Extractor Tune
Okay! I've got some of the beans off my plate.
The case hangup that you had is usually caused by one of three things.
Short recoil...Extractor clocking...and a hook that's out of spec as to the depth that it engages the case rim. Depth of engagement related hangups are most often noticed with extended ejectors. What happens is that the
forward surface of the case rim gets pinched between backside of the hook and the long nose of the ejector as it rolls to the right. Sometimes simply breaking the corner on the side ot the ejector will let it release, but that will
change the angle of ejection too.
Riding over the ejector is usually due to ejector location spec....Ejector dimensions...or extractor tension.
The extractor hook depth is one place to start. The depth of the hook from the wall to the tip needs to be a minimum of .032 inch and a maximum of .036 inch. Depending on a few factors, some will do okay if they're a little deeper, but those dimensions seem to work across the board in any in-spec slide.
Before you start filing on anything, measure, measure, measure. Measure the hook's depth by measuring from the backside of the stem to the wall....then the backside of the stem to the tip, and subtracting. The difference is the depth.
To shorten the hook, draw it sideways on a smooth mill file, being careful to keep it level and square. One light stroke and measure...When the depth gets close to the maximum...test-fire with one round in the mag. Ejection problems most often show up on the last round.
Radiusing the bottom corner was correct, but most people ignore the top corner. If that corner is sharp, it can dig into the rim as the case tries to twist loose from the hook. Again...this is most often seen with extended ejectors. If the hook is the correct depth and you still get an occasional pinched case, lightly break the top corner on a stone and try again.
The bevel on the leading edge of the extractor to ease the rim's entry is a good idea, but be careful not to go too far. If the bevel reduces too much of the wall's width, the extractor can drop the case, usually on the last round.
Another modification that I do to extractors is to reduce the center pad on the outboard side. Most good-quality aftermarket extractors aren't made of the right stuff, and are too rigid to function correctly as a spring....and that's what it basically is...or at least it's supposed to be.
Measure the diameter at both pads. it should be about .205 inch. Roll the outboard pad on a grinding wheel LIGHTLY to reduce the overall diameter by about a 64th inch or a little more. .015 to .020 will do. Take your time and don't let the part overheat. You can file a flat across the top and blend the radius into the flat with file or grinder if you'd rather do it that way. This mod lets you bend the extractor in the middle instead of all of it being on the front section. I like to lay the extractor between two vise jaws, opened wide enough to support it at the rear large diameter to the back of the front fitting pad and rap it with a brass hammer. Easy! Better to add more bend than have to straighten it and start over. Toolsteel reacts more favorably
when you use shock to change its shape than bending. Visit an automotive machine shop and ask to watch them straighten a steel crankshaft sometime. Hint...They use a V-block and a large hammer.
This modification allows the extractor to spring open more easily, and gives it a little more clearance in the channel when things get dirty inside.
Clocking is another cause of many extractor woes...and it's hard to catch it sometimes. To check for it, load one round from slidelock at full speed and draw the slide back slowly to eject the round. Repeat several times. if it's clocking, you'll usually see it within 5 cycles. Sometimes a tighter friction fit works...adding more bend...sometimes not. When it doesn't, fitting an oversized firing pin stop to a light press-fit cures it unless the extractor channel is located too far to the right and the side of the stop can't abut against the bottom of the stop's slot in the extractor. A clocking extractor's malfunction usually shows up graphically on the last round by crushing the case between the barrel hood and the slide, and if the tension is high enough, it can actually stuff the case part-way back into the magazine.
Erratic ejection is another clue to a clocking extractor, and occurs at random throughout the magazine...but the last round case crush is the dead giveaway. What happens is that the tension is good, but when the extractor rotates, it drops the case low enough to depress the follower, preventing
slidelock. The slide rides forward and tries to chamber the case that has been kicked on an upward angle by the ejector. Sometimes it's not that obvious, and the case gets ejected with the mouth mangled badly. Finding an occasional ruined case among your brass is another sign. The reason that it doesn't happen on the other rounds is because the convex surface of the upcoming round keeps the empty case high enough to hit the ejector. Some people have found that a magazine follower with a round surface will "correct" this problem...but it's a band-aid fix that doesn't work consistently.
More will come to mind...Gotta go get the dogs tended to.
I'll go look tomorrow first thing and see. If it's not, I'll copy the thread and stick it in there somewhere.
with no leading problems
