I'm going to jump back in here, and I'll bet Mr. Opacak will agree with me. Not every gun owner is equipped with the proper hollow ground screwdrivers, pin punches, spring vises, etc. to do a complete and proper disassembly. Even experienced folks have trouble with the cursed L. C. Smith top lever spring. In these cases, a 90% cleaning is much better than a 100% cleaning with lost or damaged parts and screws. I really like Mr. Opacaks' tip to use oven cleaner, and being a blackpowder shooter for decades, I know very hot water won't hurt the metal parts of guns with proper drying and re-lubrication. I think we should approach our gun care and repair like a Doctor following the Hippocratic Oath..."first do no harm", and know our limitations. Even a master stockmaker would be wise to leave evgraving to a real engraver.
