Mauser extractor too tight

bcrash15 · December 22, 2010, 03:10 AM

I'm still working on my project M24/47 and I tried to chamber some rounds for the first time tonight. The bolt binds up with about 1/2" of the round still visible as the back of the cartridge is starting to come up the feed ramp and go into the chamber. I took out the bolt and tried to slide a round into the bolt face and it was VERY difficult to get it under the claw of the extractor (I'm assuming this is the problem). Is this something that can be adjusted or what should I try? It is flawlessly clean in terms of cosmoline.

madcratebuilder · December 22, 2010, 06:30 AM

I would remove the extractor from the bolt and chamber a test round. This would be a good time to check the head space. If the round chambers then take a look at the extractor and stone any sharp edges that may be hanging up on the brass.

The Yugo M24/47 is 8mm but it could possibly have been re-barreled in another caliber.

bcrash15 · December 22, 2010, 06:32 PM

Good idea. For a quick check just a second ago I removed the bolt, forced a round under the extractor and reinserted the whole assembly, cartridge and all, and it seemed to chamber and extract/eject just fine. I will pop that extractor off and see if there are any obvious burr or nicking issues that might be grabbing. In doing research, I found there are a lot of problems that are apparently fixed with a new extractor, but they are usually weak or lack of ejection.

dahermit · December 22, 2010, 06:37 PM

The long Mauser extractor is a spring. To loosen the tension on the rounds, strike the extractor with a rubber mallet behind the extractor collar at its midpoint. It should bend a little and loosen its hold on the cartridge head.

bcrash15 · December 26, 2010, 10:08 PM

Update:
I was able to loosen the spring action a bit and make the cartridges slide under the extractor easier as dahermit suggested. Now if I give a fast, vigorous push forward I can get a cartridge to chamber. But it's not 100% and anything less still binds. I also noticed large scrapes on the cases after they jam up, that appear to be caused by the mouth of the chamber. I have no experience with Mausers, so I am not sure what kind of tension or how well the rounds should stick to the bolt face with extractor pressure.

Also, I noticed that the rounds are not feeding reliably from the left side of the magazine. The case seems to move forward too far while still in the magazine and then pop free suddenly and the rim is not always caught under the extractor. Not sure if this is related or not.

HiBC · December 26, 2010, 10:48 PM

If you buy a new 1911 extractor,and install it without massaging it a bit,likely your 1911 won't work.
The extractor does need just enough tension to hold the round to the bolt face.I find it beneficial to create a lead in on the lower boltface side of the eextractor.It is some relief to A)funnel the round in just a little,and B) makes a little room for the tilted,rising rim to come up and rock in.
It may be necessary to shape the radius on the extractor to the small dia of the rim,but go easy and check a lot.A mounted stone dressed a little smaller than ext groove dia can be used,but just a touch at a time.Do not lose all the tension.The case must snap in and be retained.It you use marker on the steel,and see what the brass rubs off,you will know the tight spot

dahermit · December 26, 2010, 11:56 PM

Something you should check is if the chamber is centered in the barrel. I had a miniature Mauser in .223 that the chamber was not centered and when the loaded cartridge was chambered, it put so much pressure on one side of the unfired case, it was very hard to extract.

Jimro · December 27, 2010, 02:41 AM

The Yugo mausers are known to be "tight".

To help with feeding, take the bolt out of the rifle and remove the claw extractor. Take a stone and smooth out the bottom edge of the inner face. Go slow, you aren't trying to really remove a whole lot of material, just smooth it out and reprofile the edge so that it snags the cartridge rim positively.

Go slow, take your time.

Jimro

bcrash15 · July 22, 2012, 03:26 PM

I came across this thread in my history and decided that since I eventually did get this issue sorted I would post what it took to fix it in case it could help anyone in the future. I did what was suggested, re-radiused and smoothed the edge of the extractor and did some minor reverse bending on it to loosen the tension. This made things work easier, but didn't completely solve the binding. By coincidence, I found out about a "friend of a friend" gunsmith who worked on a lot of Mausers and I let him take a look at it. He ended up reprofiling the feed rails in the receiver and after some break-in the gun now runs like butter. Best $30 I ever spent.

