Glad you got it off with no damage. Mowernut, well done - you got there quickly, and with no destructive side-trips.
I'd still like to know what the purpose of the screwdriver slots is, and why on earth they would make a device that is bored to a blind end, and then has a keyway hobbed down to the blind end,for no apparent reason. However, that part of it isn't a Briggs part, it was some unknown mower firm.
Small pullers are for small jobs. I have a little puller, but I only use it where there isn't room for a big one. The whole idea of a puller is to apply massive rigidity and massive forces; big strong ones usually do less damage to the parts than little feeble ones. Of course you also need to have both two and three jawed hubs to be able to do a normal range of jobs.
