dies for other pistol calibres in the future..

My old man was a much better shooter then me and shot roo's professionally back in the day using the super simplex press to good effect..

Any thoughts...?...I 'd like to support Aussie made where possible...though I think I already know your thoughts...

[fnq22]

Thanks guys for the advice...

I'll take a look at the Lee stuff and have a think about it..

Yes Wapiti I only have the simplex as I dont do much hunting anymore and with the handgun side which is my primary shooting I have just used rimfire previously..

and it does make sense to start with a platform thats supported by all the manufacturers rather then be stuck with 5/8 stuff from a manufacturer that may or may not be around in future and is quite a bit more expensive for die's....

I would rather support aussie though....I'm not likely to receive my 9mm before xmas/new year anyway so I have some time to research options...

[fnq22]

Ok so I'm looking at the basic single stage O frame Lee breech lock loader press.....would this be satisfactory..?..it seems just twist and pull to change out dies that are then still calibrated when stuck back in so it seems easy and practical enough...

and are these guys OK to deal with..?

https://www.ozgunmart.com.au/lee-breech ... ress-90588

regarding dies...2 options...3 or 4 dies sets.....why would i want to split the bullet seating and crimping process into 2 dies (4 die set) rather then a 1 die (3 die set) that does both at once...?

[bladeracer]

The Lee O-frame Breechlock is my primary press. In the past twelve months I've loaded around 4000 .38's, 3000 9mm, 400-odd .357, over 1000 .44-40, 300-odd .30-30's and some other rifle stuff. I'm doing a big batch of .44-40 just now, then I need to load some .30-30, .308 and .303-25 before I can do a big pile of .38 and 9mm for next year.

I've dealt with Ozgunmart a few times always with good service, no complaints from me.

You can set up the seating die to also crimp, but it is a little fiddly setting it up, and it does rely on your brass being a consistent length, but it can work very well. In 44-40 at the moment I'm getting a more consistent crimp from the seating die than the FCD is giving me. I think the problem is the under-size bullets I'm using though, not the die itself. I have the fully closed so the four segments are hard against each other and it still doesn't crimp enough. I'm hoping fatter bullets will fix the problem.

For 9mm I just use the FCD, in a semi-auto reliable cycling is paramount for me. Setting up the seating die can save you another step so is worth experimenting with, but test your crimp in small batches, you don't want to have to pull down hundreds of rounds that aren't working reliably.

Ok so I'm looking at the basic single stage O frame Lee breech lock loader press.....would this be satisfactory..?..it seems just twist and pull to change out dies that are then still calibrated when stuck back in so it seems easy and practical enough...

and are these guys OK to deal with..?

https://www.ozgunmart.com.au/lee-breech ... ress-90588

regarding dies...2 options...3 or 4 dies sets.....why would i want to split the bullet seating and crimping process into 2 dies (4 die set) rather then a 1 die (3 die set) that does both at once...?

[fnq22]

Thanks mate...

yeah i'll go for the 4 die set then with the crimping die to do them properly...as i often see at my club just one badly done round or shortcuts in loading is enough to stuff up a days IPSC or service pistol shoot..

So just to be clear with that Lee loader...standard 7/8 dies fit but ONLY when screwed into the quick release bushs....?
and yeah i'm a cheap kunt so any idea where to get the bushs cheaper then $26 per pair....?

[bladeracer]

That is correct, but you can leave a bush in there and use it like an old-school press, screwing the dies in.

The bushes are expensive, and I've never found a cheap source as yet. I've been taking them off my less often used die sets but I probably should order another couple dozen bushes. I think they used to do bulk packs as I bought more than 100 of them years ago, but I might have gotten them out of the US back then. I see Lee offer four-packs but I can't find any in Oz. Even Cleaver want $31 a pair.

Have you talked to club members to see if anybody is selling any reloading gear?

A bad round in IPSC is just annoying, a bad round in the rifle in a Cowboy match can require stripping the guts out of the rifle to fix it

Thanks mate...

yeah i'll go for the 4 die set then with the crimping die to do them properly...as i often see at my club just one badly done round or shortcuts in loading is enough to stuff up a days IPSC or service pistol shoot..

So just to be clear with that Lee loader...standard 7/8 dies fit but ONLY when screwed into the quick release bushs....?
and yeah i'm a cheap kunt so any idea where to get the bushs cheaper then $26 per pair....?

