Cleaning dusty/sandy gun, anything special?

[MoreSalsa]

My rifle and revolver picked up a light coating of dust/fine sand from my last outing. Just wondering if anything special is in order in cleaning them. In particular I'm worried about micro scratches or other damage, including inside of the bore, chamber, etc. I thought maybe using compressed air to try to get the dust off before doing anything that involves friction, like running patches through the bore.