SUCCESS! I put a couple of drops of penetrating oil under the trip pin as Jerry suggested and pushed down. The trip still would not go down, so I tried to rotate it by gently prying with a screwdriver. It did rotate just a bit but still would not depress. Then, I very gently tapped it with a punch. That did it. After about three taps the trip depressed and the top lever suddenly snapped into place. I put a drop of spindle oil under the trip and the gun works as it should.
I still don't know what was barring the trip pin. Might still be a good idea to have a smith take a look at it and clean the action thoruoughly.
Sorry for all the drama.
Brad Kuhn
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