Yep, very common problem. The only true solution is to disassemble the drop target and clean every part. There is almost always black gunk that has gotten sticky/tacky over 30 years causing the target to drop slowly. I just put in new parts since they are so cheap. The manual gives a good exploded view of the drop target so you know how to disassemble and reassemble all the pieces. The drop target will work very smoothly afterwards.