Take your time and understand what the parts are doing, and their relationship to one another. You need to understand this, because if the parts are reassembled incorrectly, the gun may not fire. It is possible to install the two levers so that they do not rise and release the firing pin safety (major point if the gun is used for CCW). I would suggest that any time you completely disassemble the weapon for whatever reason, you take it to the range for a function test before using it for defensive purposes. Not to scare you away from enjoying your 45, it is a very simple process and I would encourage anyone to understand the way their weapon functions. Just remember, that if you pull the trigger and nothing happens, look at the ammo. If no primer indent at all, and you have disassembled your weapon previously, take a look at the firing pin safety levers to make sure they are working correctly. A simple way to check this is: with the slide off, and holding the hammer to the rear, pull the trigger and see if the upper lever is rising above the frame next to the hammer. If it is rising, it should mean that this lever is going to rise and push up on the firing pin safety, releasing the firing pin to move forward. This is a good thing.
Again, I ramble. IMO do not avoid Colts because of the firing pin safety. You may be missing some of the best 45's they have built in years.
[This message has been edited by col132 (edited 10-25-2001).]