Did you check if the ejector rod was loose? Wondering if this was the problem. John sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered for cases of S&W guns that need an experienced smith, but if all you've got is a loose extractor rod, I would think you'd "fix" that yourself instead of engaging a gunsmith.
If it turns out that the cause of this is not a loose ejector rod, please do post a follow-up with what John does to fix it. It's posts like this that become the most interesting and informative ones on this board as they provide some advice that the rest of us may actually end up getting to employ ourselves some day.
Thanks,