Mark IV: (or any Mk) How long do extractors typically last?

I've pulled extractors out of early Ruger Mark I Target versions along with Standards, and I haven't found a lick of difference in the profile of those extractors and those that Ruger continues to use through the Mark II, III, 22/45 and the Mark IV. I haven't found one early extractor that shows any sign of 'special' treatment as far as fitting either.
The hook profile is still at a 90° angle, and some of those early extractors have ragged edges on the bottom side like some do now.
KUDOS to those of you who have had exemplary performance with the one or two Ruger Mark pistols you own, that's a good thing. Your good fortune does nothing for those who have had issues with the factory extractor though.
Funny, I haven't read any methods on how the factory extractor can be improved, other than removing the burrs. And, I just can't understand how 6 aftermarket producers of the Ruger Mark pistol extractors can continue to sell the replacements they offer when the factory version works so marvelously.

SGW Gunsmith said:

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Funny, I haven't read any methods on how the factory extractor can be improved, other than removing the burrs.........

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Putting a smaller radius in the hook will help. Not sure if it's universal, but a couple of the factory extractors I've dealt with had a very "generous" radius at the root of the hook. Deburring (yes, the factory extractors are pretty ragged) and reducing the radius is all that's been required to deliver reliable performance.

Some folks think the extractor has to pull the empty case out of the chamber..... not so. In a "blowback" action, the gas pressure from firing drives the case back, which drives the bolt back. All the extractor has to do is have a firm grip on the rim of the empty case so that the standing ejector can kick it out. Different than a gas-operated action, where the extractor has to actually pull the empty case from the chamber.

Some folks think the extractor has to pull the empty case out of the chamber..... not so. In a "blowback" action, the gas pressure from firing drives the case back, which drives the bolt back. All the extractor has to do is have a firm grip on the rim of the empty case so that the standing ejector can kick it out. Different than a gas-operated action, where the extractor has to actually pull the empty case from the chamber.

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I learned something today! I always thought the extractor did all the work pulling the casing from the chamber regardless of action type. Thank you.

So, shouldn't the extractor in a blowback action not really be called an "extractor" since that is not what it really does?

Should there be another term for it? Maybe holder, gripper, or claw might be better descriptors.

wwb said:

SGW Gunsmith said:

......
Funny, I haven't read any methods on how the factory extractor can be improved, other than removing the burrs.........

Click to expand...

Putting a smaller radius in the hook will help. Not sure if it's universal, but a couple of the factory extractors I've dealt with had a very "generous" radius at the root of the hook. Deburring (yes, the factory extractors are pretty ragged) and reducing the radius is all that's been required to deliver reliable performance.

Some folks think the extractor has to pull the empty case out of the chamber..... not so. In a "blowback" action, the gas pressure from firing drives the case back, which drives the bolt back. All the extractor has to do is have a firm grip on the rim of the empty case so that the standing ejector can kick it out. Different than a gas-operated action, where the extractor has to actually pull the empty case from the chamber.

Click to expand...

Well, I've read and experimented with many of the "myths" involved with rimfire extractors. Every single one of the stamped factory extractors I've encountered since 1971 have had the same profile that they still carry today. It's like they were cut with a cookie cutter, all are the same, so when I read about a couple of factory extractors having a varying radius, I really have to wonder how that can be?
Yes, there are a few .22 rimfire pistols that don't have extractors, very dang few. I've removed the extractor on a couple my personal Ruger Mark II & III guns and fired a full magazine or two, sans extractor. If you enjoy clearing "stove-piped" spent cases, caught between the bolt face and the breech face, give that experiment a try, there will be more jammed cases than those that are completely ejected. Lack of an extractor is just another one of those fallacies that get read and passed along, for some reason. Maybe it makes sense to some.
As I wrote above, I've tried modifying the periphery of the factory extractor. Removing any amount metal, except for roll-over burrs, will only ruin whatever little bit of reliability that specific extractor provided. The ONLY salvation is to add metal to the factory extractor hook and then reshape it so it actually grabs the case rim, like a Mauser 98 rifle does. The very tip of the extractor hook works best, as I've found, when that hook tip has an inward angle and actually contacts the rim and holds onto it, due to the firm spring involved, all through the chambering, firing and then extraction sequence, until the spent cases back face hits the ejector and gets flung completely free of the returning bolt before another round is fed from the magazine.
This is the stuff I've learned from doing and experimenting with some of the fairy tales that flourish on the inter-web. I know what works for me, and my customers, because I've tried it. If anyone doesn't want to accept it, no skin of my boys!

