Quote Originally Posted by sharpshooter View Post
If the case was stuck, he probably blowed a primer, which in turn would blow the extractor off the ball.
+1

I had this happen. I wiggled the bolt handle as it was stiff to open and it finally opened, the only thing I could imagine is that the extractor blew outward some but not all the way, releasing the ball and then fell back inward to be removed with the bolt as I pulled it rearward.