[fnq22]

[quote="bladeracer"]
Have you talked to club members to see if anybody is selling any reloading gear?



[quote="fnq22"]

Thanks mate...good advice there...I have been doing just that and scouring Youtube looking at all the possibilities..Living a busy working life time, energy and motivation also become a factor in realistically getting into reloading even at a fraction of the scale you do..

Anyway I'll take my irrelevence elsewhere and might post off a set square to a humourless hobbyfarmer to be able to fix his wonky gates...

Over and out.

[bladeracer]

I spent yesterday building a new reloading bench. Based on a pair of shelving units from Bunnings - 1830mm high, 910mm wide and 410mm deep. They're not sturdy enough to take the press loads without screwing them to the wall, which I don't want to do in this room, so I'm making a ply bench top to mount the press to the shelves with a supporting leg to take the moment force of swinging off the lever. I'll post pics if I can work out how to reduce the sizes. Basically the same setup as up in my office, but I used two units 1220mm wide by 540mm deep, and screwed them to the wall.

Check your private messages, I finally managed to respond to yours

Have you talked to club members to see if anybody is selling any reloading gear?

Thanks mate...good advice there...I have been doing just that and scouring Youtube looking at all the possibilities..Living a busy working life time, energy and motivation also become a factor in realistically getting into reloading even at a fraction of the scale you do..

Anyway I'll take my irrelevence elsewhere and might post off a set square to a humourless hobbyfarmer to be able to fix his wonky gates...

Over and out.

[fnq22]

Hi Larry...Just logged in to mention i was fortunate to be gifted a fella at the range's old gear ...maybe its compensation for being the new guy there and putting up with all the banter thrown my way this past year.....haha..Nice bunch of fella's though really and they have been very welcoming and always willing to share their knowledge..

So now I have a RCBS kit now including an O frame single stage press, powder measure, beam scale, and he even threw in a bullet sizer/swager/luber as i was thinking about maybe casting some bullets up at some stage.........

so i have bought some dies and a tumbler and will get a electronic scale as well.. and should just about be set to start playing around with some loads once I actually get the gun i bought 6 weeks ago but am still waiting on the PTA ....

Like yourself I'll start thinking about building a little setup to organise things and have a decent solid worktop..... probably very basic at first till i work out what I really need.

Hope you have a great xmas mate..

[bladeracer]

That's awesome, they're really looking after you there

Don't make the mistake of loading ammo before you get the firearm, wait so you can confirm your brass fits it, and that your first few rounds run through it before you make a larger batch of ammo.

We shot our last calendar matches yesterday, there's only the Christmas shoot this Saturday to go for this year. Our Cowboy end of year shoot was on Sunday and was a blast. I had the Christmas shoot dumped in my lap last week and I still don't know what we'll be doing I spent ninety minutes yesterday filling water balloons and cans with water for freezing. I'll go in tomorrow to fill more of both and hang some tinsel and baubles.

So, I've been going through my logbooks for this year. 185 pistol club attendances, shooting 192 matches and 61 Training Shoots, plus five working bees and some attendances supervising new shooters.I shot 48 air pistol matches, 58 rimfire, 68 centrefire, and 18 class 4 matches (I first fired the .44's on October 1st).

33,077rds so far this year. 22,723rds of it in pistols.

20,394rds of .22LR, 3585rds of .38 Special, 2250rds of 9mm, 1574rds of .44-40 (not bad considering I only picked up the .44's in late September and went straight to Queensland). And I did just over 18,000km traveling to pistol clubs.

Check your private messages and you'll see what I've been getting up to the past couple months

Hi Larry...Just logged in to mention i was fortunate to be gifted a fella at the range's old gear ...maybe its compensation for being the new guy there and putting up with all the banter thrown my way this past year.....haha..Nice bunch of fella's though really and they have been very welcoming and always willing to share their knowledge..

So now I have a RCBS kit now including an O frame single stage press, powder measure, beam scale, and he even threw in a bullet sizer/swager/luber as i was thinking about maybe casting some bullets up at some stage.........

so i have bought some dies and a tumbler and will get a electronic scale as well.. and should just about be set to start playing around with some loads once I actually get the gun i bought 6 weeks ago but am still waiting on the PTA ....

Like yourself I'll start thinking about building a little setup to organise things and have a decent solid worktop..... probably very basic at first till i work out what I really need.

Hope you have a great xmas mate..