I always hunt with a cold, lightly fouled barrel, when possible. I don't believe the "cold" part of the equation causes much trouble. It's the "clean" part, because clean barrels often aren't. Depending on who's doing the maintenance, there can be a lot of leftover solvent, oil, etc. in the barrel, and that's where some come to grief.
If you're fixin' to put a hole in something, make it a hole to remember.
