Project Appleseed

This stopped the fun at the range on Sunday:



I'd been getting increasingly odd ejections and then FTEs over the previous few shots, ended up feeding the last few by hand (I was doing an ammo test, and assumed the gas system didn't like my recipe).  Could have been worse - when it broke I felt the extractor fragment whiz through my hair.

I was firing a somewhat lighter than usual recipe at the time, so this wasn't an over-pressure/load fail, likely just accumulated wear and fatigue.

Moral of the story, I guess: If you start getting flaky extractions with rounds you know should be good, don't assume the gas system has indigestion, check out the extractor itself for damage.  If this was a fatigue crack, it would probably have been visible several rounds before the catastrophic fail.

 

That must be the cast extractor from SA. I had one launch and replaced it with a forged USGI version from RAparts.com. $40 and worth every penny.

Quote from: brianf31 on June 06, 2013, 12:37:51 AM
That must be the cast extractor from SA. I had one launch and replaced it with a forged USGI version from RAparts.com. $40 and worth every penny.

You got it in one:  Original SA issue from a 1986 rifle. 

Yeah, RAparts or Fulton.  Maybe I can get it back together for a shoot at the end of the month...

Anything Springfield Armory is suspect.

   It's a good idea, with a battle rifle (at least, US ones), to have a spare parts kit with you. An extra extractor, and the "fun would not have been stopped" - five minutes or less, and you'd've been good-to-go.

    These rifles can usually be repaired pretty fast, right on the spot.

    I've had at least one GI extractor break, so it's not unknown for even GI parts to fail. I've had the tip of a GI firing pin break off. I've seen (and had) an extractor take off for "parts unknown" when a round strips out of the mag at just the wrong angle/speed (or maybe the extractor spring was weak).

    So, an extractor and spring, ejector and spring, firing pin, trigger pin, even a hammer pin - all fitting into a very small space (you can even drill out a hole under the buttplate to fit them in, so you always have them with you!) - are good to have at the range.

   I always say, learn from my mistakes. (I wish I was better at learning from 'em, myself. )

with the m 10 tool you can replace it without removing the bolt. I've broken three firing pins and one extractor. Fred's right spare parts should be part of your range kit! I carry a spare bolt that is head spaced to my rifles ( all of them). It takes less then a min. to change out.

Given how much of that extractor is gone, is the M10 tool going to get enough of a purchase to force it out?

Quote from: hawkeye on June 06, 2013, 08:21:34 AMI've Fred's right spare parts should be part of your range kit! I carry a spare bolt that is head spaced to my rifles ( all of them). It takes less then a min. to change out.

Which brings up the question what is the basic spare for all our Appleseed rifles. Using myself for an example I take for the 10/22 a complete spare bolt assembly, stock screw and pin set. For my Remington 597 an extra action pin, bolt stop arm, arm pin and spring, and I'm looking for a complete bolt assy.  For my AR I bring a complete bolt head and extra cotter pin.

There is a lot of room for improvement in my "kit" and now that I've ordered a M1 from the CMP, that's a whole new beast that I'm unfamiliar with in the care and feeding.

I don't think the M10 will work in this case, Dismount the oprod and insert the extra bolt.

Quote from: stoneknives on June 06, 2013, 12:05:19 PMWhich brings up the question what is the basic spare for all our Appleseed rifles. 

I've been running an AK-47. There is no word in Russian for spare...so I don't carry anything.

Quote from: slim on June 06, 2013, 05:58:56 PM
I've been running an AK-47. There is no word in Russian for spare...so I don't carry anything.

Recently I've been getting into sticks and stones. There's no ammo shortage and at least so far there is no registration involved.

Quote from: slim on June 06, 2013, 05:58:56 PM

Quote from: stoneknives on June 06, 2013, 12:05:19 PMWhich brings up the question what is the basic spare for all our Appleseed rifles. 

I've been running an AK-47. There is no word in Russian for spare...so I don't carry anything.

You can just scrounge around in your vehicle.  I once 'fixed' another shooter's AK with a paper clip I found in my truck's console.   

[/quote]
You can just scrounge around in your vehicle.  I once 'fixed' another shooter's AK with a paper clip I found in my truck's console.   
[/quote]

Let me guess... For the trigger axis pin "shepards hook" spring. That the only part I've ever witnessed breaking on a AK.

Quote from: stoneknives on June 07, 2013, 01:08:29 PM

You can just scrounge around in your vehicle.  I once 'fixed' another shooter's AK with a paper clip I found in my truck's console.   
[/quote]

Let me guess... For the trigger axis pin "shepards hook" spring. That the only part I've ever witnessed breaking on a AK.
[/quote]

No, a pin of some sort that went missing - can't remember what.  He doubled up the paper clip, smashed it flat, trimmed it and stuck it in there and it worked for the rest of the match.  Slim's notion of backup parts kits seems common with AK shooters.   

At the Kingman shoot some time back the trigger pull on  my Armscorp M14 was taking lots more pressure to fire than usual .
Finally it refused to fire entirely. I was in prone and lowered the buttstock ,as I released the mag the hammer fell and discharged a round over the berm.

It was fortunate the range is set up where no danger occurred  putting a 308 over the berm.
Moral I learned is to checkout the rifle at the 1st change in function and MORE IMPORTANTLY

ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE IN A SAFE DIRECTION .

Problem was a broken pin in the firing mechanism. Replaced with SARCO item

I wore out a SA 1911 some years back and they completly rebuilt the entire gun,returned worn parts and I picked it up the next day with no paperwork.
I thought it worth mentioning the experiance I have with SA

I took the advice upthread and ordered a forged extractor from RAParts, plus the rest of the bits that Fred suggested.  Should show up on Tuesday...

Quote from: Nero on June 07, 2013, 11:56:03 PM
I took the a dvice upthread and ordered a forged extractor from RAParts, plus the rest of the bits that Fred suggested.  Should show up on Tuesday...

Fred  likes quality parts and quality tools !

How did you know how to replace the extractor ?
I needed a you tube video for the trigger pin.

http://www.amazon.com/The-M14-Complete-Assembly-Guide/dp/1888722169

A shooter's M-1A extractor broke this weekend at Atterbury. It was something like the 17th round he fired on Saturday morning.

A few of us mentioned this thread and upon further inspection, it seems that it was a cast SA part. He  told us he'd heard about it happening to several other folks and would buy a new GI part when he got home. Seems to be a pretty common thing with the new SA M-1As and it was almost like he was expecting it. He wasn't upset at all.

We were shooting steel and we joked about it because "the internet says steel is hard on extractors" but even after the owner told us he'd shot some steel at home to zero (about 60 rounds or so) the blame was cast on the cast part. 

Moral of the story - If you buy a new SA M-1A, you should probably change out the extractor.

Quote from: slim on June 18, 2013, 07:58:06 PM
Moral of the story - If you buy a new SA M-1A, you should probably change out the extractor.

Or even an old one - mine is a 1986 SA build that I picked up 3d hand.