Because it's 'hammer-forged' it would have to be stress relieved. Remington had been doing theirs four times, I read somewhere. Ruger is probably doing just as many, if not more. A button-rifled barrel might not need as much, but the Lilja website might tell you more about that.
A Ruger is not just a rifle or a handgun, in my opinion. A Ruger is oftentimes a work of art! I've worked with a number of their rifles, and a few of their revolvers. They clean up well after being shot, with no problem whatsoever cleaning the metal fouling out of their stainless steel bores. It's amazing from what I've seen, with even the brand new ones cleaning up Easily. That tells me that they are SSSmmmoooooth when they're done being rifled. That's a nice bit of attention to quality that I sincerely appreciate. I'd recommend a Ruger to anyone.
Take care.
SS'
