Welcome to the magical world of encore! Congratulations on your purchase! Since I'm not too sure on what you've got for tools and cleaning accessories, I would first recommend that you get either A .45 or .50 cal. brush (depending on your flavor). I'll assume you have the included breech plug wrench, and a flat head screw driver.
Remove the 2 forend screws (remove forend), open the action and drift out the hinge pin. At this point I would remove the breech plug, I do this at this point to avoid putting undue lateral stress on hinge. Fill up your sink with hot soapy water, and brush out the bore. Run some dry patches down it, inspect, and proceed as appropriate. I would take this opportunity to inspect ,clean and lube the locking lugs and mechanism.
At this point I would dry the whole works with a hair dryer and (gulp!!) apply a thin coating of BORE BUTTER!!! :eek: .............A heavily disputed step I assure you.
I hope this wasn't too basic, it at least gives you a place to start. I neglected to mention at the start to make sure the gun was unloaded. Cleaning could be done from the breech end by removing the plug with the gun still assembled (once the extractor is removed), but I figured you should get the full tour and decide what suits you best for future cleaning on your own. Good luck and good shooting
