Brake cleaner would do it but it's a needlessly expensive way. Mineral spirits (AKA "low odor paint thinner" from any paint department) is far cheaper, not as smelly, does not evaporate away as fast and will do the job better. A liter will do the whole gun.
I never had much luck with Simple Green on grease like stuff. A far better product I found was an orange citrus based Rona house brand "degreaser/cleaner". This stuff works FAR better than even straight up Simple Green. The SG seems to just peel the greases away and let it float around in the liquid in lumps. The Rona orange stuff actually broke the greases down and held them in solution.
Even so I would not use any water based product on wood. The moisture in the cleaner and then in the rather generous water rinse needed to flush it away will raise the grain needlessly. Far better to wash it off with the same mineral spirits and then set aside to dry well.
If you use the citrus degreaser on the action and barrel that's fine. It should work very well. But rinse well with very hot or even boiling water then blow dry the entire gun dry including the bore then oil immediately. It is also imperative that any detergent based cleaner like Simple Green or the Rona citrus stuff be fully rinsed away. The stuff is actually quite corrosive if left on the metal or trapped away in small places. Items left in these products for overnight or a few days have resulted in pock marked surfaces where the metal has been corroded away by the product. So do the work all in one short work session, rinse well then finish with the very hot water shower or boiling water rinse as insurance and to aid the drying by heating the metal.
All in all I far prefer solvent for all those reasons. But I know that some folks don't like the smell or mess and prefer water cleanup products. Just use them wisely if you do.
Speaking of solvents, be sure to use some Nitrile rubber gloves to protect from solvent exposure to your skin. Over time and multiple exposure the stuff builds up in your organs via absorbtion through the skin. So buy and wear those gloves ! !
I never had much luck with Simple Green on grease like stuff. A far better product I found was an orange citrus based Rona house brand "degreaser/cleaner". This stuff works FAR better than even straight up Simple Green. The SG seems to just peel the greases away and let it float around in the liquid in lumps. The Rona orange stuff actually broke the greases down and held them in solution.
Even so I would not use any water based product on wood. The moisture in the cleaner and then in the rather generous water rinse needed to flush it away will raise the grain needlessly. Far better to wash it off with the same mineral spirits and then set aside to dry well.
If you use the citrus degreaser on the action and barrel that's fine. It should work very well. But rinse well with very hot or even boiling water then blow dry the entire gun dry including the bore then oil immediately. It is also imperative that any detergent based cleaner like Simple Green or the Rona citrus stuff be fully rinsed away. The stuff is actually quite corrosive if left on the metal or trapped away in small places. Items left in these products for overnight or a few days have resulted in pock marked surfaces where the metal has been corroded away by the product. So do the work all in one short work session, rinse well then finish with the very hot water shower or boiling water rinse as insurance and to aid the drying by heating the metal.
All in all I far prefer solvent for all those reasons. But I know that some folks don't like the smell or mess and prefer water cleanup products. Just use them wisely if you do.
Speaking of solvents, be sure to use some Nitrile rubber gloves to protect from solvent exposure to your skin. Over time and multiple exposure the stuff builds up in your organs via absorbtion through the skin. So buy and wear those gloves ! !
