He wasn't asking for your opinion. He's been doing this for 20 years. He's covered all his bases. All of them.
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Thoughts on the Aero Precision SOLUS ?
- Thread starter zenpre
- Start date
I haven't yet, but 6br always feeds best from a centerfeed aics mag with a br kit in it.So, I’m guessing this is a no?
Went by the LGS yesterday after work, figured I'd grab a box or 2 of Berger 168's, but they were out... So I grabbed 5x boxes of these from the same lot #. Maybe it will like them better...
www.midwayusa.com
I haven't even cleaned my brass or sized it from last trip, as I've had tons of shit going on this week after work, but I might just resize them dirty and load them up, just wiping the case necks off. I hate doing that, but I'm not firing up the US and the tumbler for 50 pieces of brass... Everything else I've got is cleaned and sized right now... It's kind of a labor of love for me, so I go through quite the thorough process of cleaning and prepping brass, and I do large batches at a time, so doing all that shit for 50 pieces is not happening.
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I haven't even cleaned my brass or sized it from last trip, as I've had tons of shit going on this week after work, but I might just resize them dirty and load them up, just wiping the case necks off. I hate doing that, but I'm not firing up the US and the tumbler for 50 pieces of brass... Everything else I've got is cleaned and sized right now... It's kind of a labor of love for me, so I go through quite the thorough process of cleaning and prepping brass, and I do large batches at a time, so doing all that shit for 50 pieces is not happening.
Well... It seemed to like the Hornady 168 ELD-M's better... Plus, I'm only jumping them 0.010" from the lands, and they're still well inside of mag length, and cycle perfectly.
Here's the best group of the day (it's only 4 shots, because it was the starting load, and I shot the first round to confirm my POI on another target)...
Here's the best group of the day (it's only 4 shots, because it was the starting load, and I shot the first round to confirm my POI on another target)...
Technically I have all the stuff, just waiting to finish off the 6.5cm barrel. Trying to figure out my loads before I switch to the dasher. I did get the mdt metal 6br mags. I’m hoping they work. Worst case the new gray ops ones seem popular.So, I’m guessing this is a no?
When you get the opportunity to throw some lead down range, please come back and tell us what you have learned!
This was my experience with the factory barrel. I experimented with Berger and Sierra bullets of different weights, but the 168 ELDM’s grouped the best. This was the load I took to a recent NRL Hunter comp.
Hornady 168 ELD-M
Lapua brass
Fed 210M
Varget 42.6gr
2590fps
It definitely seems to like slower, than faster… Which is kind of a pisser, but 44.0 was pushing @ 2,634 FPS MV avg. Only 11.9 ES, and a 4.3 SD, too.
Finally got my solus hunter. Action is smooth but not as smooth as my Zermatt. Trigger is ok. Got it down to 2.5 pounds, which is ok but it will get swapped out eventually. The stock is great. These are very small issues for what I paid for it. Got it from midway for $1576 shipped. I need to get an Arca rail and muzzle brake for it still. Weight as it sits is 10.4 pounds. I’ll get some 147 eldm loaded up and see how accuracy is soon.
@Mooseknuckles Yeah, I strongly recommend swapping the trigger out for a TriggerTech Special that goes down to ~1.0 lbs. That's what I run in both of mine. Consistent weight pull and zero creep or OT.
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I’m having issues with the AW and the MDT 12 round mags feeding the first round. It just doesn’t want to grab the back of the round this seems like it’s more of a stock issue because I have the hunter version. I might try it in the solace precision chassis and probably all issues will go away. What do you guys do a magazine from falling down at the rear end, do they put tape? What do you guys recommend?
My Proof .25CM custom prefit barrel I bought from Evolved Ballistics and had machined and chambered by Blue Mountain Precision, will be here on Wednesday, according to the shipping company. Took 6 weeks, but still beat McGowan getting my blank to CarbonSix after just a couple months shy of a year... 
McGowan can eat a dick. I haven't liked them (as a company and personally) for over 10 years, and I still don't.
