extractor lip/claw sheared off (picture) LR 308

[tayronachan]

(fwiw and info purposes, feedback welcome) After about 500 - 600 rds the claw sheared off my extractor. This happened while I was using the steel mags that came with the rifle. I was again having feeding problems with these mags (the P-mags work great). The fired case was fully out of the chamber, but with another round jammed up underneath it. That happened twice, then the extractor claw sheared off, is there a relation?

 

I had read about these extractors failing before, and had a spare on hand. DPMS is replacing the broken extractor, great customer service there. Ammo was PMC 147 gr FMJ-BT. 

 

Are there better extractors out there?

 

[Toolndie7]

JP sells this extractor, its under cut with a little more of a radius to add strength.

[Robocop1051]

That looks like what happens when you drop the bolt on a loose round. Did you single load a steel casing, without loading it into the mag first? I've seen broken extractors from people just dropping the bullet in the chamber and slamming the bolt closed behind the loose round.

Otherwise, sometimes parts just fail.

[hdbiker1]

I just had one shear off just like that.  It had 1378 rnds on it.  I already had a spare.  I'd also noticed that the firing pin head is mushrooming.  Don't know if it affects anything, but I will be getting another.

 

Btw, this was on the 3rd rnd out of 5 in the mag.

Edited May 20, 2014 by hdbiker1

[FaRKle!]

Sounds like a mag problem to me. If the magazine is feeding the next round before the first has been completely ejected you may want to check the magazine feed lips.

[tayronachan]

JP sells this extractor, its under cut with a little more of a radius to add strength.

Ok, thx. I'll check into it.

[tayronachan]

That looks like what happens when you drop the bolt on a loose round. Did you single load a steel casing, without loading it into the mag first? I've seen broken extractors from people just dropping the bullet in the chamber and slamming the bolt closed behind the loose round.

Otherwise, sometimes parts just fail.

No, I didn't drop the bolt on a round already in the chamber. But, now I know not to do that, thx.

Edited May 20, 2014 by tayronachan

[tayronachan]

Sounds like a mag problem to me. If the magazine is feeding the next round before the first has been completely ejected you may want to check the magazine feed lips.

It was one of the steel mags that came with the rifle, and they have been known to have issues.

[survivalshop]

  You can manipulate the feed lips on the DPMS steel mags & some times get them to function correctly . They are known to have problems ,call DPMS & send it back to DPMS & they should replace it.

[StainTrain]

JP sells this extractor, its under cut with a little more of a radius to add strength.

I recently purchased this one and I like it.  

[survivalshop]

Just curious , did you have any fired brass that had the extractor lips deformed or ripped off by the extractor ?

[tayronachan]

I recently purchased this one and I like it.

It seems a bit pricy at $59.95, but it looks like I'll be getting one. thx

[tayronachan]

Just curious , did you have any fired brass that had the extractor lips deformed or ripped off by the extractor ?

No, didn't have any of the lips on fired cases deformed or ripped off. And I've never fired any steel cased ammo in the rifle either. Maybe the extractor had to work harder than normal when the rifle was new and got stressed? I was having some FTE when new. I did end up running a bore mop 15 secs on low (chucked in a drill) with polishing comp. Never had another FTE after that.

 

About the steel DPMS mags, DPMS said they'd replace the extractor no prob, but wouldn't exchange the mag. Not even for a 5 rd mag :( (darn it), was hoping to get one of those for hunting, seeing as how this rifle is much more accurate than my 700 Remington.