anti seize for barrel nuts and other components.

[Viking]

A brief search online as to what to use, and what is safe to use for anti seize on firearms is greatly contested, frequently with no background further than "it whut i use since grandaddy toght me"

Further searching yields a few interesting gems,

Most anti seize products contain graphite, graphite CAN with correct exposure to fluids and electrolytes cause galvanic corrosion. However anti seize products tend to have temperature ratings into the thousand degrees Fahrenheit, and are generally filled with a litany of other anti corrosive compounds. No answers on whether or not this is sufficient to prevent explosive decompression of your barrel nut if it happens to look at an ocean, or be exposed to salty moist air when taken out of our climate.

Most grease products do not contain sufficient anti corrosive properties, and they have a lower high temperature tolerance, down to the 500's or lower. These products are also lubricants not intended for anti seize purposes. However lithium, red high temp, and marine grade greases, all have different pro-con, for example lithium is not compatible with some marine grade greases, but marine grade greases offer the highest water and moisture exposure resistance. Does not compatible with lithium mean that it could cause corrosion in a lithium metal alloy?

I have personally learned that "mil-spec" is not the end-all-be-all of products, it just meets the minimum needs of expectation, and are often the cheapest products that can be acquired. Milspec TM has recommended a 33MS Aeroshell lithium molybdenum lubricant to which I have found has a top temperature range just above boiling water, and it is not made for high temp or high stress applications, it is apparently made for aerospace rollers.

On the subject of molybdenum, countless people swear by it, I can't seem to find justification for its use if its not corrosion resistant, and seems to resist being soluble in most fluids as a carrier to apply it. It is used in high temperature high stress environments, a ridiculously high melting point, and low thermal expansion. Molybdenum disulfide is used as a solid lubricant. Zero information can be found as to its corrosion resistance, or corrosion resistance as applied to other metals. One person suggested a solution of silicon lubricant mixed with Molybdenum disulfide.

Some people suggest use of motor oil, or gun oil, both of which I have found little to no supporting reasons for.

However the manufacturer of my barrel suggests not using moly in their barrel I have to consider that beyond the cover your own butt statement of having no first hand knowledge of its safety or reactivity, that they may know something I don't.

So considering the above, I am looking at a 2055 lithium aluminum alloy, hard anodized receiver, a stainless steel of unknown grade barrel, and a grade 5 titanium barrel nut. Assuming I may expose this thing to the harshest of possible conditions, humidity, salty humidity, a dive in the ocean, high temperature magazine dump; what is the most corrosive resistant anti seizing compound that is temperature safe that you would use, and why.

[dwcopple]

when I installed my FF handguard on my M4 I just used wheel bearing grease on the barrel nut. I think it'll do.

[Viking]

Also recommended is Loctite Ca5 as an anti seize, but CA5 is primarily copper based. Copper and aluminum are not friends, but I could see this being used between an all steel barrel thread and a steel or titanium muzzle device.

[Viking]

when I installed my FF handguard on my M4 I just used wheel bearing grease on the barrel nut. I think it'll do.

My question leads beyond "it will do" to what, physically and chemically is best.

[BuddyChryst]

Analysis paralysis.

If you're gonna insist on applying something, just grab a packet of the copper antiseize at your local auto parts store. It truly and simply is not going to matter.

ETA: for time-tested, evolved over many years, Lubricin (proteoglycan 4) might be the best all-natural lubricant. But since you're not talking strictly about lubrication, perhaps Cowper's fluid is your best bet. It has an acid-neutralizing effect in addition to making sure things don't seize up as you're screwing in.

[red442joe]

I use this on....everything:https://www.bing.com/images/search?v...electedIndex=9

In forty plus years of using it, I have disassembled some amazing things that were assembled with it.
The worst long term cooked and rusted exhaust manifold studs come apart amazingly easy when
assembled with it. I've taken apart car parts, I assembled decades earlier, with ease.
It is NOT a dynamic, or bearing type, lubricant. It works well for parts that move a small amount against
each other. I have never had any type of fastener gall in the threads when this is used.
I haven't found anything that it didn't work on, however for certain things, there are specific assembly lubes required.
I don't use it on seals and gaskets; just fasteners and slightly sliding parts.
They make a nickel and aluminum formula; I have never used them.

Joe

[10x25mm]

Never, ever mechanically fasten aluminum to nonmagnetic stainless steel in a chloride environment. Aluminum chloride (actually all the IIIA chlorides, but the others are rare) attacks austenitic stainless steel at a lightning fast rate. Inches of stainless steel can be compromised in hours, not days or months. No dielectric or inhibitor will prevent this attack. The result is sudden, catastrophic failure. Austenitic stainlesses are not used for barrels, but commonly get used for screws and other minor parts on firearms.

Aluminum chloride also attacks the AISI Type 416R stainless steel used in rifle barrels, but at a slower, more predictable rate. This attack can be managed by periodic cleaning, but this is burdensome for a barrel/receiver joint.

Greases are oils dissolved in soaps or clays. The soap (such as lithium) or clay (such as bentonite) acts as a thickening agent and generally does not enter into chemical reactions. Additives to greases function much the same as those same additives in oils. There are a variety of additives used to inhibit corrosion and/or oxidation. The specific inhibitors used depend upon the nature of the expected attack. There are no universal inhibitors. The corrosion mechanisms which attack steel and aluminum in chloride environments are so different that there is no common inhibitor which is effective for both metals. Your are left to use an exclusionary agent, like a stiff grease or a wax.

Not certain why you need an anti-seize for a barrel/receiver joint, but nickel anti-seize greases are commonly used for steel/aluminum joints. They should work for your application. The copper anti-seize greases can react with some aluminum alloys and are generally not used with them. Lead anti-seize greases were the best option, but have been withdrawn for environmental reasons. The nickel and copper anti-seize greases have small, spherical particles of nickel and copper which tend to embed in soft metals like aluminum and are very difficult to remove.

[Quads]

$8 for a lifetime supply.

[westcliffe01]

I use the copper based anti seize compound. Since my rifles hardly ever get wet and if they did, I don't leave them that way and certainly no exposure to salt. So I'm not concerned about galvanic corrosion at all.

[Roundballer]

I use the copper based anti seize compound. Since my rifles hardly ever get wet and if they did, I don't leave them that way and certainly no exposure to salt. So I'm not concerned about galvanic corrosion at all.

I also use a copper based anti-seize. The stuff I have is designed for use on the stainless pins that support brake calipers. It worked so well in those applications I started using it on lug nuts/studs and the surfaces that contact the hubs of drums and rotors on aluminum alloy wheels. It seems to really help cut corrosion and things come apart easily when I need them to.