My ace Ruger 'smith pal Ric and I had just finished several hours work on my new/used Ruger 22/45 (see earlier post) when he picked up the bolt, which we hadn't touched at all, and exclaimed "Hey- where's the extractor?" Sure enough, there was an empty slot where the extractor should have been. Now this is not a part that can pop out accidentally. To remove it properly you have to (1) remove the recoil spring assembly (2) remove the bolt stop pin (3) lift out the firing pin (4) pull the extractor spring back with a dental pick or some other small tool that can be slipped in, and (5) rotate out the extractor with a tiny pliers or magnet. It's a two-handed operation, and even then it's not easy.
We'd also found evidence that the gun had been worked on before (file marks on the hammer and sear) all of which pointed to the fact that this gun came from Cabelas missing the extractor. The replacement parts are not expensive- $2.49 for the extractor, $1.99 for the spring, and I think $1.49 for the pin. I immediately ordered replacements from Midway (along with some other items I'm been meaning to get) and sent a polite email to Cabelas suggesting that they might consider compensating me for this expense ($6.97). I received a reply just ten minutes later suggesting that I contact the store where I bought the gun. It's not quite what I wanted, but it seemed reasonable. I'll phone them tomorrow and report back on what they say.
Update: I phoned Cabelas and spoke to the Firearms department. A fellow there said they'd buy it back, or send it to Ruger for repair. Seemed very reasonable, but I noted that I'd already invested time and money in customization, it's a 120 mile round trip, and most if all, the parts arrived today and I'd already fixed it! They switched me to the Gun Library, where I laid out my story again. They asked me to send copies of my receipts for the parts and the purchase of the pistol, and on receipt of those they'd take care of me. I thought that was very reasonable.
I sent a letter off to Cabelas the attention of Gun Library with the requested information this morning (4/18/12). Assuming they receive it at the Gun Library by Friday at the latest, I should hear from them early next week.
Update: I just (4/27) received an envelope from Cabelas containing a register receipt dated 4/25 showing a refund for the parts I had to replace, along with an indication that a Corporate Check would be mailed within 30 days. Assuming the received my letter and documents last Friday, they managed to process it, make a decision, and mail a reply in only three days. I'll report here again when the check arrives.
Final Update: The check arrived today (5/12), just over two weeks after the date of the last letter. Again, reasonably responsive for a big company, and they processed the refund with no questions or difficulty.
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