Aftec Extractors

I had one. It worked fine. I removed it because it didn't do anything more than what my conventional extractor did do. Matter of fact, it was more of a pain to clean the extra parts and wee springs from carbon build up.

I think it's a solution to a non-existing problem if your conventional extractor is fitted correctly, kept tuned and clean. You still have to fit the Aftec and keep it clean BTW.

I have a Weigand Extractor tension tool and gauge set instead. I keep the tension tool adjusted to a specific weight and every once in a blue moon when I detail strip my guns, I clean and tune the extractors.

Don't know what problems you're having, but all my guns feed, shoot and extract perfectly. Always have, always will without gimmicks.

I think the Aftec extractor is a gimmick that you don't need. Hard to beat JM Browning's simplicity of a 1911. You can add crap to it to make more expensive, but it doesn't make it better.

All extractor issues stem from an improperly cut and tuned extractor. The next problem is a dirty one.

Buying the best tool steel extractor available and a Weigand extractor tension tool and gauge set will serve you better than an Aftec with added parts and springs to fail.

Sure we have sliced bread evenly cut to fit your toaster and all the extra chemicals nutrients, but what's wrong with a good old fashioned brick oven baked loaf of bread.
 
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w ww.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=10261/learn/1911_Auto_Extractor_Adjustment


Here is what is needed(see above attachemnt) for what "easy" is recommending. It's all do-able but just seams like it is too time consuming for my taste when there are easier alternatives. Not to mention the tools involved. For someone who likes to tinker with things this would be fine and what was done for years.

Sure I can buy all the ingredients, mix them together and watch the oven patiently all afternoon to get that homemade loaf of bread but....I just like to open the bag, grab my slices of bread, make my sandwich and head to the range for some shooting.
 
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easy said:
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Buying the best tool steel extractor available and a Weigand extractor tension tool and gauge set will serve you better than an Aftec with added parts and springs to fail.

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If you don't mind me asking, where did you buy your Weigand extractor tension tool and gauge set? Sounds like something worth getting!
 
easy said:
I had one. It worked fine. I removed it because it didn't do anything more than what my conventional extractor did do. Matter of fact, it was more of a pain to clean the extra parts and wee springs from carbon build up.

I think it's a solution to a non-existing problem if your conventional extract is fitted correctly, kept tuned and clean. Yous till have to fit the Aftec and keep it clean BTW.

I have a Weigand Extractor tension tool and gauge set instead. I keep the tension tool adjusted to a specific weight and every once in a blue moon when I detail strip my guns, I clean and tune the extractors.

Don't know what problems you're having, but all my guns feed, shoot and extract perfectly. Always have, always will without gimmicks.

I think the Aftec extractor is a gimmick that you don't need. Hard to beat JM Browning's simplicity of a 1911. You can add crap to it to make more expensive, but it doesn't make it better.

All extractor issues stem from an improperly cut and tuned extractor. The next problem is a dirty one.

Buying the best tool steel extractor available and a Weigand extractor tension tool and gauge set will serve you better than an Aftec with added parts and springs to fail.

Sure we have sliced bread evenly cut to fit your toaster and all the extra chemicals nutrients, but what's wrong with a good old fashioned brick oven baked loaf of bread.
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the problem with tuning a normal extractor is a principal called work hardening. The more you tune (bend) the extractor the harder and more brittle it becomes till it finally snaps. The design requires it to flex and bend with every round aswell. Since the tension come from the springs on the aftec you don't have to worry about it work hardening
 
Madness said:
the problem with tuning a normal extractor is a principal called work hardening. The more you tune (bend) the extractor the harder and more brittle it becomes till it finally snaps. The design requires it to flex and bend with every round aswell. Since the tension come from the springs on the aftec you don't have to worry about it work hardening
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For a properly heat treated extractor to lose its tension, it will take a very, very long time of bending with the Weigand tool. Also, I think quality extractors are made from spring steel. At least good carbon steel. But proper heat treat is most important. And don't buy cast extractors.

The Aftec extractor is not an install and forget about it part. The springs will eventually need to be replaced due to tension loss and the little cap over the springs will wear and need replacing too. Most likely though, you'll need to buy those tiny little springs because you will lose them before they lose their tension.

Additionally, they will only work with series 70 pistols. Some pistols have a larger channel where the Aftec extractor would need to be bent further to operate. I doubt you can guess how much bend is needed for reliable operation.
These extractors will not work in series 80 pistols and others with the firing pin block.

Not to mention the springs and cap of the Aftec extractor is susceptible to carbon accumulation to the point it will affect function and would need attention more often in dirtier conditions.

Ask yourself why you need an Aftec extractor. Myself, I can't think of one reason to need one, but several not to. Here's another one ... I can buy 3 good quality conventional extractors for the price of one Aftec.
 
My 2 cents;
I had one, dropped it in and it worked great 99% of the time.
Its true that its a pain to clean- don't lose the little bits.
I went back to a stocker (STI), it works 100% of the time.
Gunnar showed me at a match how he tunes them (stockers), it ain't hard and I didn't see a fancy special tool. Anyone with any mechanical experience should be able to do it easily.
As for the work hardening argument, no thanks, I'm not buying it.
But if dropping a $100.00 gives you confidence then its probably money well spent, but the dime store piece that came with it is all you really need.
 