So, next weekend we should be putting down the first shots through the custom Solus .25CM build after going on 2 years since I ordered the action.
McGowan can eat a dick. I haven't liked them (as a company and personally) for over 10 years, and I still don't.So, next weekend we should be putting down the first shots through the custom Solus .25CM build after going on 2 years since I ordered the action.
My Evolved Ballistics/Blue Mountain Precision 20" Proof 7.5" twist .25 Creed barrel showed up today... They do excellent work! The barrel threads are perfect, and all the threading and chamber are polished up and clean. They also put the neck and freebore of the chamber on the side of the barrel. So I torqued the barrel on with my old MAC 3/8" torque wrench, and the Solus action wrench to 80 ft. lbs., and mounted my SAC Modular barrel vise (35 ft. lbs for the big 3/8" allen bolt that holds the barrel still) in my Sawtooth Rifles Dependabite ARCA vise jaws, and it was solid as a rock. Checked HS with a set of Manson Go/NoGo gauges, and everything checked out perfect. So, she's good to go. Now, the only thing left to do is wait on my new set of ARC Medium 34mm rings to show up, because the Lows are too low for a 56mm scope with a Sendero profile Proof barrel. Hopefully they show up by Friday or Saturday so I can shoot it this weekend... If not, then it won't be ready to shoot until next weekend.
I just have to say, this barrel is beautiful... They really put some nice grains in this one, very flashy, and the machine work done by Blue Mountain Precision is exceptional...I'll definitely be calling them for another barrel in the future.
I just have to say, this barrel is beautiful... They really put some nice grains in this one, very flashy, and the machine work done by Blue Mountain Precision is exceptional...I'll definitely be calling them for another barrel in the future.
Ordered an 8.3” 300 BLK, so I can finally sell my Ruger American Ranch .300 BLK that has underwhelmed me since day 1… I sunk a bunch of money into that thing to try to polish that turd, but in the end, it’s still just a fancy Ruger American Ranch… 
Medium rings came in today... Everything is now re-mounted, bore-sighted, re-checked torque, and now she's complete and ready to start load development.
Price was steep, but when I added up how much I sunk into my RAR to make it nice, it wasn’t that far off… And the Solus is an exponentially nicer and more improved action, and a real chassis.
Plus, if I ever decide to build it into something else later, it’s a full length short action, and the interchangeable bolt heads are as simple as popping the firing pin, and then knocking out a cross pin. Plus, shouldered prefits.
Not yet, my Medium rings didn’t show up until Monday, instead of the Saturday before, like I was hoping, but this weekend, it’s getting shot.Have you fed it yet? Is there a range report coming soon?
I’ve already assembled, checked headspace, measured COAL and figured out my seating depth, prepped & primed my new Alpha .25 Creed brass, scrubbed the new barrel to make sure it didn’t have any machining residue or metal chips in it, and mapped out my charge weights with StaBall 6.5. Other than dropping powder into the cases, and setting bullets, I’m ready for load development.
Range report pending…
very curious to see how this shoots. Are you using 134 ELDM or something else?
my next build is a 22" 25creed on a solus action. Just not sure if i will go with another proof barrel or get a PVA osprey carbon. Will be using the 134 eldm regardless.
Berger 133 Elite Hunters, because I want to shoot a few deer with it eventually, so I won’t have to change bullets, or work up a new load.
Got to say, mulling over doing an SBR 300blk…..
That would be exceptionally cool if they ever release the folding stock adapter they claimed they were making………………..
Still waiting on mini and mag bolt faces too. I’m surprised no one else has stepped up with a folding adapter given how long it’s been that Aero hasn’t made one.
They have the mag bolt face out.
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First set of load development rounds loaded for the .25 Creed with StaBall 6.5, CCI 400's, and Berger 133 Elites and new Alpha Munitions .25CM brass. They're seated to 2.190" B-to-O, which puts them at a very short 0.010" jump, which means that I shouldn't have any seating depth issues. At that seating depth, they still feed in the MDT steel mags with tons of room up front for even longer bullets.
