I don't know if I trust the black plastic bristle brushes my gunsmith sold to me with the rifle. I bought a 20ga. bore brush and use it lightly. It feels like there's a bit more abbrasion than the plastic brushes sold by CVA. Bottom line, it's a cheap rifle anyway, so I'm not too worried about scrathing the finish or threads. But used carefully, I still never scratched anything. The plug is cleaned the same way as you described. Only I use a parts cleaner for auto brakes because there's no oil in it. ( also does a kick a$$ job on dirty/stained clothes!) I can't remember the name of the stuff though. Finally, I coat the plug with CVA breechplug lube and wrap it in
teflon tape. If you don't put the greese, use the high heat (pink) tape. Otherwise the regular $0.99 tape w/grease is fine for up to thirty shots before I check if the plug is ceased. By the way I don't use T7 powder or I'd check it every fifteen shots.