The trick, of course, is to never let the gun ever get really bad in the first place in this area. If you are trying to clean a stainless gun, then light scraping with the plastic dental pick, like those that MidwayUSA sells, can get most of the lead and some of the other caked/baked on stuff off. I then, (on standard finish stainless guns only), use one of the lead away cloths, and swing a piece of the treated cloth around the barrel and under the top strap above the cylinder gap, like a shoe shiner would buff someones' shoes. That even gets most of the burn marks off.

Blued and nickeled guns, I use the picks very lightly and not often, only if the lead build up is deep, and just worry about cleaning off the breach end of the barrel off and don't worry about overcleaning the surrounding area. I do use the solvent/toothbrush more often with the blued guns, but make sure you are outside or in a basement sink or something when you use the brushes, because the solvent will spritz everywhere. Have safety glasses on too, and be wearing an old shirt. I'm too scared to use the brass brushes yet, but I know a lot of people use them all the time.