Tuning the Extractor

When working up a 1911, it’s easy to drop in an Ed Brown hard-core extractor and trash the old part. The Ed Brown parts are of higher quality than the usual factory parts, and the problem is solved if an extractor problem existed in the fist place. This simple replacement was not an option with a balky Charles Daly 1911 I worked on recently. The extractor had lost tension and the claw was no longer sharp. Someone had probably slammed the slide home on a loaded chamber repeatedly, damaging the extractor.

The extractor would not work reliably with every type of brass case. I pulled the extractor and found that it didn’t match anything I had in the parts box. Both the length and configuration differed. A call to KBI resulted in an offer to repair the gun at no cost, reflecting a commitment to the model. But they didn’t have an extractor on hand to send me.

In the interest of time and education, I decided I would repair the 1911 myself Over the years, many writers have told us that the extractor controls feeding, chambering, and extraction. This is true, but the extractor does not control headspace. The gun might feed without an extractor, but it would tie up when fired. Some folks fire the .40 S&W cartridge in the 10mm pistol, or fire the 9mm Luger cartridge in the 9mm Largo pistol. In this case, the cartridge does headspace on the extractor.

This, of course, is a dangerous practice to be avoided. The .45 ACP and the .38 ACP both use a .900-inch-long cartridge case, a product of their shared development. For absolute precision, I sometimes trim my favorite brass (Starline) to a length of .898 inch, using a Forster trimmer. Some chambers are tighter or more uniform than others, which is the reason why barrels such as the Nowlins I’ve been using lately are more accurate.

When the cartridge is stripped from the magazine, it may not always chamber and headspace perfectly if the extractor is out of specs. Let’s look at what the extractor does. When the pistol recoils, the slide and barrel travel together with the case held by the extractor. When the barrel halts its rearward movement, the slide continues, and the extractor pulls the case from the chamber. High pressure, a dirty chamber, and steelcased ammunition can all increase wear on the extractor.

Considering that the extractors are simply small springsteel parts, they are quite rugged and long lived. But I have replaced more extractors than any other part of the 1911—except for springs and magazines. A common situation resulting in extractor damage is the fitting of heavier-than-normal springs for use with heavy loads. Changes in normal operation tend to batter the extractor.

Sometimes a dirty or rough chamber is at fault in malfunctions, and sometimes the wrong spring is the culprit, but the extractor can also be at fault. I’ve used Jack Weigand’s extractor tuning tool with great success. This is a simple tool, but a great aid in the shop. The tool comes with two wedges, one for the .45 ACP and one for the .38 ACP and 9mm caliber 1911 pistols, one of which is snapped into the extractor. A trigger-pull gauge such as the RCBS is hooked into the gauge to measure spring tension.

The extractor will release the wedge at a

certain weight. Some extractors show 20 to 25 ounces and work fine, but many will show much less. To adjust the extractor, the part is carefully removed from the gun. I always drop the firing-pin stop, the firing pin, and the spring, and carefully bring the extractor out with finger pressure only. Most of the time, this works. Occasionally an extractor may have to be bumped off the breechface a little.

This is common when unburned powder ash or gum from certain types of ammunition has conspired to varnish the breechface. If you pry the breechface end of the extractor, you are certain to spring it or ruin the hook. This, obviously, is to be avoided. Once the extractor is out, you wedge it into the Weigand tool by turning a dial until the extractor is held securely. Then, pressure is placed on the extractor until it is bent or sprung properly. Reinstall and check the pressure for a proper fit.

This is all that’s required in many cases to restore or "tune" the extractor. I like to set mine between 22 and 25 ounces. Another consideration is that the extractor hook be sharp. Some will have become blunted over time, and others were made of soft steel in the first place. A soft sub-standard part should be trashed. A quality part that has become blunted can be filed sharply and brought back to proper fit and sharpness. Sometimes you’ll want to tune an extractor that’s not malfunctioning.

For example, when fitting a 9mm Luger barrel to the .38 Super for economy reasons, you might find that the extractor does not reach the 9mm rim (.405- versus .386-inch breeches in the respective calibers are the difference.) Sometimes the extractor will work 45/10mm and .38/9mm extractors. fine, and sometimes it won’t. You can use the Weigand tool to bend the tip of the extractor and ensure proper function with either caliber.

The new class of extractor seen on the Wilson Combat KZ-45 and a few other pistols is a different matter. These pistols use a fixed extractor. While they may be more rugged than the original extractor, they have more parts, including the extractor, spring, plunger, and a roll pin in some versions. The replacement of these extractors would require the removal of the roll pin and removal of the unit, then replacement in the same manner. The roll pin is driven out with a punch.

I would recommend A Word to our Readers about American Gunsmith’s Mailing-List Policy Like many other publishers, we make portions of our customer list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services we believe you may enjoy. Indeed, in all likelihood, we were able to first reach you only because another company graciously permitted us access to its customer list.

If, when we make our list available, you do not want to receive those offers and/or information, please let us know by contacting us at American Gunsmith Opt-Out Program, Greenwich, CT 06830. Please be sure to include your current mailing label. a solid pin rather than the hollow pin seen in some versions. The jury is out on these extractors, but they just might be a considerable improvement. It’s standard operating procedure to include a sheet of "dos and don’t s" when delivering a custom pistol.

