Since shooting reloads using Bullseye, my 1911 gets really dirty, especially around the extractor. Anyone who owns a 1911 knows how important it is to keep the tension of the extractor just right or else it creates all kinds of problems with feeding and ejection. Normally I spray some cleaner down the channel and wipe it out with a Q tip. After doing that today, I looked down and could see a bunch of stuck carbon deposits. Repeated the process several times and it was still there. Decided to try my .223 cleaning brush and it fit in the channel just fine. Ran it through a couple of times and then sprayed it and swabbed it out again. Clean as a whistle this time.

Carbon can build up in the channel and if it gets too bad, can increase the pressure on the extractor which in turn can create feeding and ejection issues. For all you 1911 owners out there, whenever you clean your gun, be sure not to neglect this often forgotten component. Doing a thorough cleaning by stripping down the slide can be the answer to many people's nightmares with these guns.

Always check your extractor tension after you do a strip and clean. You may inadvertently tweak the rod and throw off the tension. A simple drop on the floor or work bench can throw everything off.

I typically put a light coating of oil on the extractor rod to lubricate it and protect it from rusting. Then wipe it off to eliminate any excess where burn carbon can cling to and build up. All you need is to get oil into the pores of the metal and not having it dripping wet.

Hope this helps out any new or even older 1911 owners that have the typical headaches.