Seeing that you stated.. "I owned a cva Optima" I am guessing that you no longer do. The issue of the barrels while it bothers some do not seem to concern others, so it is all a matter of choice.

All I have "read" from Sidekick owners are, they are good shooters out of the box, excellent triggers, but the ramrods stink. Are the barrels better then the BPI? Some might say yes, some will say no, I will say, I really do not have the expertise to say one way or the other.

I personally do like the looks of the Sidekick. Of course I was raised with a H&R single shot shotgun which looks identical to the Sidekick. It was fast to the shoulder, easy to carry all day, and just a nice little gun. If I were inclined to purchase a low cost break open muzzleloader, I would probably go that route or the Omega Z5.