Broken Extractor!!!

[CoachBowstring]

The other day I pulled out some old .45 rounds (Hollowpoints; I think maybe "starfire". Not sure. They were about 3 years old.) Anyways, the casings must have expanded somehow over the past few years. I tried to feed it manually by hand, but it would only go in about 3/4 of the way into the barrel. Well, with the slide locked back, I hit the slide release and upon impact with the casing, the primer was hit and my external extractor went "missing". I understand the how and why the extractor broke "MUCHO pressure), but would this have happened to an internal extractor. I have read both the pros and cons of an external extractor and now I wonder which is better, internal or external. Does it matter. Either way, what happened to me was a fluke, but still it happened.

I'm sure it's been discussed before, but is one better than the other?

Oh yea, I was firing a Kimber Custom II.

[Short Cut]

In that scenario I think an IE would be more likely to break because it doesn't have as much flexibility as the EE extractor which uses a coil spring for tension.

[Kruzr]

Did it break or just come flying out. If the hook didn't break, you just have to put it back in. It's held in by the extractor spring tension on the plunger.

An extractor using a coil spring is far more forgiving than an internal leaf spring. I prefer the internals but snapping it over a rim will eventually break it.

[CoachBowstring]

Not sure if it broke or just "popped" out. All I know is that it's not there anymore. Thanks for the responses though.

[gcmj45acp]

Originally posted by Short Cut
In that scenario I think an IE would be more likely to break because it doesn't have as much flexibility as the EE extractor which uses a coil spring for tension.

I don't think the lack of flexibility will really be a problem. I've blown more than a few cases running 38-Super and 40 cal race guns with internal extractors. The only times I've broken internal extractors has been after many thousands of rounds.

On the otherhand, I've seen blenty of blown cases result in missing extractors on "modern" guns with external extractors. I've seen it with Glocks, Sigs, HK's, Smiths and others. One interesting one I remember was a Sig 229, in 357Sig, that experienced a case failure that actually welded the extractor in an "open" position.

[freepatriot]

The round cooked off? Where did the bullet go? Stuck in the barrel?

[CoachBowstring]

The bullet still went down range. The casing was the only thing defective.