AERO PRECISION SOLUS
Aero Precision, you may know them for making quality AR15 and AR10 rifles & components to put together your ideal AR for a very reasonable price. They’re certainly reputable and loved in the 2A community, and for good reason too. When they announced they were getting into the bolt action scene, it got my attention. They call it the Solus. And like other Aero Precision offerings, you can buy it as a complete rifle, or piece it together. You can buy just the action, the barreled action, just the stock/chassis, as well as quite a bit of the accessories. A quick note on that, the Solus action has the same footprint as the common Remington 700 short action. Meaning, you can plop this action into any stock or chassis the allows for that R700 short action. That also means you can use any trigger that works for a Remington 700. Okay, let me hit y’all with the specs, then we can discuss how it shoots.
ACTION
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- Remington 700 Short Action Footprint
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- 60-degree bolt throw
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- Integral 20 MOA top rail
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- 3-lug interchangeable bolt head
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- Dual ejectors
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- “Cock on lift” bolt design
CHASSIS
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- Compatibility with AICS magazines
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- Adjustable thumb rest
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- Compatibility with tangless AR15 pistol grips.
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- Arca and M-LOK compatible forend
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- 11 QD sling sockets
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- Fully adjustable stock
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- Included Bag Rider
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- Compatible with optional night vision bridge and bipod spigot
BARREL
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- Sendero profile
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- 5/8-24 TPI muzzle threads
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- 1:8 twist (6.5 Creedmoor version)
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- QPQ Finish
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- Honed and Lapped
INCLUDES:
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- TriggerTech Single Stage Trigger
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- Solus Competition Chassis
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- Magpul 10 Round AICS Pattern Mag
I equipped mine with an OSS HX 7.62 Ti suppressor, Atlas bipod, Warne 34mm rings, and a Riton Optics 7 Conquer 3-24X56. It was my first time using an optic from Riton, I have no complaints. It has a great reticle, zoom range, and overall feature set. Having both M-lok and Arca on the chassis is great for allowing the use of a tripod while keeping my bipod attached. I really dig this feature and can see plenty of rifles taking this form moving forward.
Let’s talk about performance. (I should mention mine is chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor) Once I sighted in the Riton, I shot a few groups at 100 yards. I shot 3 rounds of Hornady ELD-M 140 grain rounds and those grouped to be just under 0.5 MOA.
I then shot 3 rounds of Hornady ELD-M 147 grain rounds and those got in right around 0.75 MOA.
Lastly I shot 3 rounds of Hornday 140 grain “Black” rounds and those too were right around 0.75 MOA.
All 3 loads under Aero’s sub-MOA guarantee. I was sure to use the 140 grain ELD-M rounds for the extended ranges. I shot at 526, 770, and 950 yards. At 950, the Solus made fairly light work of the torso sized target. I was able to get a few rounds on my 10” plate, I even gave one jab at my 5” plate at 950 yards and was thrilled to get an impact. As tempting as it was to keep shooting, I knew It’s best to end it on a high note. Shooting the Solus is a really great experience. The included Trigger Tech trigger breaks incredibly clean, the rifle is easy to stay on and stabilize on a rear bag, and the action… I was pleasantly surprised as to how well it fed the rounds out of the included Magpul 10 round magazine. Often times I was convinced it didn’t pick up the next round, it’s THAT smooth.
So, my final thoughts. The Aero Precision Solus Compition is a great rifle, and I’d easily recommend it to someone wanting to get into the long range scene or upgrade from their starter rifle. However, weighing in at just over 11 lbs without accessories, just know what you’re getting. I think you’re getting a fantastic bench rest/competition rifle. Not so much a rifle you’d want to take on a long ruck & hunt. For that, Aero offers a Solus Hunter, which features a fluted barrel and a carbon fiber stock. But for the bench rest shooter, that added weight will make shooting a delight. Recoil stays low which allows you to track your misses and impacts incredibly easy. They also offer a Solus Bravo, the same as the competition but just in a KRG Bravo stock. So as of now, that’s 3 different Solus offerings each available in both 6.5 Creedmoor and .308. Depending on the model, prices can range between $1,625 and $2,250 with the competition being $1,999.
To check out the Solus lineup, Click Here
EDIT: Aero now offers a 6mm Creedmoor and 4 different color options. Click Here to check it out!