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Pistol Anatomy - Ejection Port

Image of Bryan Hill, Founder of Pistol Wizard Bryan Hill / December 08 2021

Ejection port on a Glock 19
If your pistol is jamming, you may want to check out the ejection port and extractor. Learn how a pistol extractor works, how to remove one, and how often to clean and maintain a pistol extractor to keep your gun from jamming.

How a Pistol Extractor Works

When you fire a loaded pistol, the casingcomes out the ejection port.
Next to the ejection port is the extractor, a spring-loaded piece that strips the casing out the pistol. If it doesn't work right, your gun will jam.

What Makes a Good Ejection Port?

  • Reliability. Casings from the same ammo type should eject the same way every time. They should eject out 6-8 ft from you.
  • Easy to clean. If your pistol starts ejecting differently after a few thousand rounds, it's time to clean the ejector. That should be quick and easy to do.
  • Compensator compatibility. Some extractors are tied to the recoil spring.For compensators that reduce recoilby more than 30-35%, you must change the recoil springs to keep the gun from jamming. On striker-fired pistols like Glocks, if you make the recoil spring too light, you must also change the extractor spring, or the gun will jam.

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