Extractor Problems

[d2thomas]

I have had a few jamming issues with my 5906 and was thinking it was the extractor. I plan on buying a new recoil spring, I think that is a good place to start. My questions is do you think I should get either a light spring, factory, or heavy recoil spring to fix this problem?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Bud White]

I usually Stick with a Factory recoil spring unless 95% of what you shoot is reloads loaded to different specs than factory..


If so then i would buy the factory and a + or - Sprinf dependingwhat level the handloads were loaded it ..


What kind of extraction provlems are you haveing usually if it is extraction problems it probley not the recoil spring even though it is good ideal to replace it ever 2-4k rounds

[d2thomas]

The problems I'm having is a failure to extract problem. The brass is not fully pulled from the chamber and the next round is subseqeuncely pushed into the spent brass, pushing it all the way into the chamber and causing the jam. I asked a gunsmith about it and he fired about 20 ruonds through it and said "everythings fine, it must be you", now no offense to this man but it's not me. I've shot enough rounds in bigger calibers to know how to shoot a 9mm. But I figured I'd start with the basics first and then replace the recoil spring first, then go from there. I was told that if the spring is bad the slide can't function as well and could cause a jam.

[btw - my extractor looks fine and has good tension on it.]

[d2thomas]

Also - My gun is very heavy stainless steel, and the slide is no exception. I'm guessing with a weakened spring the slide can't preform it's operation quick enough, and maybe that is the cause of the jam.

[QKShooter]

I'm really not familiar with your model of firearm but, since your problem is a failure to extract or pull the cartridge case out of the chamber....then an already too weak recoil spring would likely not be the problem.
The problem seems to begin with the rearward motion of the slide.
If anything a too weak recoil spring would allow the slide to move rearward with more energy rather than less energy because there is less recoil spring to compress or overcome as your slide moves rearward.

The two things to try FIRST before switching out recoil springs would be.
#1 A different brand of ammo.
# 2 The extractor itself....or more tension on the one that you have already installed.

Just my opinion.

[P95Carry]

This is very similar to my problem with P12-45, and I plan to make a very critical assessment of the extractor on that.

As QK says, a weaker recoil spring would indeed facilitate slide acceleration.

[FortyFive]

Boy extractor jams are though to deal with, I would go slow and not be in a hurry to change out the extractor. I am not familiar with your firearm but have been through the extractor mill. Some basic issues are, dragging the slide with your thumb on ocassion, lubrication, and cleaning the extractor if it can be removed from the gun.
I would look around the net for your type of problem maybe some other input will help also. Stay with whatever the mfg said to about the recoil spring.
QK mentioned ammo and that is high on the suspect list because not all brass is standard, some have a thicker shoulder and give you a problem.
Just go slow and evaluate.
Richard

[Tangle]

I second or third the ammo as the first suspect. If you are shooting light loads and even sometimes light bullets could cause an extraction problem. In this case, the recoil spring can be too heavy for the light loads and may actually be extracting the case and not ejecting it because the slide doesn't travel rearward enough.

[CLASS3NH]

I'm leading to believe it's the ammo type, as the others have suggested. Since you're talking handloads, you just might want to pull a few of the bullets from that box you've loaded, just in case they may have been light loads. I've had about a dozen or more of your model, and similar frame type of S&W. I've had several similer FTE, in the past years, which lead me to the ammo change/or reload examination. Like Tangle mentioned, the bullet weight may be suspect as well. Those guns were designed to eat 115-147gr bullets. IMHO, I think it's the ammo, rather than the gun. Those guns shoot like gangbusters right out of the box. They also eat almost anything you feed them. Hope I've helped to solve your problem, and not made it worse.

[d2thomas]

Thanks fella's this is some great advice....here is a bit more info if this helps.

At the range I usually shoot Winchester 115 G FMJ or the Remington UMC counterpart. Are these known for FTE problems?

Also as a good cheap place to start, do you think a lighter recoil spring might aide in slide movement, thus curing my FTE problem?

..this advice is golden, thanks again and if you think of anything else please let me know!

[d2thomas]

Also [I almost forgot] there is no possible way for my slide to make contact with my hand - as visible in the pictures.

[Tangle]

d2thomas,
I'm not aware that those are problems, others may know better than I. But the first thing is to find out what the problem is. Try some heavier grain bullets or some "premium" loads. If they don't cause the problem, then it's probably the ammo you mentioned in your post.

IF it is ammo, and you want or plan to keep shooting it, then you may want a slightly weaker recoil spring. But keep in mind, if you put in a weaker recoil spring, heavier loads may cause some battering.

IIRC, the 5906 is a self defense gun, it just might have a recoil spring to match defensive load recoil. That could make it not cycle fully with the "range" ammo.

[rocky]

does it FTE with more than 1 mag.? Also a good cleaning may be needed. Check the chamber for scoring and the brass for marks too.

[rfurtkamp]

At the range I usually shoot Winchester 115 G FMJ or the Remington UMC counterpart. Are these known for FTE problems?

Neither Winchester 115 white box or UMC will reliably cycle my blowback guns (Uzi, Mac, etc).

If you've got a heavy stainless gun, I'd try something with more zip.

[rfurtkamp]

Also [I almost forgot] there is no possible way for my slide to make contact with my hand - as visible in the pictures.

It may not be the slide hitting your hand that causes the problem. If you've got friends, let them shoot it.

You may not be locking the wrist significantly enough for that particular gun.

If possible, watch a video of your own shooting, not of the target, but of your movements or lack thereof during the firing cycle.