“Tuning” XDM Extractor

[Just4FunLP]

I have an old XDM with about 70k rounds on it. It was the first pistol I used in USPSA, but now it’s got a light on it an has been relegated to home defense. I noticed a while back that it was starting to have failures to extract so I decided to do some upgrades and repairs. I’ve installed a BarSto barrel and replaced the original extractor with one I purchased from Springer Precision. The barrel seemed to have accuracy issues, and the pistol was failing to extract very 50 rounds or more. It seems to be worse when I’m shooting really fast. I replaced the extractor, but it still seems to be failing at about the same rate. The SP website says the extractor will need to be “tuned”. I have no idea of how to “tune” the extractor.  Any help would be appreciated.  I’ve attached four photos.

 

Thanks

[Just4FunLP]

[Just4FunLP]

[Just4FunLP]

[N3WWN]

I don’t know exactly what the tuning would entail, but looking at my XDm (40 S&W) extractor, I can tell you that there is always spring pressure from the extractor;  it is never “floating”.

 

The attached photos show with and without a dummy round.  Without a dummy round, the extractor is pressing against the breech.  With the dummy round, the extractor is pushed sideways ever so slightly.  There is perhaps about a 0.005-0.010” gap between the extractor and the breech.  If yours does not have that gap with a round in place, which is hard to tell in the photos, you may need to remove a little material from the extractor in the middle of the white circle so that the hook engages the bottom of the rim with some pressure.

[Just4FunLP]

Thanks for the reply N3WWN. If you click on and then zoom into the photos shown above with the round in it you can see I have lots of space between the extractor and the slide material. There are lots of YouTube videos on “tuning” 1911 extractors. One thing they do is take off he slide, insert a round, and wave it around to see if it will stay in-place. A 45 is a lot heavier than a 9MM, but my extractor seems to be holding the cartridge well enough. In one video the guy took some off the tip so the rim of the case was a little closer to the bottom of the recess and they also recommended removing material where it stops against the slide (like you said). He mostly talked about smoothing out the surfaces where the rim of the case enters the extractor from below. It actually looks like the new extractor has had more work done to it than the original.

 

Below, I added some photos that include the old extractor. Now that I think about it, my original slide was replaced by Springfield sometime along the way, so maybe that's why the old extractor doesn't look so bad. If they did replace it I'd say it has at least 20-30k rounds on it. 

 

I've contacted Springer Precision. 

 

Thanks again...

[Just4FunLP]

Update:  I just spoke to Kyle at Springer Precision...  I'm so glad I contacted them. He is truly an expert.  He thinks my extractor is fine. He said I could check it by pulling a case out of the extractor using a trigger gauge. 3-4lbs is normal. He said that looking at the photos it's fine. He had me plunk test my chamber. My old barrel has a solid plunk, but my new Barsto barrel wasn't as solid, and if I bushed in on the round I had to pull it out using my fingernails. He said the Barsto barrels lean towards the tight side, and I definitely needed to ream the chamber. This is what's most likely causing my extraction problem.  He also said I may be able to improve my accuracy by installing a 16 or 18lb spring. 18 would be best if I could get it to slide lock. A weak spring could cause the gun to come out of battery too soon and send the rounds all over the place. I should be able to get a 1-2" group at  15 yards... 

 

Thanks Mr. Kyle...