RIA 45, stuck Extractor

[patrickkelly]

A few issues with my new Rock Island full size 45. Bought the gun, gave it a quick cleaning and oil job, went to the indoor range and put 150 rounds of Winchester WinClean thru it. Several rounds failed to go into battery. No problems with feeding from the clip, no problems ejecting. I tried several different clips. I figured it was just a new gun needing some break in time. Took the gun home and started stripping it down for a proper cleaning. Low and behold, the extractor would not come out. I tried prying it out with a screw driver; no go. I tried tapping it out with a rubber mallet; no go. Took it to my local gunsmith, he does the same procedure; no go. So he gets a bigger hammer, and pretty much pounds it out. The extractor appears undamaged. He attempts to reinstall the extractor, but it is too tight and he has to use the mallet. Rinse and repeat a few times and the extractor is still way too tight in the frame. The gunsmith gives the extractor a short ride on the grinder and takes a few thousands off the back of the extractor. It goes in easier, but still needs a soft whack from the mallet to fit in the frame. The gunsmith is in a hurry to leave for the weekend and I want to shoot the gun the next day with my buddies. I ask him to sell me a new extractor, he has none in stock until next week. He recommends replacing the firing pin spring and the recoil spring with Wilson Combat springs. I agree and have him install the new springs. He test fires a full clip, no problems. Next day it’s off to the range I go with my buddies and 250 rounds of cheap Wolf ammo. The RIA 45 shoots fantastic, no jams of any kind all day. Punches big holes around the ten ring. I am all smiles. Take the gun home, strip it down, pound out the extractor, clean the gun, and reassemble it. Next trip to the indoor range with 250 rounds of reloads (purchased from a gun show); a bunch of fail to go into battery events again. So; I have ordered a new Wilson Combat extractor and firing pin. I will update when the new parts arrive. Like many of you have said, this gun shoots well and puts holes real close to each other. No pictures needed for this post.

[John]

No, no, you got it all wrong. Pictures are always needed. This is the rule, so don't tell us that pictures are not needed.

:wl:

[N6CRV]

Hello patrickkelly, kind of a question but why do you keep taking out the extractor? I have taken mine out for refinishing the slide and it did come out hard. I used a small screw driver to get it out and the handle to get it back in. When I clean the gun I clean around the extractor hook but don't take it. Watch out for reloads (purchased from a gun show) you never know how they were resized, if you look at one of the reloads and a new case you might even notice the difference. I have gotten reloads from a gun show and some look like the bullet did not go into the case correctly. If you want the extractor to come out better try smoothing the end with real fine sandpaper. you want it to be polished when you are done. Good luck.
Don

[jridg]

I just stripped my brand new RIA and took the pin and extractor was very tight, but it just took a little pressure to remove (from the hook end) and had to be worked back in without any real pounding.

[patrickkelly]

Here is an update. I got the Wilson Combat extractor in the mail. It would not fit into the hole for a damn. This confirmed that it was the slide and not the extractor that was out of spec. It was necessary to open up the hole with a dremmel tool. The hole was not smooth inside so I had to polish it with some Flitz paste. I finally got the new extractor to go in, it still needed a slight tap from the rubber mallet, but it is a lot better than it was. N6CVR, in response to your question, I only removed the extractor for the initial cleaning. It was then that I discovered the problem. But, it does not hurt anything to clean the extractor completely, which can only be done by removing it from the frame. Also, I will keep a eye on those reloads for quality controll. Going to the range tomorrow, will post results.