RE: Barrel Cleaning/Firearm Maintenance
My cleaning routine is very much like oldelkhunter's. After about 20 or so shots I'll use Shooters Choice for powder fouling followed by Wipeout or Barnes CR-10 for copper. Although Hoppes smells nice, I think it's way too mild to thoroughly clean a rifle bore. After cleaning the bore and chamber I oil them with Butch's and use Breakfree CLP on all other surfaces. Here are some things that I think are important points to keep in mind:
1. Clean the bore from the breech end using a bore guide. I like Sinclair bore guides.
2. Use a one piece coated cleaning rod. Bore Tech is my favorite.
3. Use 100% cotton flannel patches on jags. The synthetic patches (or even the ones made out of t-shirt material) are no match for cotton flannel.
4. Use bronze bore brushes, not stainless steel.
5. Use jags, not loops in the bore. I do use a loop with oversized patches for the chamber, though.
6. Finally, don't sweat it if you can't clean you rifle bore as often as you think necessary. Heck, I've got friends who haven't put a cleaning rod in their rifles in a decade, yet they go out each year and kill deer just like I do. I certainly don't recommend doing what they do, but I do think some folks, myself included, worry too much about getting the last streak of copper out of their rifle bore.
Anyway, good luck and good shootin'.