Doug, I think you're right about the metal barrel. Even with the tail cap removed, there was enough voltage to get the LED to glow. That isn't saying much as the LED will work with batteries that would have been considered dead in an incandescent flashlight. Also, neither of the other 2 house flashlights had corrosion and they're plastic with older batteries.

I had to deal with this problem before. My Wife's MiniMag's batteries corroded in place. I solved it by pulling the switch assy out of the lamp end and hitting the batteries with 1/4 drill stock until they came loose. I had to Dremel the residue out the barrel before I could get new batteries in.

If I can get the batteries out, I'll put in a waxpaper lining to prevent a reoccurrance. If I can't, the next light will be polymer.

Unfortunately, Maglite does not cover battery leakage:
http://www.maglite.com/faq_details.asp?faqProd=1AAA
Second paragraph down. Unfortunaley, the shipping costs to the battery manufacturer are the same as the replacement costs.

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Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane