I was given a parts washing tank several years ago alone with a bucket of the cleaner/degreaser that goes in it. The stuff works great on rimfire and shotgun actions and various parts. Just take the really grimy gun apart and let the parts soak for 30 min or so and the turn the pump on and flush the out. then it's a matter of flushing them and re-oiling.

The problem is I'm out of the cleaner/degreaser. what would you guys recommend to use in it's place (the stuff is as high as a giraffe's butt.) that might work as well?

I don't know where you are from but I've used varsol or an older stodders solvent in parts washers. Here locally ( in N.C. USA ) it is available in bulk from the local Exxon fuel oil co. I hope this helps...lost

I use a parts washer for stuff other than guns, but here is my advice-

The stuff I like to use best is odorless mineral spirits (AKA paint thinner). If you use it a lot, here is my suggestion for setting up your parts cleaner:

Depending on the size of your tank, only use about 2-5 gallons of thinner. Position the pickup to the pump up quite a bit from the bottom and fill it with water. Have the pickup above the water line and fill with your thinner.

This setup works great. All the junk will settle out of the thinner and get trapped in the water. Once or twice a year just siphon off the thinner and then dump out the water with all the gunk in it. Sometimes it has to sit unused for a few days but even paint will separate out of the thinner. It is similar to putting strips of paper towels into your brass tumbler, it makes the cleaning medium last much much longer.

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The problem is I'm out of the cleaner/degreaser. what would you guys recommend to use in it's place (the stuff is as high as a giraffe's butt.) that might work as well?

Stanley Home Products makes a degreaser that works well. There is also Murphy's Oil Soap for scrubbin' up the parts and then give 'em a good rinse. These two use water as a carrier, so you'll have to blow 'em dry, or get 'em dry quick-like if you don't have compressed air. Costco sells Oil Eater. Again, it uses water to carry it. Varsol is wood-based, like turpentine. It washes off right good with water and compressed air. There are also mix-it-with-water solvents that you can throw down the drain when you're done with them. Can't remember the names, but you can probably search them out...