You're not old-fashioned, Hommer, far from it.

When I was a kid the farmers I knew regarded cleaning guns as a ritual
like a priest washing his hands. A bristle brush was shunted up and down the
barrels from the wrong end a few times, sometimes even with a bit of oil that
claimed to do everything. Of course pitting resulted but people just thought
that was bad luck. When I started using humble aqueous solutions of Young's 303 as
a solvent on successive patches, blokes would look at each other as though I was nuts - and not because they were using something better.

I guess people had other things to soak up their time then, like washing dishes and
going to church.

By the way, how long have shooters been breaking in barrels? A serious reader of shooting mags as a kid, this is a concept I'd never heard of until recent years. Just when I thought non-corrosive primers and stainless barrels were going to lighten the load, we are charged with doing this. I suppose it makes sense but the makers who promote it could at least lap the barrels if smoothness is that important. Once cars had to be extensively run in - but not any more. We expect them to pretty much right when we get them. I do remember Mannlicher-Schoenauer claimed their barrels were easier to clean because of the rifling/finish, however.

Cheers
- Paul