Extractor malfunction?

[Gr8Bndini]

I hope this is the right place for this, mods if I'm wrong please remove and my apologies in advance

Well, I own a S&W model 539 that was recently restored by S&W, along with the restoration I had them test fire it to make sure all was well.
Upon its return I took it to the range and after about 4 or 5 rounds it wouldn't eject the casing anymore. Upon insection I noticed that the extractor moves back and forth pretty freely upon comparing it to my other semiautomatic firearm which is fairly stiff.

Is it possible that the spring is worn, or is it supposed to move as freely as it does?
Thanks so much for any help and guidance!

 

[gmborkovic]

Fill me in on what a factory restoration entails. thanks

 

[Gr8Bndini]

They bead blasted, polished and re-blued

 

[CB3]

To refinish the gun, they most likely stripped the slide of all parts. It sounds like upon reassembly the 'smith forgot to install an extractor spring. Call them.

 

[Sevens]

It definitely sounds like your extractor spring is tired.

Big question here as you are asking about the 539 -- some of the early ones used a very short lived different extractor than the hundreds of thousands of S&W 1-2-3rd Gens that used the standard extractor.

Look at the pistol shown in this discussion:
439 / 459 with short fat extractors
Does your 539 have an extractor that looks like that one?
If the answer is yes... then I honestly don't know what extractor spring that variation uses. Some great folks on this forum will have the answers you need, but that is out of my area of experience.

However, if your 539's extractor looks like the ones in post #1 here:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...59-better-pictures.html?475718=#post139093052
...then a replacement extractor spring is simple, easy, fast and low cost too! Wolff Gun Springs has them.

https://www.gunsprings.com/SMITH & WESSON/NUMBERED SERIES/cID1/mID58/dID261#901
$3.49 and they will ship fast and cheaply also. We can walk you through replacement of the extractor spring.

 

[Sevens]

ARRRGH!

Just saw your pics in the other thread and indeed, you have the much more scarce short extractor.

 

[jsbethel]

S&W part number 063840000 - there may be one out there somewhere.