BHP failure to extract... help!

[Dorrin79]

went to the big houston gun show yesterday and sold off my KelTec p11 and my Ruger P89.

Bought a FM Hi-Power in about 95% condition (little bit of finish wear) and 3 13-rd mags.

Very happy camper, so far.

Took it to the range today. It's very accurate (much more so than my P89) and pleasant to shoot.

Unfortunately, I started getting failures to extrtract on the 3rd mag. As I worked my way through 200 rds of WWB, failures became more and more common until, at the end, I was getting 3-4 failures per mag. I tried all three mags several times to try and make sure it wasn't a mag problem.

The failure was this - the gunn would fire, then fail to return to battery. Upon examination, the spent casing would still be partially in the chamber, and the new round would be jammed up against it, preventing the slide from closing. I don't think the ammo was the cause, as locking the slide back, removing the mag, and turning the gun upwards caused the case to fall out. (so the chamber isn't tooo tight, I think)

Is this an extractor problem? I stripped it an dlooked at the extractor - it doesn't look damaged to my eyes, but I know that doesn't mean much.

Any ideas on what to do?

Thanks!

 

[WheelMan]

I have a BHP that does the exact same thing, it even gets worse with increased shooting just like this one. Except in mine the spend round doesn't just fall out, you have to tap it out with a cleaning rod... I've alsways guessed this was a too tight or rough chamber.

Sounds like you have an extractor tension issue maybe? The rule of thumb on a 1911 is that the extractor should be able to hold a fully loaded round in place when the slide is off the frame and the barrel is out, I'm guessing it would be similar for a BHP

 

[Old Fuff]

Be sure the chamber is clean and not corroded - especially at the front. This is one of the most common reasons for failure-to-extract. Also examine some of the fired cases for signs of abnormalities. If you can hand-eject unfired cartridges I don't think the extractor's at fault.

 

[Wildalaska]

First of all you dont have a BHP...you have an FMHP and its far different in terms of quality...I have seen these probs numerous times with FMs, and never with a BHP or an FN....that being said, what kind of ammo are you usin?

WildexttensionmaybechamberpossiblyAlaska

 

[Dorrin79]

it seems to eject by hand just fine.

i just ran a couple of clips through it working the slide by hand and it kicked them all out fine.

the chamber looks ok to me - it's certainly not corroded.

it was kind of dirty when i took it out.

I'll give it a good cleaning before next range session and see if that changes anything.

 

[Wildalaska]

Change your recoil spring while yer at it...

WildboingAlaska

 

[Dorrin79]

so, thorough cleaning, recoil spring...

I was also thinking, it's a military hi-power; isn't nato 124gr ball considered +P?

Maybe changing the recoil spring will fix that part too...

 

[WonderNine]

NATO 124gr. FMJ is all I shoot. I guess you could call it a mild +P.

Winchester LEO 124gr. NATO averages about 1200 fps out of my P35.

I haven't chrono'd the Winchester Whitebox 124gr. NATO or Federal 124gr. NATO yet.


How does your extractor look? Have you examined it to make sure it's not chipped or anything? What kind of magazines are you using? Check behind the extractor with a toothpick and make sure there is not a build up of crud there. Also clean the chamber well with a toothpick and cotton swabs, make sure their isn't crud build-up on the chamber wall or the rim at the end of the chamber. Clean the crud/granules/copper shavings out of the rails with a cleaning rag.

I also use electronic duster (those cans of compressed air) to blow the gunk out of the gun.

Install a 17lbs. factory replacement recoil spring from Wolff Gunsprings.

Relube rails and recoil spring/guide rod with Breakfree CLP.

Let us know how it works out!

 

[Dr.Rob]

CLEAN THE EXTRACTOR CHANNEL.

Bet you a dollar that's your problem.

 

[Dorrin79]

Dr. Rob:

how do I get the extractor out to clean it and the channel?

 

[WonderNine]

Just clean out behind the extractor with a toothpick, and then do the channel with same. Then blow it out with compressed air.

 

[Dr.Rob]

The pin that holds it in place is pushed out from below, Clean the entire length of the channel with a toothpick or dental pick. Inspect the end of the extractor for obvious chips or rounding off. I'd just bet its full of built up residue. You can see in the schematic that the spring that makes the extractor work is pretty small, so a little bit of grit can affect it greatly.

http://www.browning.com/services/gunpartsprices/pdf/highpower.pdf

 

[Dave R]

Dorrin, methinks Dr. Rob is right about your extractor channel. However, to remove the pin that holds the extractor in, you first have to remove the pin that holds the ???? in. I forget the name of that doohicky that is like a little seesaw that trips the sear when the trigger is pulled. Anyway, you have to remove the pin in the side of the slide before you can access the pin in the bottom of the slide to remove the extractor.

Could also be your extractor SPRING channel is gunky, or your extrator spring has gone real weak. You should just be able to move the extractor by hand with a significant amount of pressure.

Also, when checking your extractor, make sure the ends are SQUARE. When my HP (clone) had FTE problems, I thought my extractor was fine. When I finally broke down and removed it, I saw the lower tip was a bit rounded. Closer look showed a little chip was gone. That's all it took to mess up extraction. I replaced extractor and spring, and perfect function since.