Doing it on a hard surface you may have to go into reverse or for a second, the driveline on a hard pack surface when in 4x4 has a certain amount of binding so the actuator wont be enough to disengage, you have to create a bit of slack in the driveline for it to pop out, that would be normal, same thing happens in trucks. I usually give a tap on the gas and let off when I disengage, if it doesn't work I will put it in reverse. The diff lock will engage and disengage pretty easily by just turning the steering wheel.