7.92mm Besa Extractors

[tombear]

Hi folks
Since I was going through my Besa stuff having found a buyer for the last two de-acs not including 4 minters in two sets of 2 gun spares kits there's 12 x 7.92mm extractors that I need to get shut of. Some of them have some age tarnish but to a numpty like me they all look unused. If I do a detailed photo of them from various angles could someone advise which ones worth reusing? If I remember right they were used in the 7.92 Brens and work with 7.62?

ATB

Tom

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[Peter Laidler]

Are you talking about 7.92mm BESA extractors or 7.92mm extractors for the L4 Brens? IMPORTANT POINT.

On the 7.62mm L4 Brens, not officially approved or even mentioned in the paperwork as I recall but they did come through attached to the 7.92mm breech blocks used in early conversions and as spare parts occasionally.

So long as they aren't chipped at the left and right top edges of the actual claw part, they'll be perfect regardless of any tarnishing.

The bits that WILL certainly catch you out are BESA extractors and stays. These are marked with a T for TANK. Not suitable in any Brens. Not a lot of people know that!

[tombear]

Bum! These are proper T marked Besa ones. Oh well, I suppose theres maybe collectors out there who may want them to go in kits.

Cheers Peter!

ATB

Tom

[Peter Laidler]

There's a warning there for others. If you have extractors marked with a letter T, they WILL damage the extractor way in the barrel. And if you are using a T marked (BESA) extractor stay it will tighten up as it feeds and jamb.

[tombear]

Just took some admitably poor pics of the two types of extractor stay to illustrate the above and can't see how to put them up from a ipad.

Also took some shots of the various extractors and can't put them up either. In the hope someone can, from left to right

Standard 7.62 extractor, clearly marked on the underside.

T marked extractor that has been machined on the face and had 7.62 put on the new face by electric pencil. Was someone being foolish?

Standard T marked Besa extractor

Standard T marked extractor with groove down rear, I assume from wear? Most of the ones I have are like this. They are so uniform and the rest of the part so unworn that at first I assumed that it was intentional.

Standard B marked .303 extractor.

So anyone up for me emailing the pics to them to put up?

ATB

Tom

[Kev G]

For Tom

[TactAdv]

Okay, having seen the pictures that KevG just posted......riddle me this: for the 7.92mm BESA, why would its' extractor need to be any different than, for say, ANY of the other "ZB-style" guns also in 7.92mm,,,,,a la the ZB vz26/30, or even the std Brens in "8mm" from Inglis??

The working surfaces, the contours and shapes that engage the cartridge are all the same, so why would the extractor bodies be so manifestly different??

-TomH

[Peter Laidler]

Beats me too Tom! Maybe it's all to do with the geometry of the belt feed breech block over the top feed magazine breech block. But they did cause confusion to Armourers.

Thanks Tom Bear and Kev G for their input.

[tombear]

No Worries. Mind it's all gone now, a nice man with a large pile of £20 notes came this morning and took my last two Besas and the accessories (less the two belts full of inert 7.92). He's restoring a Cromwell so the giant paperweights will be finally where they belong, on a British AFV.

ATB

Tom

[Brit plumber]

What was his name? I know a few Cromwell owners. Was it Eddie by chance?