After soaking the hammer and shaft, find a straight pin punch that fits inside the threaded hole on the tumbler. Support the backside of the lockplate on both sides of the tumbler, insert the pin punch until it bottoms out, and tap gently. I employed this procedure a few times with outstanding results and absolutely no damage to components. No prying was involved. With the lock plate supported from beneath and the hammer flat against the lockplate, the tumbler was allowed to drop when freed from the hammer. This worked well on my two 1870s vintage Lifters. I used a wooden mallet and tapped ever so lightly. Excessive force was NOT necessary. The definition of 'excessive' may be subjective, but believe me, I barely had to tap on the punch. Cheers!
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GMC(SW)-USN, Retired
'Earnest Will'
'Desert Shield'
'Desert Storm'
'Southern Watch'
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