Can somebody point me to some information for a brand-new AR-15 owner to properly break-in a rifle?  I'm getting a Bushmaster M4-style with superlight barrel.  This is my first rifle, period.  I don't want to do anything to mess it up.

Thanks in advance.

The superlight is a chrome lined barrel.  The proper break-in procedure for a chrome lined barrel is to shoot two or three hundred rounds through it and then clean.  That's it.

Actually, you should clean it once before you even shoot it. 1) to make sure nothing is where it's suposed to be (ie something left in the barrel during shippingg) and 2) just to make you familiar with the rifle while it's still clean.

If this is your very first rifle, ask the guy at the store you buy if from to break the rifle down and put it back to gether for you.  If you see it done once, it'll make more sence when you try and do it.

Other than that, load her up and shoot away.

i usually like something where it's supposed to be, or nothing where it's not supposed to be, but nothing where it's supposed to be sounds like trouble......[;)]

I really hate to say it, but with the firearms shoppes around here, the last thing I would want any of the counter help to do is take my rifle apart.[:)]

Thanks for the feedback.  My first firearm was a Glock pistol.  I understand that's about the easiest weapon to break down and clean that there is.  At least with the AR there are lots of good written references about how to do it.  Doing it once while its clean (or to make sure its clean) is also a good idea.  I didn't spend much time checking out the Glock to see what it was supposed to look like clean so I never knew if I was doing a good job cleaning or not.  Good thing it was a Glock and it didn't care! ;)