Well I am one of them that does put the revolver into water. I purchased a nylon brush for cleaning .45 caliber pistols at a gun shop.

I then take the revolver apart. I then pull the cylinder nipples and put them in a jar with soap and water. Then I get my dishwater going (hot using rubber dishwater gloves) and that little brush. It will clean an nine inch barrel. Now with my brush I scrub the barrel and all the cylinders. I also take the small nipple brush for cleaning breech plugs that comes with the breech plug cleaning kit and I scrub the nipple area threads.

After all is nice and clean, I spritz alcohol all through the cylinders and barrel. I then take paper towel and wad it up and push it into the cylinders and dry them. I push fat patches through the bore of the barrel and dry that.

Take that plastic jar with soap, water and the nipples in there, and shake the devil out of it for a minute. After that fish them out and then clean each individual nipple.

After I wipe the whole thing down as far as the frame, I hold the cylinder to light and look for any missed places. You can check for water at this time.

Q-tips clean behind the trigger and hammer. And I pay a lot of attention to the cylinder locking rod. After it is clean, I spray it down with Birchwood Casey Sheath which also displaces water by the way, and then wipe off the excess. Put the thing back to gether.

It takes me about an hour to really clean the revolver. Also I shoot APP powder (although last time I used Triple Seven) so that also cleans up a lot easier.