When doing a trigger job, one of the "don’t s" you’ll want to warn the shooter about is slamming the slide on an empty chamber. This is ruinous to the trigger action. But we seldom warn the prospective buyer not to slam the slide on a loaded chamber. The proper technique is to load the pistol from the magazine by racking the slide, place the gun on safe, and secure it. Then, if desired, the magazine can

be topped off with another round and reseated. To drop around in the chamber and drop the slide on it seems logical to some, but this can’t be done often without damaging the extractor. The extractor performs in a far different manner in normal operation. When the slide drops and the extractor is forced to snap over the case rim in this manner, it is stretched past its design parameters. Loading the weapon the proper way is just simple consideration for a good friend. ■

Antique/Replica Firearms Antique Firearms, Adventures and Misadventures with July 03 Cimarron .45 Schofield, Troubleshooting the Jan 03 Fine Old Guns: The Right Way, Part 1, Disassembling Dec 03 French Warhorse, Sprucing Up an Old Nov 03 Model 1858 Beals Revolver, Disassembly of the Apr 03 Navy Arms New Model Russian .44, Working the June 03 Savage 1921 Shotgun, Working the Feb 03 S&W .38 New Departure/Safety Hammerless, Working Aug 03 S&W Top-Break .44 Double-Actions, Working the May 03 Smith & Wesson K-Frames, Working the 1915-1945 Nov 03 Smith & Wesson New Model Number Three, Working Oct 03 Diagnosing Problems by the Condition of the Used Shell Feb 03 Improving Beretta 92 Pistol Performance Feb 03 Gun-Metal Finish Repair: Testing Touch-Up Bluing Mar 03 "My M1911 Ain’t Shootin’ Good Like It Used To" Jan 03 Peculiarities of the .38 Super Oct 03 Recoil Reduction: Facts and Fiction Apr 03 Remington M12 and 121: A Parts Source Directory May 03 Remington M24/241 Rifles: A Parts Source Directory Oct 03 Some Thoughts on Gunsmithing the Tokarev Sept 03 Thoughts on ‘Smithing the CZ-52 June 03 Do-It-Yourself Projects Ball-Bearing Steady-Rest Jaws For the Gunsmith July 03 Build a Lightweight Checkering Cradle June 03 Build a No-Slip, No-Scratch Barrel Vise Mar 03 Customize the Blackhawk Grip Frame for a Better Feel July 03 Editorials BATF on the ‘Right’ Side Oct 03 Court Finds in Favor of BATF Jan 03 Don’t Lie for the Other Guy Aug 03 Firearms Injuries Decrease Dramatically Feb 03 House Approves Common-Sense Reform June 03 Hunters Generate Impressive Revenues May 03 Industry Applauds New Learning Theater Nov 03 NRA Museum Shows ‘Exceptional Arms’ Mar 03 NSSF Awards Hunter Grants Dec 03 Recalls and Recriminations Sept 03 Report Confirms Ballistic-Imaging Limitations Apr 03 Robinson Elected President of NRA July 03 Gun-Servicing Features Blaser Long Range Sporter, Take a Close Look at the Aug 03 Browning A-Bolt II, Disassembly/Reassembly of the Dec 03 CETME Rifle, Troubleshooting the May 03 Charles Daly Field-Grade Side-by-Side, Disassembly Mar 03 Charles Daly Field Hunter, Getting into the July 03 CZ-75 and Its Variants, Anatomy of the Jan 03 CZ-75 and Its Variants, Troubleshooting the Feb 03 Hi-Point Model 995, Disassembly/Reassembly of the Sept 03 NAA Mini-Revolvers, Disassembly/Reassembly of the Nov 03 NEF Pardner, Disassembly and Reassembly of the Oct 03 Remington Models 8 and 81, Working the Apr 03 Remington XP-100, Disassembly of the June 03 Reviews/Special Reports Case of the Firestar That Did –And Didn’t, The Mar 03 Converting a Manual Safety to Automatic on O/Us Mar 03 Converting to an Auto Safety on the Daly O/U Shotgun Sept 03 Customizing the Browning Buckmark for Competition Dec 03 STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION (Required by 39 U.

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Feb 03 Precision Tooling for Precision M1911 Slide Fitting Nov 03 Tools and Techniques Automatic Bolt Hold-Open for the Ruger 10/22 Carbine Aug 03 Ball-Bearing Steady-Rest Jaws For the Gunsmith July 03 Build a Lightweight Checkering Cradle June 03 Build a No-Slip, No-Scratch Barrel Vise Mar 03 Customize the Blackhawk Grip Frame for a Better Feel July 03 Express Rust Bluing: Tips and Techniques Dec 03 Grip-Panel Holding Fixture Sept 03 Gunstock Inletting: Tools and Techniques Aug 03 Installing Recoil Pads Nov 03 Installing Wolff’s Beretta M92/96 Trigger Conversion Apr 03 Lengthening Shotgun Chambers and Forcing Cones Jan 03 M1911-A1 Firing-Pin Stop-Plate Tool Feb 03 Magazine Base-Pad Drill Guide Sept 03 Making and Using a Case-Forming Rifle Barrel June 03 More Thoughts on Slow-Rust Bluing May 03 More Tooling from Members of The Pistolsmiths Guild Oct 03 New Accurizing Tools for ‘Cowboy’ Revolvers Jan 03 Proper Replacement of Remington Magazine Latches July 03 Quick Fix for a Broken High Standard Trigger Housing Apr 03 Repairing and Restoring Hard-Rubber Handgun Grips Aug 03 Repairing and Restoring Wooden Handgun Grips Sept 03 Tuning the Extractor Dec 03 No.

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