TFB Review: Aero Precision SOLUS Competition 6.5 Creedmoor

Aero Precision has jumped headfirst into the PRS market with its new SOLUS Competition rifle. Chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, this rifle has all the features PRS shooters look for, but with the price tag and quality that Aero is known for. Aero was kind enough to send me over a rifle for review and here’s what I found.

AERO Precision @ TFB:

TFB Review: Aero Precision SOLUS Competition 6.5 Creedmoor

Features

Starting at the muzzle end of the 22-in Sendro profile barrel, there are 5/8 x 24 muzzle threads for attaching your favorite muzzle device or silencer. This barrel is stainless steel with a Cerakote finish that has been fully honed and lapped. Being a stainless steel barrel it will have a short break-in period.

Well, I didn’t have an Aero Lahar for this review, I borrowed a Dead Air Nomad30 with an E-Brake from another one of my rifles for suppression.

Something not included with the base rifle is this spigot mount. This attaches to the front of the rail and allows for either an elongated ARCA or Picatinny section for mounting bipods further upfront.

The barrel is completely free-floated within the handguard with M-LOK cutouts along the sides and on the bottom, and a full-length ARCA rail on the bottom.

In addition, the SOLUS ships with a bag of small screws. These can be used if you purchase the optional night vision bridge in order to mount night vision or thermal in front of your daytime optic.

The SOLUS uses existing Savage pre-fit pattern barrels in its design should the end user decide to change the factory barrel out for a different caliber or different length.

These pre-fit barrels mount directly to Aero’s hybrid design Remington 700 pattern receiver. This allows for highly available parts like triggers for Remington 700 pattern rifles to be utilized as the end user sees fit.

For this review, I opted to add a Leupold MK5 5-25×56 to this rifle in a Spuhr sp-5016 mount.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a Remington 700 pattern action. So for bolt removal, you simply remove the magazine, put the rifle on safe, push the tab on the side, and pull the bolt rearward to remove it.

The SOLUS uses either AICS or AIAW magazines for feeding and has an ambi paddle-style mag release.

The thumb rest is on the right-hand side of the rifle and features two small Allen screws making it fully adjustable for the individual shooter.

The SOLUS features a 60° bolt throw. Additionally, the bolt handle is removable. If you don’t like the factory bolt handle (I thought it was fantastic) you can swap it out for one of the many aftermarket options available on the market.

Small little knobs on the right hand of the stock allow for fully adjustable length of pull, and comb height in seconds without the need for tools.

Last but not least, at the bottom of the stock is an included bag rider that sits on top of your favorite rifle squeeze bag. With the gun all buttoned up, it was time to get to work and start hole-punching.

At The Range

For this review, I used four different types of ammunition shot in three different locations on five separate trips. This was done with the help of a Kestrel and MagnetoSpeed in order to document thorough results.

A certain ammo that I was going to use in this review ended up having 30 to 40 fps of standard deviation, and those results were tossed aside.

Note: Once the standard deviation (or average muzzle velocity) goes above 20 feet per second, accuracy degradation is no fault of the gun. When this occurs, it’s best to discard that ammo from the test when testing for accuracy.

There is a small break-in period for the SOLUS. At about 40 rounds the groups will start to tighten up as the barrel breaks in. Additionally, the action when closing on a new round will remain semi-stiff until about 60 to 70 rounds. Past that, this gun was an absolute dream to shoot and I was flicking the bolt back and forth effortlessly with two fingers.

With a gun broken in and initial groups on paper, it was time to average four 5-round groups from three different ammunition manufacturers. Here are the averages and the results.

SIG Elite Performance 140gr

• Velocity Average: 2,688
• Standard Deviation: 8.0fps
• 5 Round Average grouping: 0.573 MOA

Ultimate Ammunition Competition 140gr Berger Hybrid Target

• Velocity Average: 2,714fps
• Standard Deviation: 6.7fps
• 5 Round Average grouping: 0.724 MOA

Norma Golden Target Match 143gr

• Velocity Average: 2,614fps
• Standard Deviation: 8.6fps
• 5 Round Average grouping: 0.573 MOA

*Note: Yes, after averaging both SIG and Norma groups, the averages from four five-round groups were identical.

Pros and Cons

The Aero SOLUS is the perfect example of what the industry needs. As this design uses a hybrid of other designs, it is not single point parts and service. The rifle itself is wonderful, but if you want to start off smaller, anything on this rifle can be purchased individually. This part’s interchangeability with the ability to buy pre-populated ready-to-shoot rifles is the perfect match.

The Verdict

Product Specs

• MSRP: $2,149.00
• SKU: APBR01020002
• Weight(lbs): 11.08 lbs
• Finish: Anodized Black

ACTION FEATURES

• Remington 700 Short Action Footprint
• 60-degree bolt throw
• Integral 20 MOA top rail
• 3-lug interchangeable bolt head
• Dual ejectors
• “Cock on lift” bolt design
• Integral 20 MOA top rail
• Action Body Material: 416 Stainless Steel

CHASSIS FEATURES

BARREL FEATURES

• Barrel Contour: Sendro
• Barrel Twist: 1:8
• Barrel Finish: Cerakoted Stainless
• Extra Barrel Features: Honed and Lapped
• Thread Pitch: 5/8 x 24
• Barrel Length: 22in

INCLUDES

• Action: Solus Short Action
• Barrel: 22” 6.5 Creedmoor Sendero Profile Barrel
• Trigger: TriggerTech Single Stage Trigger
• Chassis: Solus Competition Chassis
• Magazine: Magpul PMAG® 10 Round 7.62 AC – AICS Short Action