My FreeFlow has had a slider on in from day one, and I'll never take it off. And while I do think that most hinges are bulky and ugly as hell, I do like the CCM.
I feel like the reason for the resurrection was to make playing fun again and to maintain the basics of what makes auto cockers great, I wouldn't mind to have an option for both types of frames.
It is a slippery slope though. If we start putting hinges on then how long will it be before some monkey finds a way to bolt a Worr Blade to one...
As for the springs I just used a mad man spring kit and played around with the return spring until I found one I liked.
The trigger is perfect for the auto cocker novice out of the box. I just felt it was a little firm for me once the gun was aired up.