I've heard paint thinner, mineral spirits, kerosene, etc. I went out to see what I had in the garage and I found some lacquer thinner.

I need to clean my brothers new SKS.

Here is what I have:

Yes.

probably, remove the wood unless you plan on refinishing or replacing it

Any solvent will remove cosmo.

Boiling water does it just as well, and is cheaper to replace than a solvent you may need for something later. It dries instantly, pour it on the rifle and let good old water do the work for ya.

brake cleaner .
i used 2 cans to clean my SKS . strip it all the way down and give it a good cleaning.
worked like a champ.

Good.

I guess I should have said finish cleaning his new SKS. He cleaned most of it with kerosene already. All I need to do is the magazine. He didn't clean it because he was going to use one of those 40 rounders. We shot it for the first time Sunday. It didn't take long to see what a POS they are. I tried to tell him. I want to get the factory 10 rounder cleaned up and installed to show him how it is supposed to work.