You must never have cleaned it the way Western has advised on their website if only a needle fits. The T/C plug flash channels are 1/8". Shoving a torch tip through the fire hole erodes the hole that much faster. A simple piece of smooth wire is all that is needed for the flash hole. The flash hole grows each shot because of erosion. The flash channel shrinks because of carbon build up............Dont confuse the 2.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]