Take-down, lube, and cleaning of my 87 Target is a snap. So is reassembly, except for one step: Getting the recoil spring guide rod to go into the hole at the very front of the slide. Sometimes I'd have to try 20 times before it would condescend to go in.

Finally I became sufficiently annoyed to try a fix. I used my bench stone to put a circumferential 45 degree bevel on the front end of the guide rod. That fixed the problem!

My method: Holding the guide rod at a 45 degree angle, I drew it down the length of the stone, while simultaneously rotating it. Many passes, applying only light pressure.

So happy with the result! The bevel looks like it was done by a master machinist -- which I'm not!