1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Extractor tuning has nearly turned into an art. It's become almost an auto-response to suggest checking the extractor tension after eliminating the magazine as a possible source for feed failures, and often, it's the very thing that causes a failure to return to battery. Extractors seem to require a lot of attention, but it wasn't alway so.
The original design specs called for the extractor to be made of spring tempered steel, and with a true spring extractor, once the tension was set, you could pretty much put it out of your mind for years. I once had a personal experience with a 1911 pistol that had been left in Condition 1 for over 60 years, and the extractor tension was still perfect.
Modern barstock extractors arent' nearly this forgiving of neglect, and require retensioning periodically. If they are made of really good steel, they are actually pretty good, but are a little too stiff and unyielding for optimum function and long-term reliability when neglected. Something can be done about this, though. I stumbled on the answer several years ago when, in desperation, I threw caution to the wind, and started grinding on one that was giving me fits...and it worked.
Basically, the modifications involve nothing more than reducing the size of the pads on the sides of the extractor so that it can have a little room to move and to reduce stress that tends to straighten the tensioning bend that is so painstakingly slow to get "just right".
The nominal diameter of the center pads is .205 inch. I reduce the outer pad to bring that down to .195 inch by using a Dremel and a grinding wheel. I hold the tool static in one hand and "roll" the extractor so that I can follow the radius closely, keeping an eye on keeping the shape of the pad symmetrical. The simplest way to do it is to use a file to
cut straight across the top until it mikes about .198-.200, and use the grinding wheel to gradually blend the flat into the radius, and get it to final size. To check the symmetry and shape of the pad, look closely down the length of the extractor from the hook end against a white background.
Then, I reduce the inboard pad another .005 inch in the same way, except I grind a very slight forward rake at the front of the pad after I get it to size. The sizing of the pad along the taper isn't critical, as long as the rear area is held to size for about a fourth of its length. If your extractor has a very narrow pad, the rake can be skipped over and just the sizing tended to.
The front pad....the one just behind the hook, I reduce to a thickness of .125-.130 inch, and put a slight forward rake on it, too. This measurement is determined by measuring the thickness of the front of the extractor, including the pad.
The bend is applied either with a bending fixture, such as the one that is made by Jack Weigand (sp) or simply opening the jaws of a vise to support the stem just behind the hook, and just in front of the butt-end, and lightly bumping it on the inboard pad with a small hammer. I prefer the latter method, because tempered steel tends to react to a light shock better than bending. Easy does it. A little goes a long way. If you get too
much bend, adjust by bumping it in the opposite direction on a flat table top. After you get a few under your belt, you'll develop a "feel" that usually gets it right with on the first bump.
This accomplishes two things. First, and most importantly, it gets the lateral stress off the extractor stem, and preserves the tensioning bend. Second, it allows the bend to be applied in the middle so that tension is obtained from the entire length instead of from the pad forward. The load is distributed evenly instead of being concentrated so that the extractor acts more like a spring, and less like a rigid piece of steel.
This actually allows MORE than enough tension for positive extraction, while allowing the extractor to spring open more readily for good feeding and positive return to battery. If everything else on the pistol is optimized for feeding, an extractor so modified will hold a loaded round more solidly against the breechface, and still allow the pistol to feed and go to battery by pushing on the back of the slide against a fully loaded magazine...with the recoil spring removed. With everything optimized, the pistol can be put into battery by pushing on the backside of the rear sight with the tip of the
index finger, yet still provide strong extraction and ejection...and it normally won't require further attention for tens of thousands of rounds. I have one pistol that I
set up, and have left almost continually loaded for 5 years with no loss of tension when checked. Test-firing once a year provides flawless function, and the pistol is returned to
"loaded" condition (dummy round) after a cursory bore cleaning.
The final part of tuning the extractor is focused on the hook itself. The wall of the extractor...or the bottom...the area that bears against the rim to maintain tension should have a light bevel from about 1/3rd of the width of the wall to the bottom. 45 degrees is okay, but the exact angle isn't very critical as long as the thickness at the bottom is roughly half of its original thickness. This allows the rim to cam the extractor open more easily. A light polishing of the corner on the top and bottom of that bevel is also recommended. Instead of going at it with a Dremel, wrap a small piece of 600-grit wet or dry paper the end of a needle file and make a couple of
passes with it. All that's required is to break the edge...not to remove material. Note that Ed Brown Hardcore extractors come with this bevel already established, leaving only the polishing. Nice touch. Wilson Bulletproof extractors don't have it. Aside from this, and the fact that the Brown is a little long in the butt, and requires filing to get it flush with the rear of the slide, flip a coin for the difference between the two.
Finally, the bottom corner of the hook itself should also be beveled to follow the one in the wall. Follow it pretty closely, and use a medium India stone to "roll" the bottom of the hook to radius it slightly at the bottom to break the sharp corners left by the file. Polish the edge by rolling it again on the sandpaper on the flat side of the stone or a piece of glass. Again, no need to get carried away. This eliminates the tendency of the bottom corner of the hook to dig into the extractor groove of the case as the round moves up and under the hook at an angle as it strips from the magazine. It's not necessary for ALL ammunition, but rather allows for variations in different brands of ammo.
