I just bought a Yugo SKS in unfired condition, and the things drenched in cosmoline;  any quick ways to clean it out prior to shooting it?

Take it appart and de-grease it inside and out as best you can with carb cleaner or what ever you use.  Make sure you clean out the barrel.  The stocks seem to stay greasy for about a year or more, just keep wipeing it down.  Have fun.  

And whatever you do, DON'T FORGET THE GAS BLOCK. That thing is chock-full of cosmoline as well.

Yeah, just soak it in oil, use CLP or Ballistol or whatever spray-can-type oil you have handy, and rub it with paper towels like crazy.  The first time you heat it up from shooting, cosmoline is going to seep out from everywhere and you'll have to wipe alot of it off again when you clean the gun.  

I have a love-hate relationship with the stuff.  Its sticky and gunky and gross, but its also the reason why these guns are in such terrific shape after being stored for so long.

PS: spill the beans, man, where did you get it from and what kind of condition is it in?  PICS dammit!

I used automotive brake cleaner, it took 3 cans.

I got this bad lil bitch at Bachman Pawn & Gun in Dallas Tx for $150....unissued.
I've got Chinese SKS's so I'm not a virgin totally to the SKS, but how do you turn the gas on/off on the Yugo?  Also, did you guys that cleaned yours up take the gun out of the stock, if so can you give me a crash course here on how to do that?
For the SKS fan I really recommend this Yugo...thanks for all the help.

Take your stock off and warm it up in the oven, th cosmoline will come out.  Or you could try a heat gun.
B

It's easy to take the stock off. If you look at the trigger guard you'll see a tab with a little hole in the middle right behind the trigger and the trigger housing. If you have a cleaning kit in the stock there is a big version of a toothpick in there. Put the end of the "toothpick" in that hole and (with the safety on, it wont work with it off) push really hard. I would suggest using a rubber mallet though. Push that tab until the trigger guard comes clear and pull up and out. The magazine will come out next and it should all come apart from there.

Installation is the exact opposite. Remember to put the mag in first. It might be a little hard at first but if you've done it as much as I have, it gets real easy. :D

Oh, this is also how you install a detachable mag too. I have a 30 rounder in mine, very fun to say the least. :D

Easy-off works great to remove cosmoline from stocks. Spray it on, leave it for about an hour, then scrub it with an old toothbrush and rinse with hot water. It takes about 3 or 4 times to get it all out, and it also removes a lot of the stain. I redid the stock on my mauser m48 by sealing it, then sanding. Then I used a regular stain, and sprayed with clear matte polyurethane, and it came out looking terrific.

Kerosene works pretty well for the metal parts. Just let them soak and then wipe.

I just ordered a Yugo and Albanian SKS, plus 2 Mosin Nagants from AIM. Gots lots of greasy work ahead of me with those 4.