The picture with the 3 loaded rounds are as follows (for comparison) Left-to-Right:
1.) .260 Remington w/ Nosler 140 Custom Comp
2.) .25 Creedmoor w/ Berger 133 Elite Hunter
3.) 6.5 Creedmoor w/ Berger 156 Elite Hunter
The picture with the 3 loaded rounds are as follows (for comparison) Left-to-Right:
1.) .260 Remington w/ Nosler 140 Custom Comp
2.) .25 Creedmoor w/ Berger 133 Elite Hunter
3.) 6.5 Creedmoor w/ Berger 156 Elite Hunter
First sets of load development done this afternoon... Not a single group larger than 0.75 MOA, with the best ones in the 0.4xx" range. Keep in mind, this is also a brand new gun, cartridge, and scope for me, and it did take some getting used to the recoil impulse (even as little recoil as it has), just like anything, it takes some getting used to it before you can master it. I'm getting much more comfortable behind it now that I've put a few rounds through it, and gotten used to the scope, and finally settled in a bit behind the trigger.
The first 5 shots were a sight-in/ladder, with shooting 1 of each charge weight to sight in, but also to ensure my loads are not too hot. You can see where the barrel was speeding up in the very first group (shots 6-10) on the new barrel, and you can tell by shots 16-20 (group 4) where it started to settle in with a nice velocity node. I'm thinking 43.5 gr. of StaBall 6.5 will be my load, but my 2nd round will be 42.5, 42.7, 43.0, 43.2, 43.5 to see how wide that node is.
Also, I was running my OCL Hydrogen-S 6.5mm can on it, with their ZR0-DTA mount, and it sounds amazing! The 6.5mm suppressor makes a huge difference on rifles that are 6.5mm or smaller, compared to a .30 caliber can the same exact specs.
Here's some glamor shots and the very first set of groups through the new Proof prefit barrel built by Blue Mountain Precision.
The first 5 shots were a sight-in/ladder, with shooting 1 of each charge weight to sight in, but also to ensure my loads are not too hot. You can see where the barrel was speeding up in the very first group (shots 6-10) on the new barrel, and you can tell by shots 16-20 (group 4) where it started to settle in with a nice velocity node. I'm thinking 43.5 gr. of StaBall 6.5 will be my load, but my 2nd round will be 42.5, 42.7, 43.0, 43.2, 43.5 to see how wide that node is.
Also, I was running my OCL Hydrogen-S 6.5mm can on it, with their ZR0-DTA mount, and it sounds amazing! The 6.5mm suppressor makes a huge difference on rifles that are 6.5mm or smaller, compared to a .30 caliber can the same exact specs.
Here's some glamor shots and the very first set of groups through the new Proof prefit barrel built by Blue Mountain Precision.
20" Proof 7.5" twist with Berger 133 Elites, CCI 400's, and StaBall 6.5, I was ranging from 2,696 to 2,836 FPS MV. My 43.5gr load that shot the best was 2,814 with an ES of 18.1, and an SD of 6.7. Pretty solid for a brand new barrel that hasn't even really been "broken in" yet, and I’m extremely happy with those velocities from a 20” barrel.
yes thats awesome. All my proof barrels have sped up significantly after 200+ rounds. So you will get some great speeds
I was thinking of a 22" 25 creed as i was hoping/planning on 2850ish fps. But looks like you will get around that speed with a 20" once its all broken in. Very promising
I loaded up round 2 last night... 42.5, 42.7, 43.0, 43.2, 43.5... We're going to see how wide that node is this weekend. If 43.5 shoots similar as it did yesterday, then I will stick with that load, as it had the least amount of vertical stringing, and I knew when I shot #4 I had slightly pulled it to the right, so that 0.4xx" group should probably be closer to 0.2xx", but that was on me, and I'm going by what Ballistic-X says it is, instead of my feelings on it, even though I know that final shot was me slightly pulling...I felt it when I pulled the trigger. I knew I would jinx that group after shots 1-3 being stacked on top of each other in the bull...And I did. But I'll still take a 0.4xx" group all day long even with me pulling a shot, as long as it will consistently do it.
