Still, if it's taking 3 hours, it's taking at least six times as long as it should. A revolver can be cleaned out in ~20 minutes.
For a Colt...
1. Remove barrel and cylinder.
2. Remove nipples. Scrub nipples with brush, put into a cup of cleaning solution (I use diluted Simple Green).
3. Brush down back of cylinder, run a solvent-soaked patch into each chamber and turn it. Put cylinder into cup of cleaning solution with nipples.
4. Rinse barrel from breech end. Clean from breech end. Dry and oil.
5. Wipe down frame, arbor, and hammer. You'll have to detail-strip annually, but this will do for normal use. Dry and oil.
6. Remove cylinder. Rinse. Run a solvent-soaked patch into each cylinder, turn. Dry and oil.
7. Dry nipples, oil and put in cylinder.
8. Reassemble gun.