i commend you for taking the time to put all of this together. it was a great read and one of the most enjoyable threads ive read in a long time. but with that being said... theres no way you can retire the barrel without cleaning it and running a few groups through it for shits and giigles. hell do it for science if it makes you feel better.
ive always felt like my barrels shot better with copper and fowl down them. i always tried to stay away from cleaning them until it told me to do so. and ive always been condemned for it. really enjoyed the read. thanks.