So the long awaited new .308 cut rifled barrel from a major manufacturer of custom tubes finally arrived and ventured forth for it's first outing.

I will right here confess that I do believe in a through cleaning before and during the process. However, I forgot the aggressive cleaners and went with Shooter's Choice Copper remover. After five rounds I went to a 3 and clean because I had seen no trace of copper on the patches and after the barrel was wet, the patches were silky smooth.

After 11 rounds accuracy went to Hades, and so I cleaned again and shot five more with dismal results. It was at this point another shooter on the range offered some Butch's Bore Shine. The very first patch of Butch's was deep blue, I was not able to remove all the copper then and there...

Finally, here is the question: Now that the barrel is as clean as it can be. Would you begin the process of breakin as though it was an unfired barrel at this point. Total round count is now 30.

I've used some of the new foaming cleaners that will pull every bit of copper and carbon from a barrel. Some barrels have then acted like they've needed broken in again, usually the factory ones. My 2 McGowen barrels don't seem to need broken in again.

If the barrels as smooth as you say, it may not need it. If you want to start over again, try a foaming cleaner. I use the one offered by Gunslick. I've read where all the foaming cleaners are the same, actually made at the same place and just labeled with the various stickers of the different brands.

Thanks Slim, If I have to fight round three with this one I will foam it out. Right now the truck is loaded and after the dentist in the early AM I am off to the wind farm also called a range.

so come chat a while if you have time

Barrels can't count. Not the best ones.
As I understand it, the original idea behind "break in" was to sell more barrels. Be that as it may, the break in is supposed to be a smoothing process. If you've bought a custom barrel and it's been lapped, it ought to be smooth. Any final smoothing that you do whilst firing, it doesn't make any difference whether you do it in ones or fives or whatever as long as you don't let the barrel get so hot that you can't pick the rifle up by the barrel.
Shoot it until the accuracy falls off and then clean it. With a new barrel, I give it 500 strokes with JB Paste before I start firing.(yup, you read that right) and then use JB Paste a bit when I clean.
Butches Bore Shine is some good stuff. When I'm finished cleaning, I run a patch with brake cleaner on it thru the bore followed by a clean patch. Then a patch wet with Kroil followed by two dry patches. Then two fouling shots and I'm ready to fire for record.

If it is a hand lapped barrel, like my Lilja, then I never go through the break in process. If you use the JBs like stillbeeman does there is no need for break in because the JBs will polish the bore. I say, just shoot it at this point.

First 3 groups after four more shoot one and clean. Wind was 17 gusting to 35 today, so I think pretty fair.

No fouling after the last ten rounds. These were three different loads