Over the years, I have used every tool made for removing 1911 grip screw bushings. They all work with varying degrees of success, depending on how stinking tight the bushings were stuck in the frame. If they were mechanically staked, like Colt does, you have a potential problem on your hands. Same if they've been loctited in place.
Of course, you start with the old style bushing driver and pretty quickly, you strip out the slots. Then you try grabbing it with vise grips and maybe cut a nice scratch into the side of your frame. Or you collapse it and the bushing breaks off flush with the frame. You have just waded off into deep doo-doo. I would try an EZ-Out next, which I have been pretty lucky with. Still, the staked in bushings can be just about like they were welded in.
Enter the Challis Extractor. The Extractor is now the first tool that I grab when I need to remove grip screw bushings. It is made from heat treated steel with dimensions held to the close side of tolerances, so it is a snug fit in the bushings slots. But the real genius of the design is that you use one of your grip screws to lock the Extractor's head to your grip screw bushing. When you tighten the screw snugly, the Extractor can't slip out of the slots like the old-style bushing drivers would. Once you have the Extractor locked to the bushing, you slip in the handle and apply counter-clockwise torque until the bushing breaks free.
Remove the screw and the old bushing comes free from the Extractor head. Of course, when you are dealing with tiny threads holding small fastners together, there are no abosolutes. You can still have a bushing stuck so tightly that it can wring off flush with the frame and you are back to drilling it out, or taking your chance with an EZ-Out. But the Extractor works on 99% of bushings that have undamaged slots.
I was really impressed with this tool and thought it find a welcome place with you guys too. It is made in two configurations - Standard and SlimLine. There is one of each in my tool box now and the risk of me scratching up someone's frame just went way down!
Extractor comes with one Extractor head and one handle
