[CPOHowie]

First let me start by saying I love the 1911 model firearm. Being retired NAVY I've always been partial to that firearm. I purchased my PT1911 this March and out of the box it had one of the smoothest triggers I've seen for a factory shipped handgun.

With high hopes I gave the gun a good cleaning and then went to the range (My back Deck) to start breaking it in. After over 100 rounds I couldn't get a consistent group to save my life. Now I realize it takes a while to get a 1911 broken in but I took it to the bench and found that there was pitting on the lower rifling. I didn't see it with the initial cleaning but there it was.

I contacted Taurus and their 5 Star customer service told me to ship it back and they'd send me a new barrel. The entire conversation took less than 2minutes. Outstanding.

Within two weeks I had my nice new barrel and even though I had to finish seating the hold down lobe pin it was a perfect match. With even higher hopes I went back out on my back deck with a box of federal (Small Primer) rounds and within 30 rounds I was shooting a nice tight group at 20 yards right around the bull.

Then on shot 45 I got a Failure to Eject. I cleared the casing and continued to get ejection failures.

I took the gun back to the bench and found that the Ejector had sheared. Monday I'll have to call CS again and I'm sure I'll get the same great service but has anyone else had ejector failures on the PT1911? Can this group give me any idea of the failure rate of the ejector? I had planned on getting a spare ejector anyway but I'm sure hoping this gun is just a fluke and they last longer than a couple hundred rounds.


So far I've owned the weapon two months and only been able to fire it two days. *BIG SIGH*

 

[dbeardslee]

Welcome to the forum. There was evidently a batch of bad extractors that got out, and a number of members have reported breakages. From the reports I've read the problem has been solved. It's probably best to stick with Taurus extractors as some members have reported installing aftermarket extractors and subsequently had their firing pin plunger fall out. Others have installed aftermarket extractors and had them function okay. If it was me I'd stick with the Taurus part.

 

[btleslie]

Welcome from East Texas to the best gun forum on the internet.

So far I have not had the ejector break, but I did have to clean and adjust it real good when I first got my PT1911. Stick with CS they have always done right by me. My PT145 had issues when I first got it, but it is now my main carry gun.

 

[TexasAviator]

I had an extractor go out recently. Like db said the extractor is a bit of a different cut so they are hit and miss when it comes to holding the plunger in. They all should work and eject spent brass, they just dont all hold in the plunger. I don't want to get the old are the "series 80" parts necessary conversation going... even though it does get fun!

Taurus should replace the broken one for free and I'd order a spare from them as well.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[CPOHowie]

Thanks, I've been looking through the forums and came to a lot of those conclussions and just wanted some confirmation that the problem shouldn't recure once I get the replacement from Taurus. They replaced the faulty barrel no questions asked but I had to send the old one back first. That's understandable but I'm hoping they will just ship me out a new extractor without waiting for the faulty one to be shipped. I'd really like to get some lead down range.

If there's a moderator out there could they STICKY what they feel is the best post on adjusting a new Extractor? I've never attempted that but from a few of the posts it looks to be an important step after replacement.

Thanks again gang.

 

[cuban]

CPOHowie, I'm sorry for your troubles and welcome to the dark side from Central Florida. I think that by now Taurus has identified that they let out quit a few PT 1911's with faulty extractor and it would only stand to reason that they have also identified from which batch they came from.
I think that it would also be good business if they would issue a recall of these faulty extractor, I'm sure they know which guns they were installed in, or if not a recall then automatically send out replacement extractors to those that have registered their PT 1911 that are within the identified tally, that way they can stop the bad reputation and the negative perception (Taurus Crap) that they have created by not acting in a proactive manner.

I'm confident that they know how to make a quality part because I have put about 18K rounds through my PT 1911 and my extractor is still running strong, I'm sure that they didn't intend to produce a inferior part, but something got away from them and a proactive attitude will go a long way, heck we live in an age of communication, either way it's going to come out, either they move first (proactive)good rep or they move last (reactive) bad rep.

 

[dbeardslee]

Extractors may need to be adjusted for tension, and they may not. If you can get them to send you one, you might find this little check helpful to determine if you need to do some bending or not...

