Extractor Concerns

[prozach]

Took my first trip to an indoor firing range today. As I might have expected, my Thompson drew a lot of attention, which was good. However, I had to leave sooner than planned when my gun completely jammed, which was very bad.

 

I fired 20 rounds from the shoulder no problem, then decided I'd like to give my arms a rest and try shooting from the bench. Shot off a couple rounds and got a stovepipe. I cleared it, fired a couple more rounds...another stovepipe. Cleaned that out too, cocked it back, and the bolt wouldn't move forward at all. After begrudgingly admitting to the curious range officers that it jammed up on me, I got home and discovered the extractor popped out of place and was jamming the bolt open. I managed to get it out of the receiver (no fun task) and back in its proper place. It seems to be locked in pretty tight, but there is a bit of a bulge in it:

 

 

My question to the knowledgeable folks here: is it likely this extractor will continue be a problem? If so, should I attempt to straighten the extractor out a little more or just get a new one?

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

• Kahr T150D, purchased Dec 2015
• 170 total rounds fired before issue

[diff4608]

I had almost the exact same issue. My extractor seemed like it had a bulge in it as well and felt loose on the bolt.

 

I bought a new extractor from KHAR and it fit tight in the bolt (no bulge or wiggle). (Knock on wood) so far so good.

 

Hope this helps.

[diff4608]

Forgot to mention my extractor popped off and jammed my bolt just as you described.

[06AngusSG]

I Had the exact same issues with my Thompson. I tried multiple things to correct the problem from GI extractors to some polishing and fitting.

 

What finally ended up curing the problem was a new bolt and extractor from Kahr. I believe my original bolt was made at the end of the machining tool life. Therefor the tolerances were to far out of spec letting the extractor pop out during fire. The reason I came to this was the far superior quality in machining on the new bolt when compared to the old one.

 

Discussed Here(scroll down a bit to find the bolt discussion): http://www.machinegunboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18247

 

You could start with just the extractor since it's way cheaper but I'm guessing you'll need the bolt also. A few other guys here have had to do the same thing.

 

Jon

[deerslayer]

Beware that newer kahr guns have a rounded extractor cut instead of a square shouldered broach cut one. Thus if you install a GI extractor it may have clearance issues. New kahr extractors are rounded.

[2ndArmored]

Adding to Deerslayer's admonition, you may want to consider having the extractor slot cut square. I don't know how much you shoot your semi-auto, but eventually extractors break. Even NOS. If you cut the extractor slot square, you can still buy a handful of GI extractors and (if you stick with semi-auto Thompsons) have enough spare parts for your grandkids to enjoy. Kahr is using round extractors & slots now. Who knows what "improvements" they'll make in a few years which will render today's solution no longer viable. ("Sorry Charlie. Last year we switched from round to hexagonal pyramid honeycomb extractors. So you'll need a new bolt too.")

Edited February 10, 2016 by 2ndArmored

[prozach]

Thank you all for your input. I contacted Kahr about receiving a replacement extractor. Keeping my fingers, legs, and eyes crossed that's all it'll take to resolve the issue.

[Motorcar]

but eventually extractors break

 

I have an early production Kahr with GI extractor as well as a '28AC and have put cases and cases of ammo (thousands and thousands) down range and never broke an extractor. I carry a spare in my range bag but have never needed it. Imagine the engineer at Kahr that decided to change a design that was almost 100 years old and incredibly reliable...time will tell if it is an improvement.

[prozach]

Just a follow-up on this. I received a replacement extractor from Kahr back in February. After putting it in the bolt, I fired about 50 rounds no problem so I was optimistic the problem was resolved. A month passed, fired another 80+ rounds without issue. Last weekend, I took it out to show some family members...I fired 20 rounds, then handed it to my cousin who only fired 10 rounds or so before the extractor came out. So the replacement extractor stayed in the bolt almost the exact same number of rounds as the original. I've only been out to shoot it 6 times since December, and it failed every third time. So far it has fewer than 400 total rounds fired.

