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I wish I had a real good answer to the question. All I have is a couple of observations, and an opinion.
Bought an 8mm Yugo a while back, and found that if copper fouled like mad, as well as having a black bore. I assume that since it was a military gun, nobody worried at all about barrel break in.
I scrubbed and scrubbed on that thing, with everything known to man, and always got black cleaning patches after scrubbing. Finally, I got it cleaned to the point that it quit copper fouling nearly as much.
My other experience was with a custom rifle. I shot, then cleaned for 10 rounds. Each time, I got less copper out. Then I cleaned after 3 rounds, and got progressively less copper out. When the amount of copper wasn't changing, I figured it was broken in.
I think what happens is that the little bumps scrape off copper, and copper starts to build on copper. The bump underneath is not exposed to being worn away, because it is protected by copper.
If the little steel bumps are exposed to each bullet, then they wear away, just as water will wear away stone.
I think that if you don't do at least a token break in, you'll never get the little copper catchers worn away. The net result is a barrel that copper fouls more rapidly. The point of break in is to make the comfortable cleaning interval longer, and to save work in the long run.
Some Ace Hardware stores sell a quart of "janitorial ammonia", which is the 10% solution, for less than $2. Mix that 50/50 with common household ammonia, which is 3%, and you've got your basic copper cleaner. Mix it 2/3 janitorial ammonia with 1/3 the thickest liquid soap you can find, and you essentially have Sweet's.
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