Breaking in barrels...

Question
Rod,

 I just got a Remington 700 .223 with a bull barrel.  The gunsmith said to break in the barrel by shooting one, then cleaning it etc.  Wen is it ok to shoot 2 then clean, shoot three then clean and so on?
Thank you in advance for you help,
Sean

Answer
Sean,

Congratulations :) It's a great gun with out of the box accuracy that rivals the custom guns of 20 years or so ago. Here's the basic scheme that I adhere to:

1 round/clean, 10 shots.
2 rounds/clean, 10 shots.
3 rounds/clean, 15 shots.
5 rounds/clean, 20 shots.

And that's pretty much it. It's not important that you follow it to the letter, but the basic idea is sound, that idea being that you somewhat smooth out the barrel while preventing crud from accumulating as the steel is changing due to the heat.

With good handloads, decent optics, and sturdy rest and some practice, your gun has the capability to shoot 5 shot 1/3-1/2" groups at 100 yards. Good luck :) -Rod-