Hmm sounds like you released the spring tension(fired) and now it wont reinstall in the rifle? If you did that you will have to recock it by hand.

Before you do anything next time, bolt the rifle then flip the safety so it stick straight up then take the bolt out. It will unscrew now without releasing the tension.

Quoted: no, that's not it.  The extractor rotates around the bolt cylinder, and is supposed to be removed by rotating it past the last lug and then pushing it forward.  Mine will not rotate past the lug. steps 9 and 10 on this page www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/mauserboltdisassembly/index.asp Mine will rotate until it sits on top of the front lug in picture 9 and will not go any farther

MRW, I know exactly what you're talking about.  That is the single hardest part of the disassembly to do.  I gently lifted the extractor with a flathead screwdriver to get it to clear that spot you're talking about and then rotated it the rest of the way.  It worked for me but I'm not sure if it was the correct way to do it.

I'm not the Mauser expert but I've never heard of using a hammer in any part of a Mauser extractor removal.

Dennis Jenkins

Quoted: thanks, I tried that.  I can get the extractor head completely clear of the groove in the bolt body, and even twist it a bit so that the extractor's axis is not in line with the bolt body axis.  The problem seems to be that the ring with the lug that the extractor attaches to will not rotate past a certain point.  I could take a hammer to it to try to break it free...  but I really don't NEED to take it off...  just wondering if this was common with an M48 bolt or I've got a sticky one.

I also took a small screwdriver to kind of lift it out of the groove.
Once its clear of the groove, the extractor and the bolt bodies' axies are in line.  As in picture 9 in the link.  A forward push should remove it from the ring. A tap from the back end of the screwdriver may help but it shouldn't be hard.
If you look at picture 11 you will see the "ears" on the ring that engage the lug on the bottom of the extractor.  They are spring loaded and will take a little oomph to disengage.  
Getting it back together is even harder!  What a pain in the ass that was.  But like you I just had to take it all apart.  I'm just like that i guess