Installed the Apex AET (had previously installed their spring kit) and what a difference it makes. Had to do some filing, but don't let that dissuade you. That's kind of like getting in your truck and moving the seat back after someone else drives it. No big deal. Here are several pointers re putting it all back together in conjunction with the Apex video: with your parts waiting to go back in, don't hold the gun in your hand. Put it in a vise. Put some duct tape on the vise edges and have it hold your gun lightly on the grip. Just enough pressure to hold it in place. Next, install the slide stop lever. With it in place, get some masking tape and secure it with a strip of tape from the mag well, up & over the slide stop, and down the frame/grip. Drop in your parts. As you're lining things up and inserting the Apex slave pin, take a small flat screwdriver and push up slightly underneath the slide stop lever inside the frame at a point furthest forward. Also, with a spare finger, keep downward pressure on the locking insert. This will best align the hole so that the slave pin will go through it. Now with the slave pin fully in place, take the trigger housing pin and insert it. It will back out the slave pin as it goes in.

+1 for good tips for a IRL situation

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Fugitive Recovery Agent

I didn't hold the striker block down when I removed the striker. Now I can't get the striker block out. Does anyone have an idea how to get it out? (Apex spring kit on SD40VE)

Turns out the bottom of the pin skewed out slightly, just had to align it straight and it falls right out.

You need a 1/16 roll pin punch to drive the roll pin that holds the extractor out. It is not nessesary to drive it all the way out just enough to take the extractor out. You can tape the extractor to the slide prior to doing that or just hold it to make sure it doesn't "jump" out. Check out Apex's video on youtube for the process.