Sharpening Extractor

Onward Allusion · May 27, 2017, 01:12 PM

Crazy question. Has anyone sharpened an extractor to improve function? Does it do anything? Extractors are inexpensive to replaced but might be hard to find on older pistols. Thoughts?

tangolima · May 27, 2017, 01:57 PM

Fitting extractor, including sharpening, do it all the time. Won't be doing it if it doesn't help. But you need to do it right. First you need to know whether the extractor even needs fitting before fitting it.

-TL

HiBC · May 27, 2017, 02:19 PM

I'm not quite sure about the word "sharpening".An extractor is not a cutting tool or a fish hook.

Typically,a new extractor will require a little bit of file or stone work.

An old,worn extractor? If you understand the extractor,there may be a place where filing will increase engagement,but it won't be the tip of the hook.

Where steel is worn away,you can't file it back on.Unless I'm very sure,the harder a part is to find,the less likely I am to boldly file steel off of it.If I'm in the mood to file,I might use the old extractor for a pattern to file out a new extractor.

Also,look at your brass. Rimfires and shotgun shell shave a small radius at the junction of the rim and case head. A sharp extractor can't engage there,anyway.It might be a mistake to assume the extractor should be sharp.

The hook needs to be undercut square,to engage the rim.

Unless the hook shows obviouswear,I'd be more suspicious of weak extractor tension or extractor spring.....or just grunge.

tangolima · May 27, 2017, 02:53 PM

When extractor is worn, the hook is no longer positively engaging the extraction groove (center fire) or the rim (rim fire). The extractor can be refitted to make the engagement angle positive again. Sometimes we call that sharpening the hook.

Some guns have design deficiency. They have extraction / ejection issues even when they are new. Some fittings can bring improvement.

- TL

Onward Allusion · May 27, 2017, 05:17 PM

The reason this came up is I recently swapped out the extractor on a Glock 22. Old one worked fine but I was upgrading most of the springs & other small parts. I noticed the new extractor literally had a knife's edge on the hook. Got me thinking about bringing old ones back to life.

HiBC · May 27, 2017, 06:11 PM

As I mentioned,look very closely at your brass.Is the inside corner ,where that knife edge would ride,a dead sharp corner?Few inside corners are.
No,you don't want a round extractor hook.

But there are few cases where a .003 to .005 radius on most any "sharp" edge is not a good idea.

mete · May 27, 2017, 08:15 PM

I had an interesting experience when two of us were shooting 22 rimfire and both had problems .I got the crazy idea to exchange ammo - then both of us no longer had problems !!

Took a bunch of the cases to work the next day where we had a nice optical comparator .There it was , my ammo had a large radius in the rim so that the extractor slipped off the rim !
So rim dimensions , extractor dimensions, extractor spring , dirt in the extractor can all play a part. In my experience many forget to clean extractor spring and hole and firing pin , spring and hole .Start there .

May 27, 2017, 01:12 PM	#1
Onward Allusion Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2009 Location: Back in a Non-Free State Posts: 3,133	Sharpening Extractor Crazy question. Has anyone sharpened an extractor to improve function? Does it do anything? Extractors are inexpensive to replaced but might be hard to find on older pistols. Thoughts? __________________ Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying

May 27, 2017, 02:19 PM	#3
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,286	I'm not quite sure about the word "sharpening".An extractor is not a cutting tool or a fish hook. Typically,a new extractor will require a little bit of file or stone work. An old,worn extractor? If you understand the extractor,there may be a place where filing will increase engagement,but it won't be the tip of the hook. Where steel is worn away,you can't file it back on.Unless I'm very sure,the harder a part is to find,the less likely I am to boldly file steel off of it.If I'm in the mood to file,I might use the old extractor for a pattern to file out a new extractor. Also,look at your brass. Rimfires and shotgun shell shave a small radius at the junction of the rim and case head. A sharp extractor can't engage there,anyway.It might be a mistake to assume the extractor should be sharp. The hook needs to be undercut square,to engage the rim. Unless the hook shows obviouswear,I'd be more suspicious of weak extractor tension or extractor spring.....or just grunge. Last edited by HiBC; May 27, 2017 at 02:24 PM.

May 27, 2017, 05:17 PM	#5
Onward Allusion Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2009 Location: Back in a Non-Free State Posts: 3,133	The reason this came up is I recently swapped out the extractor on a Glock 22. Old one worked fine but I was upgrading most of the springs & other small parts. I noticed the new extractor literally had a knife's edge on the hook. Got me thinking about bringing old ones back to life. __________________ Simple as ABC . . . Always Be Carrying

May 27, 2017, 08:15 PM	#7
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	I had an interesting experience when two of us were shooting 22 rimfire and both had problems .I got the crazy idea to exchange ammo - then both of us no longer had problems !! Took a bunch of the cases to work the next day where we had a nice optical comparator .There it was , my ammo had a large radius in the rim so that the extractor slipped off the rim ! So rim dimensions , extractor dimensions, extractor spring , dirt in the extractor can all play a part. In my experience many forget to clean extractor spring and hole and firing pin , spring and hole .Start there . __________________ And Watson , bring your revolver !

May 27, 2017, 01:57 PM	#2
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,824	Fitting extractor, including sharpening, do it all the time. Won't be doing it if it doesn't help. But you need to do it right. First you need to know whether the extractor even needs fitting before fitting it. -TL

May 27, 2017, 02:53 PM	#4
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,824	When extractor is worn, the hook is no longer positively engaging the extraction groove (center fire) or the rim (rim fire). The extractor can be refitted to make the engagement angle positive again. Sometimes we call that sharpening the hook. Some guns have design deficiency. They have extraction / ejection issues even when they are new. Some fittings can bring improvement. - TL

May 27, 2017, 06:11 PM	#6
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,286	As I mentioned,look very closely at your brass.Is the inside corner ,where that knife edge would ride,a dead sharp corner?Few inside corners are. No,you don't want a round extractor hook. But there are few cases where a .003 to .005 radius on most any "sharp" edge is not a good idea.