I'm not a believer in seasoning modern steel barrels. A break-in sequence as with any rifle or a serious session with JB Bore Paste before initial shooting might go a long way toward smoothing the minor flaws in the bore and enhancing accuracy.
Clean it just as you would any new CF rifle for the initial cleaning. Be sure to put a quality anti-seize product on the threads of the breech plug.
Make sure all metal parts wear a thin layer of a good quality lube such as Rem-Oil or BreakFree CLP.
I always remove the extractor and leave it off mine, others leave it in as they think it serves a needed purpose. I've never had a primer seriously stuck in an Encore so would rather remove the extractor to ease breech plug removal. I carry a small pocket knife for those primers that might be a bit stubborn, but most come right out.
Before shooting, use an alcohol patch or two to swab the bore and remove any oils. Follow the wet patches with a few dry patches. Put a patch on a jag, run it down the bore, prime the rifle and shoot - pointing in a safe direction. The rod will most likely not exit the bore and you should then be able to inspect the burn hole on the patch to see if it is a nice, evenly distributed flame. Then proceed with loading and shooting.