And since no one else has mentioned it I will. Notice in the video how he slides the round up under the ejector? That's the way rounds are supposed to feed from a magazine. Never drop a round into the chamber through the ejection port and let the slide slam forward on it. That's almost a formula for a broken extractor with a 1911. Only load rounds into the chamber from a magazine. You probably already know that, but it's kind of like the surgeon generals warning on a pack of cigarettes - it's stuff everybody knows but it's still gotta be printed on the pack.

 

[johnson]

CPOHowie - I had a similar experience with the barrel on my PT1911 that was purchased last December. The barrel had 3 tool marks running across the lands just inside the muzzle. Like you, I called and was told to send the barrel back for replacement. You got quicker service. I called a month after sending it in and was told that they had received it a month earlier. I asked when I could expect the replacement and and was told "Oh, I guess we can release it". Took 2 weeks after that to get the new one. Wonder how long it would have taken if I hadn't called. Several weeks ago I was told on this forum by people who are in the know that the new barrel needs to be fitted. Called Taurus and the CS rep said no, they don't requre it. I pushed the issue so he told me to wait while he checked with the repair department. Came back a while later and told me that I was right and to send it in for repair. Did you have yours fitted? Doesn't sound like it.

 

[bre346]

Chief, my pt1911 has been flawless but I've read about the extractor and its adjustment. The other responders offer good advice.

BTW, I love your avatar. I had grips made with that symbol. See below.

Retired ET1

 

[franco45]

Yesterday was the first range trip with my new PT 1911. After about 90 rounds I ended up with a broken extractor. The gunsmith at my lgs suggested I order the Wilson Combat series 80 extractor. He will be replacing the extractor and I trust his workmanship. Needless to say I am very disappointed in this development but I am hoping for a great outcome. As a side note, I have owned an RIA Tactical for about 2 years and it has been perfect so far.

 

[cuban]

Franko45, sorry for your troubles, and welcome aboard, unfortunately the Wilson Combat extractors might and might not work with the Taurus PT1911, most have reported that the 80's series firing pin plunger will not stay fast on the slide with the Wilson and have had to delete the plunger all together, which changes it to the original design (70 series).

You can also contact Taurus and insist that they send you a new one for free.

 

[olfarhors]

Franko45, sorry for your troubles, and welcome aboard, unfortunately the Wilson Combat extractors might and might not work with the Taurus PT1911, most have reported that the 80's series firing pin plunger will not stay fast on the slide with the Wilson and have had to delete the plunger all together, which changes it to the original design (70 series).
You can also contact Taurus and insist that they send you a new one for free.

Which kind of indicates that the Particular gunsmith isn't familiar with the rpoduct that he is reccomending a replacement for!
Brand Snob is likely the problem, everything is Wilson reccomendation likley, not that wilson products are bad, just not very informed it seems.

 

[CPOHowie]

Well all was going well with the new extractor even though it took longer to get than the new Barrell. Then I broke it down and noticed another issue. I'm not sure if I missed it because of the other problems or if it's a stress issue. The back plate of the slide (That the back of a cartridge contacts) has what looks like tooling marks and metal fategue. Here's a photo. I plan on contacting CS again tomorrow and see what they want to do.

@ johnson No I didn't have it fitted and it seemed to fire a much better group than the old barrell. I'm not sure I'm going to have it fitted, it dropped in and everything seemed to mate up fine.

@ bre346 I love those grips. Where can I get a set?

I hope to keep at getting this gun repaired until it works the way I want. I've always loved the 1911 and was placing good groups with this after I got the barrell and extractor repaired. Here's some shots of the butt plate area.

 

[cuban]

Thats called the breechface, best I can tell it looks like some tool marks, which shouldn't interfere with the operation of your 1911, if it really bothers you can wrap a piece of emery cloth around a Popsicle stick and polish them off just a little, because you don't want to increase the head space between the breach and the cartridge.

Or you can send it on vacation to Miami for about 6 weeks, if you decide to go that rout remember that a new slide will not have matching serial numbers so insist they add them.

 

[jonrjen]

I have read a number of post with the extractor issue. I have been surprised how many owners then follow up with the Wilson replacement with mixed results. I would hate to have the down time of my weapon taking a Florida vacation without me, but then I am cheap in the thinking of....if the Wilson part doesn't cure the problem or even worse creates larger issues, Taurus then is relieved from a warranty fix do to my use of non OEM parts.