 

I emailed Kahr again about this, and was instructed to send in the bolt and extractor(s) to be replaced. I'll see when they arrive, and if they work. Of course it'll be $100 in ammo to find out if it's just going to fail at the same round count...

 

There's an expression going around lately that says "if you have a credit card, assume the number will be stolen." I've developed my own mantra: "if you buy a Kahr Thompson, assume the bolt/extractor will fail."

[prozach]

Follow-up #2...

Yesterday I received my bolt back from Kahr (it would've been Friday if they didn't require a signature from someone 21 or older, but it was still a pretty quick turnaround). I thought I'd get a whole new bolt, but they just pinned an extractor to the old one. It still concerns me that the extractor is bulging out a bit instead of being flush with the bolt. I intend to get to the range this weekend to try it out.

Edited June 9, 2016 by prozach

[Redc6]

Follow-up #2...

Yesterday I received my bolt back from Kahr (it would've been Friday if they didn't require a signature from someone 21 or older, but it was still a pretty quick turnaround). I thought I'd get a whole new bolt, but they just pinned an extractor pinned to the old one. It still concerns me that the extractor is bulging out a bit instead of being flush with the bolt. I intend to get to the range this weekend to try it out.

That extractor will last about 100 rounds (if it behaves the same as mine). They did the exact same thing to mine and when they drill a hole in it I think it weakens it. Mine snapped dead center of the hole. I then purchased a new bolt and extractor and so far so good.

 

Dan

[SHOVELHEADRIDER]

prozach,

 

That fix is what has been discussed in previous discussions. I don't know if you read the link to the earlier thread posted here. Where the two cross pins (only way I can describe them without having my parts list in front of me) were bored through the bolt, both of the bores were exhibiting signs of major cracking in them that was leading to a failure of the bolt. That along with the machined grooves for the extractor that were breaking away from bolt, I was uneasy about that documented fix as I felt that the bolt was embrittled due to improper heat treating.

 

My gripe was not so much with the failure, hey stuff happens. It was the cavalier attitude of Kahr customer service. From the get-go I told them that the gun had originally been sold in 2008 but was never fired until I acquired it in 2012. And that the gun was a low-count use gun, it was only the second time out (July 4th 2015) when it failed. If they had offered a 50/50 split I would have been happier than a pig in a mud puddle, the only thing I got was after my complaint through Facebook was an offer of them waiving the inspection charge, no promise of any assistance and I was responsible for freight both ways. A lose-lose situation for me as far as I was concerned. Between parts ordered from Kahr (they even screwed up the order,sent the wrong cross pin for the bolt) and gunsmith service it cost me about 300 bucks. Not going to break me, just p*** me off to the point that Kahr will not even be a blip on the screen for future purchases. Not an idle threat, just fact. Not to mention that I also am a pretty active member of a 1,000 member local gun club and have no qualms about discussing the finer points of their lacking customer service.

 

With a known problem with the bolt and extractor you would have thought they would step up to the plate somewhat. Nope, they stuck to the one year original purchaser warranty only.

Edited June 9, 2016 by SHOVELHEADRIDER

[SHOVELHEADRIDER]

And I kept the damaged bolt for proof.

[Orion]

Save your money gentlemen and look for a older Auto Ordnance Thompson! The fit and finish is much better than the product that Khar Arms puts out today. I had a Khar Arms 5 years ago and had the same problem being discussed here, I sent my bolt back once and received a replacement had the same issue, then they had me send the complete gun back on my dime and still didn't fix the problem. (I purchased the gun new) Kahr's customer service stinks and I will not purchase any Kahr item in the future. Any way I found the problem with my Thompson, the extractor was making contact with the barrel pushing it out of its position. I removed the barrel and put a bigger chamfer at the opening then staked the rear of the extractor and my problem went away. I since have sold the Thompson, but the new owner says it still runs like champ.

Edited June 9, 2016 by Orion