Without the proper equipment and knowledge, heat shrinking a plug or "annealing" steel are the quickest methods to ruin the metal, especially if you're working with higher carbon steels like 4130/4140. A mistake some make is to anneal or pre-heat their work by picking up the oxy-acytelene torch and applying heat. This also applies to heat shrink fitting a plug. This type of work should be done with an oven under certain controlled conditions. A Tempil chart is a good guide to understanding what happens to a piece of steel when it is heated. Steel undergoes molecular changes at temperature as low as 300 degrees F. I think most welding suppliers carry this chart.
I cold press the plugs into the barrels I make. If the plug is prepared properly, it will not gouge the barrel or liner and will have a tight seal.