Luck!
Tuner
The original design specs called for the extractor to be made of spring tempered steel, and with a true spring extractor, once the tension was set, you could pretty much put it out of your mind for years. I once had a personal experience with a 1911 pistol that had been left in Condition 1 for over 60 years, and the extractor tension was still perfect.
Modern barstock extractors arent' nearly this forgiving of neglect, and require retensioning periodically. If they are made of really good steel, they are actually pretty good, but are a little too stiff and unyielding for optimum function and long-term reliability when neglected. Something can be done about this, though. I stumbled on the answer several years ago when, in desperation, I threw caution to the wind, and started grinding on one that was giving me fits...and it worked.
Basically, the modifications involve nothing more than reducing the size of the pads on the sides of the extractor so that it can have a little room to move and to reduce stress that tends to straighten the tensioning bend that is so painstakingly slow to get "just right".
The nominal diameter of the center pads is .205 inch. I reduce the outer pad to bring that down to .195 inch by using a Dremel and a grinding wheel. I hold the tool static in one hand and "roll" the extractor so that I can follow the radius closely, keeping an eye on keeping the shape of the pad symmetrical. The simplest way to do it is to use a file to
cut straight across the top until it mikes about .198-.200, and use the grinding wheel to gradually blend the flat into the radius, and get it to final size. To check the symmetry and shape of the pad, look closely down the length of the extractor from the hook end against a white background.
Then, I reduce the inboard pad another .005 inch in the same way, except I grind a very slight forward rake at the front of the pad after I get it to size. The sizing of the pad along the taper isn't critical, as long as the rear area is held to size for about a fourth of its length. If your extractor has a very narrow pad, the rake can be skipped over and just the sizing tended to.
The front pad....the one just behind the hook, I reduce to a thickness of .125-.130 inch, and put a slight forward rake on it, too. This measurement is determined by measuring the thickness of the front of the extractor, including the pad.
The bend is applied either with a bending fixture, such as the one that is made by Jack Weigand (sp) or simply opening the jaws of a vise to support the stem just behind the hook, and just in front of the butt-end, and lightly bumping it on the inboard pad with a small hammer. I prefer the latter method, because tempered steel tends to react to a light shock better than bending. Easy does it. A little goes a long way. If you get too
much bend, adjust by bumping it in the opposite direction on a flat table top. After you get a few under your belt, you'll develop a "feel" that usually gets it right with on the first bump.
This accomplishes two things. First, and most importantly, it gets the lateral stress off the extractor stem, and preserves the tensioning bend. Second, it allows the bend to be applied in the middle so that tension is obtained from the entire length instead of from the pad forward. The load is distributed evenly instead of being concentrated so that the extractor acts more like a spring, and less like a rigid piece of steel.
This actually allows MORE than enough tension for positive extraction, while allowing the extractor to spring open more readily for good feeding and positive return to battery. If everything else on the pistol is optimized for feeding, an extractor so modified will hold a loaded round more solidly against the breechface, and still allow the pistol to feed and go to battery by pushing on the back of the slide against a fully loaded magazine...with the recoil spring removed. With everything optimized, the pistol can be put into battery by pushing on the backside of the rear sight with the tip of the
index finger, yet still provide strong extraction and ejection...and it normally won't require further attention for tens of thousands of rounds. I have one pistol that I
set up, and have left almost continually loaded for 5 years with no loss of tension when checked. Test-firing once a year provides flawless function, and the pistol is returned to
"loaded" condition (dummy round) after a cursory bore cleaning.
The final part of tuning the extractor is focused on the hook itself. The wall of the extractor...or the bottom...the area that bears against the rim to maintain tension should have a light bevel from about 1/3rd of the width of the wall to the bottom. 45 degrees is okay, but the exact angle isn't very critical as long as the thickness at the bottom is roughly half of its original thickness. This allows the rim to cam the extractor open more easily. A light polishing of the corner on the top and bottom of that bevel is also recommended. Instead of going at it with a Dremel, wrap a small piece of 600-grit wet or dry paper the end of a needle file and make a couple of
passes with it. All that's required is to break the edge...not to remove material. Note that Ed Brown Hardcore extractors come with this bevel already established, leaving only the polishing. Nice touch. Wilson Bulletproof extractors don't have it. Aside from this, and the fact that the Brown is a little long in the butt, and requires filing to get it flush with the rear of the slide, flip a coin for the difference between the two.
Finally, the bottom corner of the hook itself should also be beveled to follow the one in the wall. Follow it pretty closely, and use a medium India stone to "roll" the bottom of the hook to radius it slightly at the bottom to break the sharp corners left by the file. Polish the edge by rolling it again on the sandpaper on the flat side of the stone or a piece of glass. Again, no need to get carried away. This eliminates the tendency of the bottom corner of the hook to dig into the extractor groove of the case as the round moves up and under the hook at an angle as it strips from the magazine. It's not necessary for ALL ammunition, but rather allows for variations in different brands of ammo.
Luck!
Tuner
