For a barrel on a rifle that is used for game, where only a few shots are fired on any given hunt, I think that a barrel that fouls out at low round count is more of an annoyance than a problem. On a varmint rifle, or one that is used for recreational shooting, I think that it is a prescription for a new barrel, hopefully one that was lapped during manufacturing. To save elbow grease and time when dealing with rough barrels, I have found that Wipe Out bore cleaning foam is very useful. One can fill the bore with foam, let it sit, patch it out and go again, without much effort. Typically I leave it in over night, with no problems. In the past, I have read credible accounts of fire lapping. The results were reported to be a lengthening of the throat. in some cases to the point that loads that touched the rifling were no longer an option. Cleaning was made considerably easier, and accuracy was about the same, although in no case, that I can recall, was it in the half inch category. I think that I would sell a rifle that had the sort of barrel that made me contemplate fire lapping. From what I have seen, at the range, during the deer hunting sighting in ritual, most hunters, who are not rifle hobbyists, would scarcely know the difference.
