Now I know why I got this gun for free......

[yorketransport]

I guess it wasn't really free, but a guy gave me a Winchester Model 70 Black Shadow (the controlled round push feed model) in 7mm WSM to cover part of a debt a while back. The only catch when I got it was that the extractor plunger was stuck down, so there's no functional extractor. No problem right? I'll soak it in Kroil and give it a couple of good whacks on a wood block and it should pop right out.

I finally got around to giving it a once over a few days ago and I'm starting to realize that it may not be as simple as I thought it would be! After popping the extractor off I could tell that the original owner did try at to fix it by drilling out the old plunger (albeit with the wrong size drill bit) but didn't have any luck. I tried all the usual methods of soaking it with Kroil, applying a little heat (with a heat gun), throwing it in the freezer and various combinations of those methods. Still no luck.

It looks like I'll have to break down and have somebody mill it out, unless somebody has a better idea. I though about just picking up a small end mill and giving it a go in my drill press but I'm not sure how well that would work.

[JimmyHoffa]

ultrasonic cleaner?

[wadu1]

Soake it in CRC  Brakleen Brake Parts Cleaner for a day or two. Lower viscosity than what you are using. 

[Fl0und3rz]

Dremel with a tiny abrasive tip or carbide cutter?

[Yondering]

I though about just picking up a small end mill and giving it a go in my drill press but I'm not sure how well that would work.

Don't do that, it's almost guaranteed you'll mess up the hole worse than it already is, and probably break the end mill too. End mills aren't self centering like drill bits, you need the rigid support of a mill to hold it in place. (Spoken from ~20 years of machining experience, not just an internet "expert".)

[BULLBLASTER]

I worked on a savage with a stuck plunger and we used hammers and punches and picks to free it. It had a burr on the side inhibiting it’s movement. I think I would try a drill bit smaller than the plunger and see if you could get it to bite. Then move to a easy out?

Is there any movement with it? Will it wiggle at all with a punch?

[b23]

How does that saying go, something about there's nothing free about something free... 

[bullfisher]

Yorke, I've had good luck with my brass tumbler when my sonic cleaner isn't big enough. A jar of kroil secured on top of your tumbler for a couple hours will do some magical stuff.

[yorketransport]

Don't do that, it's almost guaranteed you'll mess up the hole worse than it already is, and probably break the end mill too. End mills aren't self centering like drill bits, you need the rigid support of a mill to hold it in place. (Spoken from ~20 years of machining experience, not just an internet "expert".)

That was my concern. Trying to get the bolt secured well enough to get anything done would be a huge hassle.

Yorke, I've had good luck with my brass tumbler when my sonic cleaner isn't big enough. A jar of kroil secured on top of your tumbler for a couple hours will do some magical stuff.

That's an interesting idea, combine the Kroil with the vibrations from a tumbler.

How does that saying go, something about there's nothing free about something free... 

That's the truth!! I actually just wrote off the debt as a "gift" to the guy since I knew he didn't have resources to pay me back any time soon. The value of the rifle is a small percentage of the total debt and I think he gave it to me knowing that I'd just end up using it as a donor for some project that was just going to cost me more money. I got set up from the start!

[Jpmiller]

I like a good "getting something unstuck" story. I usually end up at the torch but I don't think that's a good option here. Good luck to you!