Some made mention of if would be nice if Taurus would do a recall of the know problematic extractors but has failed to do so. Maybe some of you who have had the problem could post the date your weapon was manufactured and we could at least get a window of time where as these extractors were used in production as a personal heads up to owners.

 

[dbeardslee]

I wouldn't worry too much about the tool marks, but I would follow Cuban's advice and smooth them a bit. When the barrel tips down as the slide comes back the case head slides down the breech face. The thing that's moving the whole thing back is the cartridge itself, so a little less friction between the case head and the breech face is probably a good thing.

 

[TexasAviator]

I have read a number of post with the extractor issue. I have been surprised how many owners then follow up with the Wilson replacement with mixed results. I would hate to have the down time of my weapon taking a Florida vacation without me, but then I am cheap in the thinking of....if the Wilson part doesn't cure the problem or even worse creates larger issues, Taurus then is relieved from a warranty fix do to my use of non OEM parts.

Worst case scenario, at least as I see it, is if you replace with the Wilson Combat extractor and it doesn't hold the lawyer parts in you are just closer to the original Browning design. That being said I had that issue (a 2010 era model) and I'd say order the replacement from Taurus and use a Wilson (or whatever) extractor in the interim. Some argue about zealous prosecutors saying you made it more dangerous or whatever (which is bull __) . I don't see that being an issue here in Texas but it might be elsewhere, I don't know. But I'm not a smith or lawyer thats just my personal opinion.

 

[dbeardslee]

I ordered a new extractor for my PT145, and eight days later it landed on my doorstep - and it was free. I don't know that you'd get a Wilson much faster than that, and it certainly isn't going to be free. I'd definitely order the Taurus extractor and hope I didn't loose the firing pin plunger before the Taurus extractor arrived.

 

[olfarhors]

Same here!
I think the last extractors that i ordered were at the door in about 4-5 days, i know it was under a week, same with recoil springs etc that i have ordered from Taurus.
of course instock or not makes a big difference in time, of course if you order a Wilson extractor from a company that does not have it instock then its going to be extended time as well, if you can even place the order.
as for Taurus recalling 1911's due to bad extractors, its seldom that any manufacture issues a recall( look at how long Remington ran with teh 700 series safety) it cost a bunch of money to issue a recall, and honestly I don't know if I remember ever seeing a recall that was not direcly related to the weapon being unsafe to use, a bad extractor doesn't affect the safety of a weapon.
I would imagine they decided to fix the problem one complaint at a time , same as most other manufactures woudl do i think, and then of course they could save a buck ot two if the owner wanted to install the extractor themselves, I know i had much rather have the extractor in hand than sent the gun to Miami.
I tried that with my 38 super but they didn't have any 38 super extractors and so ??
just sent it to them in hopes they had some in stock for repairs!
Nope!!!! but its running great now!

 

[GreenWolf70]

I don't know how many times this has to be repeated, but extractors are a 1911 design problem, not a Taurus issue. There was no bad run of Taurus 1911 extractors. They are like lightbulbs, they can last forever, or break tomorrow. No one knowledgeable about 1911s that I have ever talked to knows why they are like that but they are. Buying expensive, big name, or custom, brands, even if they are made out of unobtainium forged by elves, is no different than buying different brands of lightbulbs. Save your money and just get 2 of the Taurus replacements so you have an extra on hand if the extractor goes out again. If you don't believe me go over to M1911.org and read through their smithing forums on the extractor. And yes, the PT-1911 uses a series 80 extractor so it is best to stick with the Taurus extractor so you start with something that fits. If I remember they are under $15.

Here's a good doc on tuning your 1911 extractor: http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/taurus-1911s/60417-1911-extractor-tuning-tips.html. If I were you, I would do DBearsee's extractor test just to make sure its working properly and I would polish and bevel the claw, but I would not mess with tension unless it was throwing brass back at my forehead. And I would do this on both extractors, just so if one goes you have another ready to replace it immediately. Once you get used to taking apart a 1911 in detail, you can take the broken one out and replace in no time at all, as in between rounds if you are shooting competition.