Why is Cobalt 6 Important?
Cobalt 6 exhibits unparalleled hardness and toughness as well as an extremely high melting point due to its cobalt and chromium content.
In firearms history, Cobalt 6 was first used starting around World War II to line the first 12 inches of barrel in the M2HB in order to help mitigate barrel throat erosion. Today, this process is still used for M2, M60/MK43 and M240 systems. To give a good example of the durability of Cobalt 6, a Cobalt 6-lined M240 barrel has a service life of 18,000 rounds whereas a chromed-plated barrel has a service life of 10,000 (an 80% longer service life).
When compared to Stainless Steel and Inconel, Cobalt 6 exhibits superior wear and erosion resistance.
Why Should I care?
The materials that your suppressor baffles are constructed of are an important factor. Your suppressor is a large investment and every suppressor wears with use. The parts that wear are the baffles, which erode as if being sand blasted with each shot you fire. The better the material, the more resistant they will be to erosion.
This erosion mainly affects the baffles’ center bore, where the bullet passes through, by making it expand over time – which results in your suppressor becoming louder. With baffles constructed of superior materials, like Cobalt 6, your suppressor will wear at a slower pace – getting louder less quickly than if it was constructed of the same shape baffles of a lesser material, like Stainless Steel or Inconel.
The use of short-barreled rifles with suppressors are known to contribute to faster baffle erosion due to higher pressures, heat and volume of un-burnt powder. Barrels shorter than 12″ are particularly hard on suppressors. These factors result in your suppressor wearing faster than if it were run on a longer barrel.
The full Cobalt 6 baffle stack contained in every Surge 762 helps to extend the life of your suppressor by negating the effects of erosion wear when compared to Inconel or Stainless steel baffles. A Cobalt 6 baffle will be glowing red and taking abuse long after baffles constructed of other materials yield and collapse.