Pre-70's Colt NM extractor

I'm looking for a suggestion for replacing the factory Colt extractor on an old (1960s) NM 1911. I tried the Ed Brown...too long in the hook, could not file enough away to prevent contacting the case. Also tried the EGW enhanced GI version...hook height was good but it was too wide, and even after considerable filing, I could not get it to apply any lateral tension on the case (regardless of bend/curvature), so a case would just fall out no matter what I tried. I have the original Colt extractor, I'm just looking to see if anyone could point me in the right direction to minimize experimenting. At this point I guess I could go with a Colt series 70/80, or Wilson Combat, but I was hoping for a suggestion based on others experiences with this pistol. Thanks in advance!.

my every day extractor is the EGW practical .. very little effort to get right. if you can't get lateral pressure file down the pad on the extractor to allow it to move closer to the rim.

I have a 1965 NM, a 1971 NM wad gun and once had a 1961 NM.  I have used EGW 70-series GI extractors on them all.  Getting the right tension and contact is always a matter of fitting, but that is the nature of the 1911 as a whole.  Patience is your biggest asset when fitting a 1911 extractor.
I remember about 1999, when I sent a Caspian hi-cap frame pistol to George at EGW for a new comp and tune up, he converted it from 38 Super to SuperComp so I could run the brass I was getting from USAMU.  How?  He changed extractor tension ... that's it.  While he had it, I had him fit an extra extractor ... just in case.  Never needed it.  Ran that pistol HARD (5000rds/yr+ for 3 or 4 years) and never an issue to feed or extract.

tovaert wrote:. . . I could not get it to apply any lateral tension on the case (regardless of bend/curvature), so a case would just fall out no matter what I tried.

I only use EGW extractors after having a bad experience with Wilson's a few years ago.

May I recommend you read the extractor fitting thread here:

https://www.1911forum.com/threads/steve-in-allentown-extractor-fitting.829865/

It sounds like you need to remove some material from this surface to allow the extractor to move in toward the case rim.



Steve's link covers it and how to gauge it.

Steve in Allentown wrote:

tovaert wrote:. . . I could not get it to apply any lateral tension on the case (regardless of bend/curvature), so a case would just fall out no matter what I tried.

I only use EGW extractors after having a bad experience with Wilson's a few years ago.

May I recommend you read the extractor fitting thread here:

https://www.1911forum.com/threads/steve-in-allentown-extractor-fitting.829865/

Thanks for the reference. I've noticed that both the factory Colt NM and SA 1911A1 (an older model I have)...the extractors are narrower at the hook end, as compared to the EGW GI model. What was your experience with WC's?

tovaert wrote:Thanks for the reference. I've noticed that both the factory Colt NM and SA 1911A1 (an older model I have)...the extractors are narrower at the hook end, as compared to the EGW GI model. What was your experience with WC's?

A couple of years ago I was in the midst of building two pistols using Caspian slides.  I could not fit either of the the two Wilson .45 Series 70 Bullet Proof extractors I had purchased for the job.  The reason was that the locating pads were not sufficiently tall enough to even make initial contact with the inner walls of the extractor  tunnels which meant I could not set the deflection for either extractor.  Not wanting to deal with adding blobs of weld on the locating pads I just grabbed a couple of EGW extractors out of the parts drawer and fit them instead.

Wilson manufactures their extractors for use in their pistols.  If the dimensions and location of the extractor tunnel in your pistol matches that of Wilson pistols then you should have no trouble fitting Wilson extractors.  I'm  sure many manufacturers' specs are the same as Wilson but I have no interest in rolling the dice again to find out.

What makes EGW unique is that George and his crew design and manufacture their extractors oversized in specific areas to insure they can be fit to any 1911 even if the tunnel is bored slightly off spec.  The extra "meat" on the locating pad and on the hook allows for a perfect fit to every pistol I've put them into.  The downside is you have to do a little more file work but the results speak for themselves.