Utilize a bronze wire brush for standard bore gun cleaning. When getting rid of copper, heavy lead fouling, or plastic shotgun wad fouling utilize a nylon brush with Shooters Choice or similar bore cleanser. (Shooters Choice is a powerful bore cleaner, will eat bronze brushes.)
Run the bronze brush through the bore once for every round fired. (I prefer Hoppes #9 solution for light cleanup.) If you’re sincere about the maintenance of your gun invest in a coated steel or brass cleaning rod. Aluminum rods are soft. They collect grit and particles that can scratch up the bore.
Wipe the rod off after every pass through the bore. Use a brass jag to push patches through the bore. Dragging a dirty patch in a slotted tip back through the bore isn’t what I call cleaning. Use a bore guide or brass “bumper” to protect the chamber or muzzle crown from equipment damage.
Clean the action with a blast of pressurized solvent such as Gun Scrubber by Birchwood Casey. It cleanses without leaving behind a residue. Oil gently! Oil draws in dirt! If you are able to see oil, you in all probability oiled too much! If you’re worried that you’ve oiled too much, try stacking away your gun with the barrel downwards. This will forbid oil or solution from oozing into the wooden stock. Strip clean about every 800 rounds or so. If you don’t know however and don’t have an owner’s manual, take the gun to a Gunsmith. It does not cost that very much. (It’s cheaper than having him substitute that spring that went flying into the recesses of your oh so clean garage or cellar work room.)
There’s a good deal more to good gun maintenance, but this information should put you in front of the game. Whether camping or Bigfoot hunting your going to need some form of protection for yourself and crew. If you going to use some type of revolver for safety remember to follow gun safety and keep your firearms well maintained!