diff --git a/pkg/features/kube_features.go b/pkg/features/kube_features.go
index 362acbf173f..de0b0a648e2 100644
--- a/pkg/features/kube_features.go
+++ b/pkg/features/kube_features.go
@@ -975,7 +975,7 @@ var defaultKubernetesFeatureGates = map[featuregate.Feature]featuregate.FeatureS
 
 	MinDomainsInPodTopologySpread: {Default: true, PreRelease: featuregate.Beta},
 
-	MinimizeIPTablesRestore: {Default: true, PreRelease: featuregate.Beta},
+	MinimizeIPTablesRestore: {Default: true, PreRelease: featuregate.GA, LockToDefault: true}, // remove in 1.30
 
 	MultiCIDRRangeAllocator: {Default: false, PreRelease: featuregate.Alpha},
 
diff --git a/pkg/proxy/iptables/proxier.go b/pkg/proxy/iptables/proxier.go
index 69bd034e9bf..68f259c0e6a 100644
--- a/pkg/proxy/iptables/proxier.go
+++ b/pkg/proxy/iptables/proxier.go
@@ -38,11 +38,9 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/sets"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
-	utilfeature "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/feature"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/events"
 	utilsysctl "k8s.io/component-helpers/node/util/sysctl"
 	"k8s.io/klog/v2"
-	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/features"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/proxy"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/proxy/conntrack"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/proxy/healthcheck"
@@ -779,7 +777,9 @@ func (proxier *Proxier) syncProxyRules() {
 		return
 	}
 
-	tryPartialSync := !proxier.needFullSync && utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate.Enabled(features.MinimizeIPTablesRestore)
+	// The value of proxier.needFullSync may change before the defer funcs run, so
+	// we need to keep track of whether it was set at the *start* of the sync.
+	tryPartialSync := !proxier.needFullSync
 
 	// Keep track of how long syncs take.
 	start := time.Now()
diff --git a/pkg/proxy/iptables/proxier_test.go b/pkg/proxy/iptables/proxier_test.go
index 4a52e60e54b..328edf8efba 100644
--- a/pkg/proxy/iptables/proxier_test.go
+++ b/pkg/proxy/iptables/proxier_test.go
@@ -38,11 +38,8 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/intstr"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/sets"
-	utilfeature "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/feature"
-	featuregatetesting "k8s.io/component-base/featuregate/testing"
 	"k8s.io/component-base/metrics/testutil"
 	"k8s.io/klog/v2"
-	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/features"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/proxy"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/proxy/conntrack"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/proxy/metrics"
@@ -7420,8 +7417,6 @@ func countEndpointsAndComments(iptablesData string, matchEndpoint string) (strin
 }
 
 func TestSyncProxyRulesLargeClusterMode(t *testing.T) {
-	defer featuregatetesting.SetFeatureGateDuringTest(t, utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate, features.MinimizeIPTablesRestore, true)()
-
 	ipt := iptablestest.NewFake()
 	fp := NewFakeProxier(ipt)
 	fp.masqueradeAll = true
@@ -7609,8 +7604,6 @@ func TestSyncProxyRulesLargeClusterMode(t *testing.T) {
 
 // Test calling syncProxyRules() multiple times with various changes
 func TestSyncProxyRulesRepeated(t *testing.T) {
-	defer featuregatetesting.SetFeatureGateDuringTest(t, utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate, features.MinimizeIPTablesRestore, true)()
-
 	ipt := iptablestest.NewFake()
 	fp := NewFakeProxier(ipt)
 	metrics.RegisterMetrics()
diff --git a/pkg/proxy/metrics/metrics.go b/pkg/proxy/metrics/metrics.go
index 5f36ec26bfd..b725584c8e7 100644
--- a/pkg/proxy/metrics/metrics.go
+++ b/pkg/proxy/metrics/metrics.go
@@ -27,9 +27,8 @@ import (
 const kubeProxySubsystem = "kubeproxy"
 
 var (
-	// SyncProxyRulesLatency is the latency of one round of kube-proxy syncing proxy rules.
-	// (With the iptables proxy, if MinimizeIPTablesRestore is enabled, this includes both
-	// full and partial syncs.)
+	// SyncProxyRulesLatency is the latency of one round of kube-proxy syncing proxy
+	// rules. (With the iptables proxy, this includes both full and partial syncs.)
 	SyncProxyRulesLatency = metrics.NewHistogram(
 		&metrics.HistogramOpts{
 			Subsystem:      kubeProxySubsystem,
@@ -40,8 +39,7 @@ var (
 		},
 	)
 
-	// SyncFullProxyRulesLatency is the latency of one round of full rule syncing, when
-	// MinimizeIPTablesRestore is enabled.
+	// SyncFullProxyRulesLatency is the latency of one round of full rule syncing.
 	SyncFullProxyRulesLatency = metrics.NewHistogram(
 		&metrics.HistogramOpts{
 			Subsystem:      kubeProxySubsystem,
@@ -52,8 +50,7 @@ var (
 		},
 	)
 
-	// SyncPartialProxyRulesLatency is the latency of one round of partial rule syncing, when
-	// MinimizeIPTablesRestore is enabled.
+	// SyncPartialProxyRulesLatency is the latency of one round of partial rule syncing.
 	SyncPartialProxyRulesLatency = metrics.NewHistogram(
 		&metrics.HistogramOpts{
 			Subsystem:      kubeProxySubsystem,