I just ask the 'smith if he has a preference anymore. I'm far from a benchrest shooter, so it would probably never matter, realistically, to my rifles and shooting ability.
I only use 2 smiths now, one being Shaen and the other local. Local smith is no fan of 5s for some reason, says he prefers 4 or 6...has built a lot of winning BR rifles.
I've had 2 custom barrels that didn't shoot to my liking, one being a 3 groove and the other a 5. Seriously doubt that had a thing to do with it though.
I personally don't even think about it anymore.