Just went back into Ballistic-X into my history, and then just for fun pulled shot #4 from that group, and let it only measure shots 1-3... Those 3 shots were a 0.227" 3-shot group. I'll take that any day!
This was just for fun, I don’t actually make a habit of removing shots from groups, I just wanted to see what it would have been like, had I stopped at shot #3, and not pulled shot #4.
But I'll still take a 0.4xx" group all day long even with me pulling a shot, as long as it will consistently do it.Just went back into Ballistic-X into my history, and then just for fun pulled shot #4 from that group, and let it only measure shots 1-3... Those 3 shots were a 0.227" 3-shot group. I'll take that any day!
This was just for fun, I don’t actually make a habit of removing shots from groups, I just wanted to see what it would have been like, had I stopped at shot #3, and not pulled shot #4.
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I loaded up round 2 last night... 42.5, 42.7, 43.0, 43.2, 43.5... We're going to see how wide that node is this weekend. If 43.5 shoots similar as it did yesterday, then I will stick with that load, as it had the least amount of vertical stringing, and I knew when I shot #4 I had slightly pulled it to the right, so that 0.4xx" group should probably be closer to 0.2xx", but that was on me, and I'm going by what Ballistic-X says it is, instead of my feelings on it, even though I know that final shot was me slightly pulling...I felt it when I pulled the trigger. I knew I would jinx that group after shots 1-3 being stacked on top of each other in the bull...And I did.
You're chasing your tail trying to find "nodes"...
Been doing it this way for 20 years, and haven’t had a problem yet… And when a node is obvious, it’s very obvious, especially If the results can be replicated multiple times.
But I am curious as to your preferred method.
Been doing it this way for 20 years, and haven’t had a problem yet… And when a node is obvious, it’s very obvious, especially If the results can be replicated multiple times.
But I am curious as to your preferred method.
The Hornady guys sum it up well in their podcasts.
My testing and experience mirrors theirs.
Their podcast on sample sizes/statistics is well worth your time as well.
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So, is chasing ES and SD results wasting your time, too? Because I have noticed that I have some loads that shoot exceedingly well, but have a higher than preferred ES and SD. And some of my worst groups have the best ES and SD numbers...Occasionally, not very often, but I have seen it happen with several loads during development.
Past few years I've been doing a pressure ladder, pick a speed(charge weight), tune seating depth and done. Worked out 4 out of 4 times so far with consistent .5moa give or take. Many in the .3-.4s with my 223 and 6.5cm.
For many years all I did was work up the best load possible in a given rifle, then, after I found the load it liked best with the best repeat performance, I would chrono it to with my MSv2 to get my velocities for dope charts. So, I'm very skeptical of worrying about ES/SD numbers as being something to truly concern yourself over when developing a load for your gun. Thoughts?
Like I said, for MANY MANY MANY years I just worked up loads without a chrono, and some of those loads I still shoot today, because they are consistent and the rifles still spit them out into tiny groups. I think quite a lot of the hoodoo magic we've been sold as gun sports consumers is a bunch of bullshit, but I still like to waste my money and try new things that look cool...Then again, don't we all?
Like I said, for MANY MANY MANY years I just worked up loads without a chrono, and some of those loads I still shoot today, because they are consistent and the rifles still spit them out into tiny groups. I think quite a lot of the hoodoo magic we've been sold as gun sports consumers is a bunch of bullshit, but I still like to waste my money and try new things that look cool...Then again, don't we all?
I don't "chase" ES and SD - those just come with good reloading practices, equipment and components.
If you are trying to find specific powder charges that result in some sort of an ES/SD "node", you are chasing your tail.
So, you don’t believe in harmonics? Because a particular load built to the same specs every time, at a similar velocity should produce a consistent result…
So, what would you call a range of certain powder charges that continuously produce similar results, where the results were adverse both lower and higher then that particular range of charge weights? That sure sounds like a harmonic (velocity) node to me…
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