aftec extractor

[Ricardo]

recently i had a aftec extractor installed but i am getting a failure to extract every 100 - 150 rounds. any advise?

regards Rick

[want2race]

Was it installed stock? Not blessed with a file? Not jacked up with a file?

Are both springs in place? I run one only, usually in the rear location. What caliber?

[G-ManBart]

Are you sure the firing pin stop was fit for the AFTEC? It needs the edges rounded so that the AFTEC can pivot on it slightly. R,

[JThompson]

Are you sure the firing pin stop was fit for the AFTEC? It needs the edges rounded so that the AFTEC can pivot on it slightly. R,

+1

[Ricardo]

It was fitted by a competant gunsmith and he followed the instruction sheet as he hadnt seen this type of extractor before. I have pulled the stop out and checked, it does have the rounded edges and the 5 thou clearence each side as described in the instructions. It had the 2 springs fitted and i already tried it with only 1 spring in the front and it would not extract at all.

Rick

[JThompson]

It was fitted by a competant gunsmith and he followed the instruction sheet as he hadnt seen this type of extractor before. I have pulled the stop out and checked, it does have the rounded edges and the 5 thou clearence each side as described in the instructions. It had the 2 springs fitted and i already tried it with only 1 spring in the front and it would not extract at all.

Rick

Pull the slide off, put a case under the extractor and show it to us. When you slide a bullet under it does it hold the bullet when you jiggle it? I run my Aftecs really light and they work with very little tension on them.

[G-ManBart]

What kind of gun/cartridge/style etc? Any other changes to the gun since it was running reliably? R,

[CocoBolo]

It was fitted by a competant gunsmith and he followed the instruction sheet as he hadnt seen this type of extractor before. I have pulled the stop out and checked, it does have the rounded edges and the 5 thou clearence each side as described in the instructions. It had the 2 springs fitted and i already tried it with only 1 spring in the front and it would not extract at all.

Rick

I run my Aftecs really light and they work with very little tension on them.

JT - Now just explain how you lighten it up. I've got one that is too tight and it seems to impeed the bullet walking up the breech face.

[Pezco]

Coco - you need to little file a little off the area after the hook. You can also compress the front spring to get it to lighten up.

[CocoBolo]

Coco - you need to little file a little off the area after the hook. You can also compress the front spring to get it to lighten up.

The gun was running perfect and I just had a new barrel put in and hand cycling it it seems to hang up climbing the breech. I took my other two aftec equipped guns down and compared and they are lighter. I dug a little deeper and the firing pin block is lose about .008 to .010 wobble front to back so that needs to be replaced, also noticed the smith had cut the breech face surface and there is a little ridge on the side away from the aftec, I cleaned that up. I'm shooting a match tomorrow and I'll take it along and see if it runs before I dig the file out. Thanks for the info. I am thinking about rounding the bottom corner edge of the hook (like Bob did in the article in Front Sight a few months back). Who knows after a couple hundred rounds it might run like a spotted ape.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: You can shorten the front spring in the Aftec to give it less tension. I cut off coils usually 2 does it. Saying all that I have been using a standard extractor that I tune myself. Thanks,Eric

Edited July 18, 2010 by Aircooled6racer

[G-ManBart]

Coco - you need to little file a little off the area after the hook. You can also compress the front spring to get it to lighten up.

The gun was running perfect and I just had a new barrel put in and hand cycling it it seems to hang up climbing the breech. I took my other two aftec equipped guns down and compared and they are lighter. I dug a little deeper and the firing pin block is lose about .008 to .010 wobble front to back so that needs to be replaced, also noticed the smith had cut the breech face surface and there is a little ridge on the side away from the aftec, I cleaned that up. I'm shooting a match tomorrow and I'll take it along and see if it runs before I dig the file out. Thanks for the info. I am thinking about rounding the bottom corner edge of the hook (like Bob did in the article in Front Sight a few months back). Who knows after a couple hundred rounds it might run like a spotted ape.

Whenever I've put new springs in an AFTEC it takes maybe two or three mags for the springs to set a little. Before that they won't always slide up under the hook reliably. I've since gone to simply hand cycling a couple of mags worth of dummy rounds rather than wasting ammo.

For a while 9mm STI slides were made with that ridge opposite the extractor. I think the intent was to help with extractor tension, but it can cause problems if the case head comes off it (lose all tension). It's been a pretty common problem and they've stopped making the slides that way now. R,

[Ricardo]

Hi guys, ive been away, so missed your replies. the gun is an sti edge in 38 super and it has never run 100% from being purchased new.

The gun was very tight and I had many failures to go into battery for the first 1500 rounds including a few failures to extract. After that the gun ran smooth but still occasional faiures to extract. I read about the aftec extractor and had one fitted but the problem is still there. i have swapped between aftec and standard extractor in the past 2 weeks and after firing 2000 rounds it still fails to extract every 100-150 rounds. the fired case remains in the chamber but it is not tight. if I remove the mag and tilt the gun back with a little shake the empty shell falls out.

what else should I be looking for if it is not an extractor problem?

[Aloha Robert]

I am having same problem as OP, failure to extract (Stove pipe) about once every hundred rounds.

