[loki.fish]

Ok, I'm having problems trying to understand the whole internal/external extractor thing. Could somebody, please, post a pic of an internal and an external and point out the obvious to me? I think I'm trying too hard to understand it and it's making it harder than it really is.

[P95Carry]

Best I can do is put a pic of SIG 226 (ext'l) and a Sistema 1911 (internal). Basically it is what it says - the external is visible from outside the slide, the internal comes thru from rear inside slide in Sistema and will only be visible at the end where the claw is.

Oh, for even closer comparison - note second pic I have added - the SIG 228 - you will notice that has an internal - nothing visible on outside of slide!


http://www.acbsystems.com/boards/thr/cb_gun2/sig226-ct-393-s.jpg


http://www.acbsystems.com/boards/thr/cb_gun2/sig228-ct-325-s.jpg


http://www.acbsystems.com/boards/thr/cb_gun2/sistema_s.jpg

[Josh Aston]

S&W 1911 uses an external extractor.
http://www.joshs45.com/firearms/extractors/108282_large.jpg

Springfield 1911 uses an internal extractor
http://www.joshs45.com/firearms/extractors/PX9154L.jpg

Internal Extractors fit into a tunnel in the slide and generally don't have a seperate spring to push the hook in toward the breechface.
http://www.joshs45.com/firearms/extractors/965415070.jpg

External Extractors fit into a notch in the slide and are basically just a lever with a spring pushing against the rear of the extractor so that the hook is pushed toward the breechface.
http://www.joshs45.com/firearms/extractors/930000010.jpg