What you are saying is supposition on your part, the spring cap is not a wear item, you never have to replace it, im not sure how you think it will wear out. I've been running an Aftec in my Millenium custom Open gun for 14 years. I have not replaced the springs...nor the cap...lol...and have not had an extractor related malfunction in all that time. I've never had any conventional extractor run that long or anywhere near that long.
Carbon fouling has not affected the function but I clean my extractor and tunnel every 3-4000 rounds so maybe I'm not letting it get dirty enough...lol
 
Aftec just took the external extractor idea and made it work for interanls.
I agree its over kill for plinkers/safequeens, and if you only clean your gun once a year then it will get pretty dirty in there. Race gear is a whole other beast. Most cars don't need Pirelli's but some people still put them on.
Where do series 80 extractors break, at the series 80 cut out more often then not.
nothing to buy, metal gets brittel when you bend it back and forth, 1st year app stuff.
true, for the price of an aftec you can get multiple regular ones, which comes in handy when they break:D
 
Every season I end up fixing/replacing/tuning extractors for people at major matches. Sometimes these are cheap, poorly made extractors but often they are higher end extractors that have either reached the end of their service life or simply worn out/broken. Remember; in order to fit an extractor properly you have to bend it (as well as tune the hooks). After it's fitted, it's function depends on continuously bending/flexing to apply tension to the extraction groove. AFTEC doesn't do that.

I have never had to replace properly installed AFTEC. The small coil springs in the AFTEC place more consistent, even pressure on the cartridge case, are easier to tune to the gun and they last longer. MUCH longer.

We can argue the perfection of JM Browning's design forever, but the fact is that many of the enhancements that have come into common use over the years have actually improved the design. For instance; ever experience hammer bite from a standard 1911? A standard spur hammer on a standard 1911 grip safety can actually punch a hole in the web of your hand (don't ask how I know this.) Those new-fangled beavertails ARE actually better. The AFTEC is nothing more than a refinement of a good idea, and it works.

But it's true; a properly fitted standard extractor, properly maintained will do the job just fine at a lower price. In my mind though, competition is all about reducing risk. After having many extractors go down on me at the most inopportune time....even a couple of new ones.... I finally caved and bought the AFTEC. Haven't looked back since. Your mileage may vary.
 
PH Racing said:
What you are saying is supposition on your part, the spring cap is not a wear item, you never have to replace it, im not sure how you think it will wear out. I've been running an Aftec in my Millenium custom Open gun for 14 years. I have not replaced the springs...nor the cap...lol...and have not had an extractor related malfunction in all that time. I've never had any conventional extractor run that long or anywhere near that long.
Carbon fouling has not affected the function but I clean my extractor and tunnel every 3-4000 rounds so maybe I'm not letting it get dirty enough...lol
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You're probably right about the cap wear. I'm thinking spring friction on the cap may put some wear on it over time. Not enough to cause malfunctions anyway, but you can't say the springs won't loose their tension, even break. Much is dependent on several factors, proper installation and fitment for one. Like I said, you'll probably lose them before they wear out. They ARE sold separately after all for some reason.

No matter. More parts, more to go wrong. Simple as that.

They are more forgiving with chamber loading than traditional extractors if you do that sort of thing for any reason.

... and you know what, I've replaced all my extractors in my 1911s as I bought the guns whether new or used. I don't know how much ammunition you put through your guns, or how many are in your rotation, but I've been shooting for many more years than you state and I've never replaced the extractors I've fitted because of reliability issues. Not one.

The only exception, I have left just one factory extractor for testing purposes in one of the 1911s to see when it will BREAK. It's been over 10 years and at least 10K rounds now. It happens to be an MIM extractor in a customized TRP. I shoot handloads in all my guns as hot as lead should be shot. The only issue I have with this MIM extractor is that I have to massage it with the Weigand tool every 1000 or so rounds. Yet even when it does get loose, it still extracts reliably. I should replace it as it surpassed its useful lifespan, and proved that MIM parts even as critical components of a gun are not all the negative hype we hear, but why.

I have no doubt that if any extractor is fitted properly, including the Aftec, and not factoring in poor QC or bad metal, it will perform for a very long time without the need for replacement, or replacement parts. However, any traditional extractor will need adjusting eventually. Perhaps this is where the Aftec shines. Made for those who don't want to tinker with their gun. And fine too.
 
easy said:
The only exception, I have left just one factory extractor for testing purposes in one of the 1911s to see when it will BREAK. It's been over 10 years and at least 10K rounds now.
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Keep in mind that the people here who are endorsing AFTECs are high-volume IPSC shooters who generally run pretty high pressure stuff. If you're shooting 10K rounds of .45 in ten years vs anywhere between 10 - 40K rounds of .38 Super in one year (typically), you're talking about a completely different performance envelope.

But your reasoning is sound; a standard extractor of decent quality in a standard 1911 shooting an average number of standard pressure rounds should last a very long time. That is in fact what they are designed to do.

AFTECs were designed for us freaks who abuse stuff to the point of failure as a matter of course. For most shooters they are probably over kill.
 
easy said:
I don't know how much ammunition you put through your guns.
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20+ years with a variety of guns, at least 15 with 1911's of which I have had a few and most of them were Open guns which are notoriously hard on parts. On average I put 20,000 to 30,000 a year on my main gun. Some years have been quite a bit higher but figure at least 500 rounds a week for 40 weeks out of the year on average.
 
I too am a bog fan of less parts means less parts to break. But my experience with the aftec is that is a quality part that doesn't fail.
 
Every top shooter using the 1911 design uses an Aftec extractor.

If the original design extractor was so good the Aftec would not exist, the problem with the original is it was only designed for the 45 auto catridge and original spec quality heat treated material, who knows what you may get now.

Aftecs usually need to be properly fitted for best results. Fit and Replace the springs every 2 years.

If you do not care about match level reliability then use the original design.
 
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