The Gun runs perfect otherwise shoots very sweet. I have Aftecs on other guns without problem. Feeding is good with tuned mags. Most of time shells come out with super velocity landing about 20 feet away mostly straight horizontal, Some seem to arc more downward and then the occaisionally stovepipe. I am running standard Serendipidy and have had ejection port lowered as much as possible. (Running 4 1/4" shorty at 175 power factor with lightened slide)

I have reworked ALL the parts relevant myself and tried various angles and configs on ejector and tried all different kinds of lengths of ejector. Then I sent Gun to two different very competent Gunsmiths who tuned all the components including ejector, extractor hook and firing pin stop. Still got the same problem. Have also tried with different recoil springs, with and without shock buff and different lubes. Also played arround with Aftec spring tension.

I dont think weak loads are problem because when I Chrono I get very little standard deviation and I am very careful when reloading.

I am absolutely certain my thumb does not touch slide as my grip makes that impossible.

Doesn't make any differeance with virgin or previously fired Supercomp Brass

I'm stumped, any ideas?

Edited August 13, 2010 by Aloha Robert

[jjanglin]

Guys , sometimes the recoil spring can hang up in the guide rod plug,take your gun apart put the

guide rod plug on the spring and rotate it if you can feel a noticable drag to an out right stop

of the rotation, you need to first clean up and polish the inside of your guide rod plug, and polish

both tag ends of your recoil spring so you can drag you finger nail over the tag ends and it wont

(spring) grab your finger nail. A lot of folks dont realize that coil springs rotate when compressed

and what I just suggested can slow your slide down, even if this isnt the total problem it will

help.

Make sure your aftec is going against the inside of the extractor tunnel towards the breech face and

the inside of the tunnel doesnt have a rough spot were the spring cap of the aftec sets. I use

a round file like the ones used to sharpen chain saws to clean up the tunnel.

Slide you fireing pin stop in the aftec and push it back and forth clean it up so it moves back

and fourth easy., put the aftec in the gun without springs and move it back and fourth to see if its

moving backand fourth easy if not ya got to find out what is binding and clean it up.

Jim/Pa

Sailors

[Aloha Robert]

Guys , sometimes the recoil spring can hang up in the guide rod plug,take your gun apart put the

guide rod plug on the spring and rotate it if you can feel a noticable drag to an out right stop

of the rotation, you need to first clean up and polish the inside of your guide rod plug, and polish

both tag ends of your recoil spring so you can drag you finger nail over the tag ends and it wont

(spring) grab your finger nail. A lot of folks dont realize that coil springs rotate when compressed

and what I just suggested can slow your slide down, even if this isnt the total problem it will

help.

Make sure your aftec is going against the inside of the extractor tunnel towards the breech face and

the inside of the tunnel doesnt have a rough spot were the spring cap of the aftec sets. I use

a round file like the ones used to sharpen chain saws to clean up the tunnel.

Slide you fireing pin stop in the aftec and push it back and forth clean it up so it moves back

and fourth easy., put the aftec in the gun without springs and move it back and fourth to see if its

moving backand fourth easy if not ya got to find out what is binding and clean it up.

Jim/Pa

Sailors

Thanks so much Jim,

I have not tried those great tips yet. I knew about recoil spring binding which is why I tried a few different ones that I had deburred including a 16# one but I didnt know about the rotation part. Good Info.

Ill try to get on that next week,

[JThompson]

I am having same problem as OP, failure to extract (Stove pipe) about once every hundred rounds.

The Gun runs perfect otherwise shoots very sweet. I have Aftecs on other guns without problem. Feeding is good with tuned mags. Most of time shells come out with super velocity landing about 20 feet away mostly straight horizontal, Some seem to arc more downward and then the occaisionally stovepipe. I am running standard Serendipidy and have had ejection port lowered as much as possible. (Running 4 1/4" shorty at 175 power factor with lightened slide)

I have reworked ALL the parts relevant myself and tried various angles and configs on ejector and tried all different kinds of lengths of ejector. Then I sent Gun to two different very competent Gunsmiths who tuned all the components including ejector, extractor hook and firing pin stop. Still got the same problem. Have also tried with different recoil springs, with and without shock buff and different lubes. Also played arround with Aftec spring tension.

I dont think weak loads are problem because when I Chrono I get very little standard deviation and I am very careful when reloading.

I am absolutely certain my thumb does not touch slide as my grip makes that impossible.

Doesn't make any differeance with virgin or previously fired Supercomp Brass

I'm stumped, any ideas?

Robert,

Do you have the long ejector in that gun? Mine is long enough that with a unfired bullet in there it just clears when you slowly cycle the gun.

Another thing you can try is one of my mounts, I'll ship you out a test mount if ya like... you just pickup shipping on it.

JT

Edited August 15, 2010 by JThompson

[jjanglin]

Another thing that can slow things down is your ejector dragging in its slot in the slide.

I cut the tip of the ejector this way with the ejector in the frame I put the frame in

the vise on my mill, I then rotate the vise 5 degress counterclockwise, thenI tilt the mill

head 6 degrees and just touch the bottom end of the ejector till you see a line on the

(nose) of the ejector just above center, then I tilt the head past zero to 5 degrees the other direction

and just touch tne nose of the ejector and match the center line. then at the top outboard

corner just put a very small flat angled ever so slightly forward.This will put the brass

at an angle just above the ejection port and miss the scope mount evenif itsa two sided

mount.This is very difficult to do with a file alone. You can tho if you put a small piece of

wood accross the top of the frame mag hole and use a file to mimick the above angles, the piece of wood

is to let you angle the file on solid object with out messing up your frame. Go slow.

Jim/Pa

Sailors