Quoted:
If you are like me and promptly threw away that little tool it came with because you didnt know what it was, you can use the shell of a bic pen to put it back together, saving you hours of frustration.

Quoted:


I'm guessing you are talking about the little rod that acts as an extension to the guide rod, easing getting the main spring compressed far enough to get the slide over the rod.

I lost mine to. I usually just compress the spring onto the rod, insert the rod through the slide, hold the end of the rod poking through the slide, put the slide over the barrel and let the rod slide back into it's recess in the frame. It takes a little practice, but it's pretty easy once you've done it a few times.