3 tips to tune your 1911 extractor

Extractor Tuning Tips for Your 1911

A properly fitted extractor is one of the most important things for keeping your M-1911 running reliably and smoothly. Whether you're installing a new one or just tuning the one that's already in your gun, these tips will help you get it dialed in just right.

1. Getting the Right Tension

First, take the slide off the frame and remove the barrel. Now take a loaded cartridge and slip the rim under the extractor hook so the extractor is gripping it right at the centerline

Give the slide a light shake in any direction. The cartridge should stay put an. If it drops too easily, you need a smidge more tension.

To add tension: Put about ½ inch of the extractor tip into the extractor channel and gently bend it just a tiny bit. Seriously — go slowly...it bends easier than you think.

Quick rule of thumb:

• Too much tension = feeding problems

• Too little tension = failure to extract or weird ejection (which would be a great stripper name)

You want just enough to pass that simple shake test.

2. Positioning the Extractor Correctly

Now grab an empty case and slide the rim under the extractor hook so it's gripping at the centerline again.

Pull the case downward about .075" to .100". You should still feel some tension — enough that the empty case stays in place even if you shake the slide lightly. When I say lightly, I mean less than your dashboard Hula girl.

To find the perfect balance, do the same test with a loaded round. Of the cartridge falls off, you got it right. That combination gives you roughly 1 to 1.5 pounds of tension — chef's kiss. If you have good tension when the case is centered on the breech face, but almost no tension once you pull it down .075–.100", then the extractor groove needs to sit a little closer to the firing pin hole. (also a good stripper name)

To fix this, carefully remove a small amount of material from the locator pad (the rounded lug behind the groove) while keeping its nice radius. Go slow, check your tension often, and don’t take off too much at once. (insert stripper joke)

3. Fitting the Firing Pin Stop

This part is mega super earth-shakingly important for consistent ejection. The firing pin stop has to fit snugly into the groove at the back of the extractor. If it’s loose, the extractor can twist or shift, which messes up your ejection pattern. (oh the jokes that could be inserted here!)

With the extractor in place, the firing pin stop should slide in using just normal finger pressure. If it binds (especially with a new extractor), lightly reduce the width of the firing pin stop by removing a tiny bit of material from the right side (the side that touches the extractor).

Remove only a few thousandths of an inch at a time, and keep that right side nice and parallel to the left side. When it’s right, the firing pin stop will fit snugly and prevent the extractor from twisting.

Final Tip

A lot of extractors come from the factory rough and crude, much like the writer of this piece. Make sure to polish and tune the hook area where it actually grabs the case rim. Follow these tips and your 1911 will be tossing brass like beads at topless chicks at a Mardi Gras Parade.