First, I am not an expert so take what I say with a large grain of salt. I am not afraid to take things apart - sometimes this gets me into trouble but I always seem to learn something in the process. I have a stevens 311 and this is what I do. First go to the Numrich website and get a parts diagram. This will give you a visual display of how every thing fits together. Next, remove the foreend and barrel. The metal is easily removed from the foreend, cleaned, oiled and reinstalled. The barrel parts are also easily removed, cleaned, oiled and reinstalled. Next remove the butt plate. Next get a long screw driver and remove the stock bolt. Slide the stock off the receiver. Now you have access to all the innards. At this point, I merely use Birchwood-Casey Gunscubber to spray the dirt off all the parts in the receiver. I then oil all the parts and wipe it down. I then tip the reciever up one direction for about 12 hours and then flip it 180 degrees for another 12 hours to allow excess oil to drain off. I wipe it down intermittently while it is draining. I then reassemble. If parts were found to be rusty, then a more aggressive cleaning would be warranted but hopefully you won't find any rust. I think this approach will clean it pretty well. I have not been able to find a book or website explaining how to take down and maintain a stevens 311. However, I would love to find one if it exists. Good luck!