Aero SOLUS Bolt Action Breakdown

Aero SOLUS Bolt Action Breakdown: Build Your Custom Rifle

Aero Precision’s Solus bolt action is an attempt to make getting into a custom rifle easier than it was before. Usually you would put down one to several thousand dollars to get your rifle built from the ground up by professional gunsmiths. This is a sizable amount of money that a lot of people may not be willing to spend on a bolt action rifle.

With the Aero SOLUS line of products you have the major sections of a rifle broken down individually. This allows you to essentially mix and match the parts you want to get the rifle you can afford. Since it was designed as a quasi-open source endeavor, the Solus is meant to be compatible with widely available parts, lessening the need to handfit every aspect of the gun.

This all starts at the bolt and expands to the rest of the rifle which means you can combine any compatible part with the Solus system to get the outcome you want. This could be a different barrel or a different stock style that Aero offers. Let’s look at each of these major sections in more detail.

The Bolt and Assembly

In order to make the most of their system, Aero designed the bolt and assembly to be compatible with most drop-in or pre-fit components. This includes other manufacturers beyond their own bolt heads.

The bolt itself is a Remington Short Action design. This means most smaller form cartridges are the focus of the design, no full sized .300 Magnums or .30-06 length cases. Newer rounds like 6.5 Creedmoor or more prevalent rounds like the .243 and the .308 Winchester will work with this action.

The Aero SOLUS bolt and assembly are designed to be compatible with the R700 aftermarket. This means barrels, triggers, and stock footprint. 

The bolt has two major bolt face sizes: .478 and .540 respectively. These different sizes determine which cartridges work with that particular bolt. This is important if you want your rifle to actually work (feed, fire, repeat).

Here is what you need to know about the bolt assembly.

• Compatible with Savage Small Shank with barrel nut

• Compatible with Zermatt Origin Pattern Pre-Fit

• 60-gree bolt through

• Cock-on-Lift design

• Dual ejectors and 3-lug interchangeable bolt head

• R700 comptable

• Integral 20 MOA Picatinny rail

Solus Barrels

The Aero SOLUS barrels are more than likely the area where you may swap out for a different brand. Since the barrel is the primary factor in accuracy, this is where more of your budget can be spent.

That being said, there are a number of Solus barrels available. They all feature a ⅝-24 TPI muzzle thread to mount muzzle devices or suppressors. They are also honed and lapped for consistency.

The following table covers the major information regarding the different chamberings and barrel profiles available.  

Chassis/Stock

Finally we have the stock options. The Aero SOLUS line currently features three major variations of the stock. A chassis system, a polymer coated aluminum design (the Bravo), and a carbon fiber stock (the Hunter).

Starting off with the chassis, it features three different rail options. Each of these allows for more area in the front of the gun for accessories like weights, bipods, or anything else that is M-LOK or ARCA Swiss compatible.

The Bravo is closer to the R700 stock design without having to have it be custom bedded. The primary focus of the stock is the aluminum bedding and “backbone”. The polymer encases this backbone to ensure that you don’t experience any unnecessary flex during firing.

The Hunter is your carbon fiber option. This helps cut down on some of the weight of the rifle without sacrificing durability. The primary focus of the Hunter is those long treks in the woods where every ounce has to be accounted for.

Here’s a quick overview of the features each stock has. 

Conclusion

The Aero Solus system is a great way to get into a custom rifle without having to pay custom rifle prices. It also allows you to upgrade to better/more expensive options later down the road once you find out what may need to be upgraded.

The Solus is still a solid option to have even if you never intend to upgrade it. This allows it to fill your bolt action needs and not overspend when you may use it a handful of times a year.