December 22, 2010, 03:10 AM	#1
bcrash15 Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2007 Posts: 455	Mauser extractor too tight I'm still working on my project M24/47 and I tried to chamber some rounds for the first time tonight. The bolt binds up with about 1/2" of the round still visible as the back of the cartridge is starting to come up the feed ramp and go into the chamber. I took out the bolt and tried to slide a round into the bolt face and it was VERY difficult to get it under the claw of the extractor (I'm assuming this is the problem). Is this something that can be adjusted or what should I try? It is flawlessly clean in terms of cosmoline.

December 27, 2010, 02:41 AM	#8
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	The Yugo mausers are known to be "tight". To help with feeding, take the bolt out of the rifle and remove the claw extractor. Take a stone and smooth out the bottom edge of the inner face. Go slow, you aren't trying to really remove a whole lot of material, just smooth it out and reprofile the edge so that it snags the cartridge rim positively. Go slow, take your time. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

December 22, 2010, 06:30 AM	#2
madcratebuilder Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2007 Location: Northern Orygun Posts: 4,923	I would remove the extractor from the bolt and chamber a test round. This would be a good time to check the head space. If the round chambers then take a look at the extractor and stone any sharp edges that may be hanging up on the brass. The Yugo M24/47 is 8mm but it could possibly have been re-barreled in another caliber.

December 22, 2010, 06:32 PM	#3
bcrash15 Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2007 Posts: 455	Good idea. For a quick check just a second ago I removed the bolt, forced a round under the extractor and reinserted the whole assembly, cartridge and all, and it seemed to chamber and extract/eject just fine. I will pop that extractor off and see if there are any obvious burr or nicking issues that might be grabbing. In doing research, I found there are a lot of problems that are apparently fixed with a new extractor, but they are usually weak or lack of ejection.

December 22, 2010, 06:37 PM	#4
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	The long Mauser extractor is a spring. To loosen the tension on the rounds, strike the extractor with a rubber mallet behind the extractor collar at its midpoint. It should bend a little and loosen its hold on the cartridge head.

December 26, 2010, 10:08 PM	#5
bcrash15 Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2007 Posts: 455	Update: I was able to loosen the spring action a bit and make the cartridges slide under the extractor easier as dahermit suggested. Now if I give a fast, vigorous push forward I can get a cartridge to chamber. But it's not 100% and anything less still binds. I also noticed large scrapes on the cases after they jam up, that appear to be caused by the mouth of the chamber. I have no experience with Mausers, so I am not sure what kind of tension or how well the rounds should stick to the bolt face with extractor pressure. Also, I noticed that the rounds are not feeding reliably from the left side of the magazine. The case seems to move forward too far while still in the magazine and then pop free suddenly and the rim is not always caught under the extractor. Not sure if this is related or not.

December 26, 2010, 10:48 PM	#6
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,286	If you buy a new 1911 extractor,and install it without massaging it a bit,likely your 1911 won't work. The extractor does need just enough tension to hold the round to the bolt face.I find it beneficial to create a lead in on the lower boltface side of the eextractor.It is some relief to A)funnel the round in just a little,and B) makes a little room for the tilted,rising rim to come up and rock in. It may be necessary to shape the radius on the extractor to the small dia of the rim,but go easy and check a lot.A mounted stone dressed a little smaller than ext groove dia can be used,but just a touch at a time.Do not lose all the tension.The case must snap in and be retained.It you use marker on the steel,and see what the brass rubs off,you will know the tight spot

December 26, 2010, 11:56 PM	#7
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	Something you should check is if the chamber is centered in the barrel. I had a miniature Mauser in .223 that the chamber was not centered and when the loaded cartridge was chambered, it put so much pressure on one side of the unfired case, it was very hard to extract.

July 22, 2012, 03:26 PM	#9
bcrash15 Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2007 Posts: 455	I came across this thread in my history and decided that since I eventually did get this issue sorted I would post what it took to fix it in case it could help anyone in the future. I did what was suggested, re-radiused and smoothed the edge of the extractor and did some minor reverse bending on it to loosen the tension. This made things work easier, but didn't completely solve the binding. By coincidence, I found out about a "friend of a friend" gunsmith who worked on a lot of Mausers and I let him take a look at it. He ended up reprofiling the feed rails in the receiver and after some break-in the gun now runs like butter. Best $30 I ever spent.