how far is too far?

[Mike Phelps]

I've been disassembling my parker vh 12 gauge to give it a thorough cleaning and I’m not sure how far I should go with the receiver.

There is still a lot of gunk up around the hammers and inside the bolt group.

I do have the correct screw drivers and have been grinding bits to fit where needed, however it looks the screws on the side of the receiver have never been removed.

Is it worth removing the hammers? I haven't found a good guide to explain how to do this, so I’m tempted to leave it to alone and just continue spraying it down.

I'd also like to remove the top lever, but I don't know if the bolt group needs to be disassembled first.

If I do end up leaving it as is, what is the best way to clean it without removing any case coloring? I've read about carb cleaner, brake cleaner and lacquer thinner as all viable items. So far Hoppes and CLP is working well if i can scrub it with a q tip or toothbrush.