S&W 1911 External Extractor.

[M118LR]

So what is your opinion of the external extractor used on S&W's 1911?
Is it the final improvement of off the self 1911's?
Or is the external extractor sacrilegious to those 1911 purists?

 

[someguy2800]

I think they are great. The original design is finicky to get the tension just right so they will feed decent and extract reliably. Nothing about the above pistol is original. Nobody cares about the modernized, hammer, trigger, safety, beavertail, sights, rail, and slide serrations so whats wrong about putting a more reliable extractor on it as well?

If you want original get an original. If you want functional get that.

 

[JTQ]

S&W's external extractor has a very good reputation for reliability.

 

[AZAndy]

I have three Sig 1911s with the external. I'm now a convert to the modern way. It's great not to have to waste another hour fooling around with extractor tension.

The sacrilege is that unsightly attachment rail.

 

[M118LR]

It makes a difference when you attach a light. JMHO.

 

[jmr40]

I guess to a purist they are a problem. But if we can accept flat mainspring housings, long triggers, oversize grip safeties, Novak sights, ambi safeties, FLGR's, light rails, 8 round magazines, bobbed hammers and anything else not original to the 1911 A1 then we can accept an external extractor.

They got a bad reputation when many Kimbers with external extractors gave problems 20 -30 years ago. But done right an external extractor is at least as reliable, probably more so, than the traditional internal extractor. Smith seems to be doing it right.

BTW, I picked up 2 of the Smith 1911's several years ago. I consider them better than anything else in the price range. Including Colt.

 

[JTQ]

I have three Sig 1911s with the external. I'm now a convert to the modern way. It's great not to have to waste another hour fooling around with extractor tension.

Relatively speaking, S&W has always done a better job with their 1911 external extractor (now that I think of it probably all their auto's) than SIG has done.

 

[WVsig]

The S&W is pretty solid but IMHO it makes it a 1911 like pistol not a 1911. The major problem with the external extractor is that if it fails you cannot replace it yourself. I know for a fact Sig won't sent you one or sell you one. I am not sure about S&W but I believe they not send you one either.

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
I have been carrying a 1911 for over 40 years.
IMHO, a "1911" with an external extractor is not a 1911.
I have no need for such a pistol...others may do as they please.

 

[JTQ]

The major problem with the internal extractor is that if it fails you cannot replace it yourself.

Typo, I'm sure.

 

[Walkalong]

Is it the final improvement of off the self 1911's?
Or is the external extractor sacrilegious to those 1911 purists?

Neither one. S&W knows how to make it work, so who cares if it isn't true to the original design. Well, some folks do. I love the 1911, have had at least one (Starting with a US Property Remington Rand) for the last 44 years, and think it is a marvelous design, but what works works, and the S&W external extractor works. Now the Kimber try at it is another story.



And of course a Colt for good measure.

 

[RA40]

If the gun runs, I'm fine with the external one. A far as parts availability, the original pattern 1911 is easy to obtain parts for. One can DIY those. The S&W and Sig those parts may not come easy for the end user.

 

[WVsig]

Typo, I'm sure.

Corrected

 

[OFT]

Hi...
I have been carrying a 1911 for over 40 years.
IMHO, a "1911" with an external extractor is not a 1911.
I have no need for such a pistol...others may do as they please.

Does this mean that a Browning Hi Power with an external extractor is not a Browning Hi Power?

 

[JDR]

...Or is the external extractor sacrilegious to those 1911 purists?

The external extractor on both of SW1911’s I have owned (one of which I still own) have always worked fine. So while I don’t think external extractors on 1911’s are sacriligious, I can’t say the same about picatinny rails on 1911’s.

 

[silicosys4]

"The only external extractor setup that I have tried that will reliably pass this test is the Smith and Wesson E-Series pistol, which uses the wide Performance Center extractor and is optimally positioned in the slide. Many 1911 external extractor designs do not optimally position the extractor relative to the bore axis resulting in marginal extractor function."

http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=131

 

[FL-NC]

I think its ugly. I used a lot of 1911's, and extractor problems were infrequent and easily corrected. I also think the light rail is ugly, but if I was to use a 1911 for HD or any other scenario where I may have to use it in the dark, I would want a rail.

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

When it comes to external extractors, S&W just does it right (& pretty much, only does it, externally).

I have several 3rd generations, a Sigma & an SD, as well as a 1911; they all have external extractors.

When you have something that works...you stick with it.

Sam

 

[entropy]

I guess to a purist they are a problem. But if we can accept flat mainspring housings

Don't you mean arched mainspring housings? After all, the flat mainspring housing is the original.....

It's functionally superior, so I don't mind it. But as FL-NC said, the internal ones are easily corrected. My 1911 isn't a Smith, and doesn't have it, but I do like them.

When you have something that works...you stick with it.

With that attitude, no one would have ever developed the external extractor for the 1911.

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

...With that attitude, no one would have ever developed the external extractor for the 1911.

Yes...except that S&W has been making semi’s with external extractors, from the beginning, l o n g before they ever decided to start making 1911’s...so they have stuck with what has worked so well for them, while continuing to adapt & innovate in other areas.

Sam

 

[cfullgraf]

I built a 45 ACP M1911 with a Caspian slide and an external extractor shortly after the time S&W introduced their external extractor. Mine works fine. No complaints. I still have the gun.

I also have a couple Sig M1911 chambered in 40 S&W and 357 Sig with external extractors and they perform just fine.

But, I'm happy with the internal extractor that the M1911 was designed with.