[noresttill]

Its a little bit blurry, but I broke the (what I think is at least) extractor arm

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c169/noresttill/IMG_2020.jpg

And thus carved a ridge in the plastic piece in the slide

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c169/noresttill/IMG_2018.jpg

From this: http://www.e-gunparts.com/productschem.asp?chrMasterModel=1980z645

I think I need parts '14' and '12'

How do I install that plunger and can I do it myself?

Thanks

Jesse

[fastbolt]

As with anything else mechanical, if you have the knowledge & some proper experience, and the right tools, you can learn to do many things ... or, you can pay someone like that to do it for you.;)

Yep, looks like you have a broken ejector ... and yep, it also looks like the jagged front edge of the ejector has damaged the ejector depressor plunger. Not uncommon if an ejector breaks and escapes notice, and the owner/user continues to shoot the pistol. I've seen a couple of plungers develop a nasty gouge from the jagged, shortened broken ejector contacting the nylon plunger, and another one finally broke off before the user realized there was a problem.

In the last instance the user apparently only recognized something was wrong when he was cleaning his pistol after qualification and saw the plunger spring sticking down where the tip of the plunger was supposed to be. In that 16+ year old pistol I had to replace the original extractor (different shape than the newer ones), an original ejector and what I believe was the original ejector depressor plunger ... and some springs, of course. He was dismayed when I told him we had to test-fire the pistol after I replaced the parts (he'd cleaned it), but I helped him clean it again afterward. ;)

Someone once invited me to test-fire a 4516-2 they were thinking about buying, and while I was running a box of ammunition through it I noticed a couple of failures to extract. Since that's odd for a S&W .45, I field stripped the pistol and gave it a quick once-over. I found a broken ejector and damaged ejector depressor plunger, like those pictured in your posted images.

The good news is that the parts are inexpensive. The ejector is only $3.69 and the nylon ejector depressor plunger is only $7.37, plus tax & shipping, listed on the S&W website.

The older ejectors had shorter tips, and a sharply angled corner under the rear of the tip. This sharply angled corner was later eliminated, replaced with a longer curved shape, to reduce the potential for a stress riser to develop. The ejector tip itself was lengthened to help kick out the empty cases sooner and faster. Not unusual in older 3rd gen pistols for the early ejectors to sometimes break after a lot of use. I've had to replace a few of them over the years in our aging inventory of early production 3rd gen S&W pistols.

The better news is that neither of these parts require any fitting. They're drop-in parts. Naturally, any pistol should always be checked for proper functioning when new parts are installed, both at the bench and at the firing line, before it's relied upon for defensive use.

Unfortunately, the side plate has to be removed from the frame in order to replace the ejector, which means the hammer, sear release lever and firing pin safety lever are also 'released' when the side plate is removed (the side plate pin holds all these parts in the frame, including the ejector), and have to be properly reinstalled in the frame when the new ejector is installed.

The rear sight has to be removed from the slide in order for the ejector depressor plunger to be replaced. There's a bit more to it than that, depending on whether a vise/brass punch/hammer or sight pusher is used to remove the rear sight base. There's been some slight changes in the ejector depressor plunger springs over the years, and if the one in your pistol is the original it wouldn't hurt to replace it at the same time. A whopping $0.49 part. Naturally, the position of the rear sight base should be marked in some manner so it can be returned to the previous position ... unless you want to go through drift adjusting it to re-zero the sight picture for windage.

Now, unless you're trained and experienced in the involved necessary disassembly of S&W pistols, I'd have a gunsmith familiar with S&W pistols do it, or send it back to the factory. It would also give the gunsmith or technician a chance to inspect some of the other parts regarding wear & tear, too. For example, sometimes if the ejector has been worked hard for many years to the point where the tip snaps off, then the extractor has probably been working pretty hard, too. Good time to check it ... to see, for example, if it may have developed chips in the hook's edge. Extractors can become work-hardened after several years of use.

[noresttill]

Wow, thanks for the reply.

The extractor I belive I can fix, Ive taken apart that hammer assembly before. The plunger may be a bit more complicated to change. I was afraid that the sight would have to be removed.

So, the site is removed and the plunger and spring pop out. Sounds easy

What SW site were you referring to? The one I link to, or another one?

How much can a person expect to pay for a smith the replace an extractor, a plunger, and do a reliability onc over??


Thanks a lot, Gave me a good amount of information I didnt have before.

Jesse

[fastbolt]

The broken part pictured is the ejector. The extractor is the thin lever located in the slide, which hooks the case rim and helps pull it from the barrel's chamber so it can be kicked out by the ejector. The extractor also costs more than $20, and has to be fitted to each slide by hand. Involves filing and the use of a couple of gauges.

The parts can be found in the Adobe format Parts List on the S&W website ... http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson/upload/other/PistolPartsList_Retail.pdf

I pulled the prices from the 4506 list. It may take a while to download, depending on your internet connection speed.

Removing & reinstalling the side plate is where some armorers have minor problems at first, such as applying uneven pressure to the side plate legs and tweaking them, or even breaking one leg off the plate. Then, there's reinstalling the sear release lever and the firing pin safety lever that frustrates some of them at first. Once the knack is acquired, though, they can be easily slipped into place, held together as a pair, with a little wiggle movement.

The whole process probably takes less than 15 minutes for both the slide and the frame, unless the smith or technician is in a hurry.

Examining and checking out the rest of the pistol, and replacing any worn or other damaged parts, will take what it takes, depending on what's involved. Might take anywhere from 30-60 minutes, depending what needs to be done. Might not be a bad idea to replace a few of the other small springs while the whole thing is disassembled. Check the firing pin spring, trigger play spring, etc..

The money for a good smith, familiar with S&W pistols, and possessing the right gauges, is worth the investment. You might also call S&W, and see what they would charge for shipping the pistol back to them for the repairs and overall inspection, too. The 645's were made before they started offering their lifetime warranty to the public, but you never know what they might be willing to do. Maybe they'll send it back on their dime if you pay to send it to them. Dunno. Why not call and ask? 1 800 331-0852. Ask to speak to a repair technician about some gunsmithing work.

Here's another recent thread where I mentioned an aging 5903 that had something similar occur ... http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=211712

[noresttill]

Yes, ejector, not extractor...sorry.

Thanks, again. I make some calls and maybe buy a book or two. I feel Im competant enough to handle this, but if not...well thats what the calls are for. If I have any more questions ill be sure to ask, and thanks for being so pleasant to someone who knows less.

Again thanks a load and those sites are great

Jesse