Hi,

When I bought my 10/22 in the early '80s, I asked my ol' gunsmith boss if I should buy a VQ extractor for it. He said VQs were just what the factory unit would be if Ruger would do their job and finish it. He then told me what to debur to keep the factory extractor working until I saved up my $11 for a VQ. So far, so good with that rifle... almost 40 years on the factory extractor, but no idea how many rounds. I didn't bother counting them until it was 30 years old or so.

So when I bought the MKII, I followed that same advice, and it's still going fine, though the round count is a measly 7000 plus a handful. A buddy's MkII has well over 30,000 rounds (that he knows of! He bought it used) and he's never had an extractor problem either. He's of the school that ANY stamped part needs to be cleaned up before use, just like my old boss suggested. If nothing else, it seems to do no harm.

Perhaps some of the aftermarket parts ARE "better" but as long as the factory part is working as one would expect it to, I wonder what "better" really means! Maybe some of us have just been lucky?

Rick C

The last extractor I tinkered with(necessary due to problems) I found something else. The groove in the bolt in which the extractor sets had rolled edge or burr in it. This wouldn't allow free motion of the extractor. Finishing that improved things considerably.
Of all the MK & 10/22 extractors I've fiddled with just for friends & myself, I may have been overlooking something. A burred extractor &,,,,,,, a burred groove both have to be addressed.

SGW Gunsmith said:

Every single one of the stamped factory extractors I've encountered since 1971 have had the same profile that they still carry today. It's like they were cut with a cookie cutter, all are the same, so when I read about a couple of factory extractors having a varying radius, I really have to wonder how that can be?

Click to expand...

Not arguing or anything similar, just giving an answer to your comment/question. Since they are stamped out of a die, at some point the die does wear out. The most likely places for it to wear out first are tight inside corners. Depending upon the replacement timing maybe a few thousand make it of every batch with a very minor radius, or some other anomaly before the die gets scrapped.

The die won't get scrapped after it is refinished several times as long as they are within spec.

My 22/45 runs flawlessly as fast as you can pull the trigger.
My 10/22 was bad right out of the box. The 10/22 is about 7-8 years newer.
The VQ extractor made it run like the 22/45.
A friend has a 10/22 from the 70s and it is perfect. He bought his son a new 10/22 and it wouldn't run from day one. New extractor fixed it.

My MKIV came with a bad extractor. Put in a TK and no problems since.

To the OP. Maybe you have 2 issues. The extractor and the ejector. My MkII was fraught with intermittent FTE and stovepipes. It got to the point I'd have 3-4 malfs per mag. I replaced the OE extractor with a Volquartsen and still had problems. Came to find the ejector was wiggling around on it's rivet. I replaced it with a Tactical Solutions ejector. YMMV.

The gun was fine before it was modified......

I have a Mark II with many thousands of rounds through it. In fact, today I took it out again, It's my first pistol, bought new 21 years ago... I think the time spent worrying about an extractor is time wasted. I don't mean to be sarcastic, but the gun from the factory should work just fine as is.

I have a few Mark pistols, and I always make sure the factory extractor is de-burred, and I break the edges. And male sure it works smoothly in the extractor slot. I have found at least one slot that had burrs that needed attention too. When working the extractor in the slot by hand, if one "digs in" to the slot, it hollers I need help to me at least.
I bought an Eagle Claw(?) extractor once, and it would not even fit in the slot! It went in my parts box, and a new factory one went in. Had to try it ya know with all the hoopla.

Mine lasted just over 33,000 rounds and then gave up the ghost. Easy switch and I replaced the firing pin at the same time. Used Volquartsen replacements this time.

I have a Mark I from 1978 and a Mark II from 1995 and bought them both new from a dealer. I've got thousands and thousands of rounds through both guns and have never replaced a part in either one. Both just like they came from the factory and both as accurate as you could possibly want a gun to be.

I have an RST-4 bought new in 1968 and several MKIIs from the late 1990s
through the 2000s and neither has failed to function one single time but I
do have a few of the Exact Edge extractors in my parts box just in case. I
should add that I am a nearly insane nut case about tearing mine down
for a truly thorough prophylactic cleaning involving from the breech forward
and a healthy dose of Gun Scrubber followed by a good shot of compressed
air before they get reassembled so crud doesn't get a chance to accumulate
in mine unless in the unlikelihood that it did so during a truly lengthy spell
of shooting and given that these are .22LR guns, my arms will likely get
so tired in that case I might well stop well short of that happening and go
find a cold one. I should add that all of these have seen more rounds through
them over the years than is imaginable but I have needed to tune up my
magazines through the years until I learned not to slam them in the pistols
and go a tad gentler in approach to reloading.