Good day to all of you! I've been having a few conversations and experiences lately that prompted me to create a post on the subject.
I'd like to offer a gentle reminder that the RimX actions and the totality of their design, is different than other actions in the rimfire spectrum. One of the primary differences is the extractor. The rigid extractor does not behave as other extractors. Namely, you can't single-load a RimX. This is to say, you can't manually put a round in the chamber, and then close the bolt. If you try this, and get a bit of cam over... you can massively damage your extractor. This is one common way we see damaged extractors. Obviously this can also happen by accident, if you short stroke the bolt or have mag heights improperly set. A round can get pushed up in front, and you can pound into the extractor.
Another way extractors get damaged is due to debris. A little rock or something getting stuck to cases which are riding around in magazines which have been dropped in the dirt. The wind blowing sand and elements into the action during shooting. etc.
Out of spec rims on ammunition can also cause extractors to be damaged. The bolt lugs/cam have tremendous power, and while you might not feel much... an oversized case rim can put too much strain on the extractor and crack it.
The extractors are essentially what "headspaces" these actions. Yes, the chamber dimensions and tenon does play into the reliable function of them... but the extractor is primarily responsible for holding the case against the bolt face, which is why these actions can produce such amazing ignition uniformity. However, when the extractors become damaged, all kinds of failures can happen. Failure to feed, failure to extract, failure to eject... and even failure to fire, due to the aforementioned headspace considerations. The damage to the extractor is not always super apparent to the naked eye. These parts are small, and magnification can aid greatly in seeing damage.
Here is a 17WSM extractor with approximately 6000 rounds on it.
The rifle wearing this extractor begin having light strikes and ignition issues. As you can see, the extractor is pretty tortured. This is no doubt due to the difficult conditions it was subjected to. 300+ round strings of fire, blowing dirt and debris, severe case blow by as evidenced by the carbon buildup, and massively out of spec ammunition which is common with the 17WSM. I replaced the extractor, and the rifle went back to 100% operation. I absolutely beat this rifle, so I made sure to order more extractors to have handy.
These fixed extractors are an outstanding design, and ensure the most reliable feeding, extraction, and ejection of any previous design I've tested. You basically can't have one not extract, if the rest of the rifle is built correctly. However, they can break. @Zermatt Arms has updated the material used in the extractors recently to help with this problem. Though that is no easy task, as a material that is strong, hard, yet not too brittle, but yet can be machined to the tolerances necessary... is a very tough thing to get right! The older material is gold/bronze colored as the one pictured above... or black. The new material is silver in color. That's the easiest way to tell them apart.
If you have an older material, you DO NOT need to replace yours. If your rifle is functioning fine, you may never have an issue. Don't be that guy that calls to get the new thing for free if you don't need it. If you do break yours, they have no issue sending out a free one. If yours is currently broken, give Zermatt a call and they will get you out a replacement. Send them a pic, and you'll get a new extractor. Though these extractors should be considered a wear item. After a few thousand rounds, it is reasonable to expect to need to replace them. If yours is not broken, you should give them a call to order extras! They are only $20... so you should order at least a couple extras, just in case you or a shooting buddy breaks an extractor at a match or something. Grab a tensioner with its spring and plunger, and maybe an additional firing pin tip while you're at it. What's the harm in having replacement parts for the items most likely to experience a problem? So far, I have had only a single customer with an extractor breakage. I have fired tens of thousands of rounds through many different RimX rifles... and I've only broken 2 extractors. So it isn't something that will need replaced often. Many of you may NEVER need to replace it. If you don't drive your truck, it might never need new brakes.
Bottom line, if your rifle is working perfectly for hundreds or thousands of rounds... then all of a sudden starts messing up; something likely broke. It might be the extractor, and you might have to look very close to see! It has some very small geometry that has to be just right to work correctly! If it happens, don't worry... Zermatt Arms has your back. Just give them a call and they'll fix you up.
I'd like to offer a gentle reminder that the RimX actions and the totality of their design, is different than other actions in the rimfire spectrum. One of the primary differences is the extractor. The rigid extractor does not behave as other extractors. Namely, you can't single-load a RimX. This is to say, you can't manually put a round in the chamber, and then close the bolt. If you try this, and get a bit of cam over... you can massively damage your extractor. This is one common way we see damaged extractors. Obviously this can also happen by accident, if you short stroke the bolt or have mag heights improperly set. A round can get pushed up in front, and you can pound into the extractor.
Another way extractors get damaged is due to debris. A little rock or something getting stuck to cases which are riding around in magazines which have been dropped in the dirt. The wind blowing sand and elements into the action during shooting. etc.
Out of spec rims on ammunition can also cause extractors to be damaged. The bolt lugs/cam have tremendous power, and while you might not feel much... an oversized case rim can put too much strain on the extractor and crack it.
The extractors are essentially what "headspaces" these actions. Yes, the chamber dimensions and tenon does play into the reliable function of them... but the extractor is primarily responsible for holding the case against the bolt face, which is why these actions can produce such amazing ignition uniformity. However, when the extractors become damaged, all kinds of failures can happen. Failure to feed, failure to extract, failure to eject... and even failure to fire, due to the aforementioned headspace considerations. The damage to the extractor is not always super apparent to the naked eye. These parts are small, and magnification can aid greatly in seeing damage.
Here is a 17WSM extractor with approximately 6000 rounds on it.
The rifle wearing this extractor begin having light strikes and ignition issues. As you can see, the extractor is pretty tortured. This is no doubt due to the difficult conditions it was subjected to. 300+ round strings of fire, blowing dirt and debris, severe case blow by as evidenced by the carbon buildup, and massively out of spec ammunition which is common with the 17WSM. I replaced the extractor, and the rifle went back to 100% operation. I absolutely beat this rifle, so I made sure to order more extractors to have handy.
These fixed extractors are an outstanding design, and ensure the most reliable feeding, extraction, and ejection of any previous design I've tested. You basically can't have one not extract, if the rest of the rifle is built correctly. However, they can break. @Zermatt Arms has updated the material used in the extractors recently to help with this problem. Though that is no easy task, as a material that is strong, hard, yet not too brittle, but yet can be machined to the tolerances necessary... is a very tough thing to get right! The older material is gold/bronze colored as the one pictured above... or black. The new material is silver in color. That's the easiest way to tell them apart.
If you have an older material, you DO NOT need to replace yours. If your rifle is functioning fine, you may never have an issue. Don't be that guy that calls to get the new thing for free if you don't need it. If you do break yours, they have no issue sending out a free one. If yours is currently broken, give Zermatt a call and they will get you out a replacement. Send them a pic, and you'll get a new extractor. Though these extractors should be considered a wear item. After a few thousand rounds, it is reasonable to expect to need to replace them. If yours is not broken, you should give them a call to order extras! They are only $20... so you should order at least a couple extras, just in case you or a shooting buddy breaks an extractor at a match or something. Grab a tensioner with its spring and plunger, and maybe an additional firing pin tip while you're at it. What's the harm in having replacement parts for the items most likely to experience a problem? So far, I have had only a single customer with an extractor breakage. I have fired tens of thousands of rounds through many different RimX rifles... and I've only broken 2 extractors. So it isn't something that will need replaced often. Many of you may NEVER need to replace it. If you don't drive your truck, it might never need new brakes.
Bottom line, if your rifle is working perfectly for hundreds or thousands of rounds... then all of a sudden starts messing up; something likely broke. It might be the extractor, and you might have to look very close to see! It has some very small geometry that has to be just right to work correctly! If it happens, don't worry... Zermatt Arms has your back. Just give them a call and they'll fix you up.
