In the past I've used Rem Oil or similar gun oil to wipe the metal. It really doesn't matter as long as you apply any quality oil after shooting. I'm intrigued by the guys that feel they have to turn their muzzles down when storing the gun for fear of getting oil into the head of the stock. If they get oil seeping into the stock head, they are using way too much oil on the receiver.
I recently bought a can of Balistol, not the spray. I shoot a Beretta 391 in the winter and those semi-auto's sure do build up the carbon. I applied the Balistol fairly thickly on the dirty parts, waited about 1/2 hr and started cleaning. I was amazed at how Balistol just turned that carbon to sludge. Made cleaning the 391 easy!