I don't think this happened by accident. You will probably go through all the work to repair it, and find, once the gun is back together, that you have recreated the original problem, and wasted a ton of time in the process. I'd just be very careful when I reinstalled the plug, and leave sleeping dogs alone.
The only way I would mess with this, is if the lock is a back action lock, that depends on the cross bolt, and the snail/drum contact, to limit the upward movement of the lock.
Hungry Horse