Extractor question

[Tom Flanigan]

The earlier Parker extractors had small cuts on the bottom face. I've always wondered what these were for. Later guns did not have this. I wish I could find my camera to show a picture of what I am talking about. It's probably packed away in a moving box.

[Kevin McCormack]

The small cuts were made in the bottom rim of the extractor to allow the firing pins to be gently pushed back into the face of the standing breech to prevent them from being broken off if caught by the sharp(er) edge of the extractor.

[Tom Flanigan]

Wow...thanks Kevin. I hope you saw my comment about the thunk of Parker ejectors being a more melodious sound than Fox ejectors. I still haven't forgiven you for going to the dark side and selling a certain Parker to help you do it. That was a gun to be kept for a lifetime, never sold. That was easily one of my favorite Parkers with an incredible provenance. So I feel compelled to poke at you from time to time. Our buddy Bill would have never sold that gun!

[ED J, MORGAN]

The reason the cuts were needed on the early guns is because the firing pins were not rebounding the type as found on the newer guns,

[Brian Dudley]

The non-rebounding hammers had a mechanism that would lift the hammers back with the top lever. So the clearance cuts in the extractor do little to nothing in this scenario. I think it was more of a secondary backup to prevent damage in case comething went wrong.