I read the review and watched the videos. I bought one of these, the blued version, from a fellow shooter a couple of years ago. He bought it and couldn't make it fire reliably. It appeared immaculate when I handed him the $...disassembled and found a glob of lube blocking the touch hole. With the coned breech plug in place, a cleaning jag can't get to the touch hole, let alone past it.
IMO, the coned plug is only there to make the shooting of pelletized powder possible. With BP the cone does nothing positive, and results in a negative soon enough.
I shot the FS (24" barrel) with the breech plug in its original state, and then again AFTER I had ground it flat. I can't tell you that there was a change in ignition speed, but wiping between shots no longer pushed fouling to where it would hinder ignition. The breech plug is removable, so complete cleaning is easy, and replacement breech plugs were available at that time.
The trigger was at least acceptable, as I recall. I own rifles with single triggers as well as DST, and actually prefer a single for hunting. I never use the set on my .62 Jaeger as the front trigger produces a nice pull.
I recall the lock working well despite the cut "flint" (agate?). Black English made it work better, but it fired reliably.
As untraditional as they are, they work, and can be reliable. Ergonomically, I give them high marks. The stock is slender, but well shaped, and the (narrow)rubber buttpad is kind to the shoulder. I didn't care for the 3 dot fiber optic sights, but they can be changed. IMO, green in the front is easier to see vs the red supplied. Removing the rear sight and installing the hunting tang sight designed for the New Englander increases the sight radius considerably. The short barrel makes handling in brushy areas, tree stands, blinds, and vehicle very easy.
Some of my comments are in the past tense. I used it for trade bait to get a rifle that I wanted back from a friend.
I don't see the Firestorm (or any sidelock) listed on TC's website any longer.
