Extraction: it's spent, get it outta there

An extractor is supposed to pull a spent case out of the chamber and the ejector is supposed to set it up to get tossed out the ejection port. When they don't then they need fixing. Extractors first.

Many now seem to think increasing the spring load or tension against both these parts is the solution to all problems. Nah. I think a whole lot of extraction problems have less to do with extractor I function than most might first guess.

Extraction problems come when the round doesn't want to come out of the chamber, and are augmented by cases sticking to the chamber walls, and roughness is a leading contributor to a reluctance to release themselves. The telltale sign is the extractor leaving its impression on the case rim or, worse, tearing a chunk out of it. The extractor is trying as hard as it should, but it's tugging on an immovable object.

Clean It

The first thing is to clean the chamber! If it's not been a habit--and shame on you if it hasn't--then there may be residual roughness afoot. Some call it corrosion. All chambers in all rifles I own have polished chambers, bolt-guns too. Cartridge case exteriors can influence this and they should be clean. No lube, just clean.

[ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

If you're a handloader, case sizing really shouldn't influence extraction, as long as you used a full-length sizing die. If there's not been "enough" case body sizing, that usually has its influence on feeding. A huge influence, though, coming from the loading bench is the brass of choice. Much commercial brass is too soft. The softer it is the more it swells and the "stickier" it gets. No semiautomatic should be run with soft brass. Harder alloy cases expand about the same amount but mostly contract a little faster and a little more, and that's the key. Brand names? Nosler, WW commercial, Lake City (surplus first choice) with '91 or newer on the head. If your brass isn't mentioned, get some that was.

Too Much

The stronger the load the more the chamber contributes to extraction difficulties. When there's an overage of gas getting into and through the system, coupled with its symptomatic increased rapidity of bolt unlocking and rearward travel, what is really happening is the case is Still expanded against the chamber walls when the extractor tries to yank it out. If it's trying to yank a still-expanded case, then a relatively rough chamber makes it more reluctant. Even in a mirror-finished chamber this can be a problem, and abating this condition comes, most easily, from realizing there's too daggone much propellant in those cases. Additional (big) help comes from delaying bolt unlocking.

As said, a case is supposed to swell up inside the chamber. Brass alloy expands and then contracts and, since we're talking about the firing process, all this is taking place in milliseconds. Delaying unlocking even a little bit and, along with it the employment of subsequent and sequential machinery to extract the spent case, gives more time for the case to shrink away from the chamber walls. Out she comes! A telltale on this problem is extraction with a normal-pressure load and not with heavier recipes.

Past articles addressed means to delay unlocking, but without gas system overhauls, adding some weight to the bolt carrier or running a stouter buffer spring--or both--work wonders.

Let's now say that none of those things are contributing to a rifle's extraction problems, or, even if they are, there's some reason above all others the load has to function in the rifle as it is. Now we can talk about extractor spring pressure and function. The extractor spring pushes the extractor in toward the bolt, holding it against the case. Extra tension makes the part grip more tightly and be less resistant to losing its hold. When a round is chambered, the extractor has to "snap fit" into place by sliding over the edge of the case rim.

There are gizmos designed to increase extractor tension. Specifically, these are the little "D-ring" inserts that go in with the spring. They are made of phenolic (fancy plastic) materials. They increase load, but too much. It's way on better to replace the stock spring with a better spring instead of running such out-of-spec trickery.

I put chrome silicon extractor springs in all mine as a habit now. I can't say I would have case removal problems without them, but I don't have any problems. These are unaffected by heat, don't work harden, and don't change function for a good 10X longer than stock. It's common for music wire springs to just break. That's why you want to use CS.

Now, the 'nother set of problems. When there is more pressure to overcome due to excessive extractor resistance, there can be more effect on the case from it. If the tension is too stout, that means there's more pressure put against the case head as the bolt is moving forward to lock down. This extra resistance from the extractor hitting the base of the cartridge can push the case way too hard into the chamber, which really means too far, in effect. This is one contributor to the reason we can often measure reduced cartridge headspace after chambering and extracting a loaded round for a gage check.