Brownells started carrying the 17" forend Solus chassis and it's a solid deal. Anyone have experience with these?
Solus Chassis
- Thread starter PRSDietitian
- Start date
Ive got one here. Pretty nice for the cost. Very rigid. Not a super fan of the cheek. Doesn't go quite low enough to get a cleaning rod in easily imo.
I helped my friend with his. Here are the highlights.
- The barrel doesn't sit square in the channel of the chassis, it does in the Bravo.
- The mag catch is funky, I think the lip that catches the mag is just too tall. Inserting a mag is a bit difficult, so is releasing it.
- MDT weights will interfere with an ARCA clamp, they're too tall. It will prevent clamp movement.
- The cheek-piece feels too narrow.
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how usable is it for the money? i was planning on a cheek piece cover to get a little more purchase on it
I would still consider getting one.
I wish the adjustable LOP mechanism had the sliding portion at the top of the pad, rather than at the very bottom. It does have a little bit of play in it, but it's not noticeable when shooting.
I wish the adjustable LOP mechanism had the sliding portion at the top of the pad, rather than at the very bottom. It does have a little bit of play in it, but it's not noticeable when shooting.
I have a 200 off coupon from brownells through a friend. waiting for my next check to come in. getting the 17" model with an mdt grnd pod and ARC rings
Thanks for the honest feedback. This is for my 1st personal PRS rig so obviously i want to make the most of my money and honest input is invaluable
No range time yet, I’ve only done some fondling and installed a barreled action. My barrel sits square in the channel, fwiw I also have an ACC that is off a bit. The forend is a bolt on, so maybe there is some wiggle before tightening. Agreed on LOP wiggle and cheek piece, will report on magwell issues.
OP, this is a solid buy. Considering the brownells coupon, I don’t think there is anything with these features and construction near this price point…maybe an XLR if you want to wait 4-6 months. I’m already considering buying another and selling an ACC to pay for both.
OP, this is a solid buy. Considering the brownells coupon, I don’t think there is anything with these features and construction near this price point…maybe an XLR if you want to wait 4-6 months. I’m already considering buying another and selling an ACC to pay for both.
That's what i was hoping to hear! only mods i plan to make are swapping the grip to an MDT and wait for the spigot mount, though a 17in forend will def be good for bipod use until then
Im really looking for more comparisons of this vs the Magpul 700 pro, based on the pricepoint, I'd probably recommend looking at both if you're pricepoint shopping as well.
I will agree with that and the magpul is a folder, but it lacks 2 things that makes me choose the aero
1. no integrated arca rail
2. not compatible with AW mags
I'm getting the ARC CDG action and have 3 AW mags for that
1. no integrated arca rail
2. not compatible with AW mags
I'm getting the ARC CDG action and have 3 AW mags for that
That does make a difference, if you've got $250 worth of mags waiting around with it. I dont have any arca gear yet, but I see the rail is available to bolt onto the Magpul option. Im jealous of the action. Ive been seeing stuff about it everywhere lately.
The thread sold me and i jumped on it the day preorders opened. Area 419 had them on sale and i got 3 for 198 with a mil discount. I have an MDT grnd pod with the arca version so it did lean me in the direction of the aero. i do wish they had the folder out the gate but im not complaining yet
AW and AICS mags use the same magazine well or bottom metal pattern.
The differences will be in whether or not the action is cut to accept AW mags (they have to sit higher in relation to the bolt and so require a relief cut on the bottom of a 700 footprint action, something unrelated to the chassis), and sometimes in whether or not the chassis/dbm mag catch allows the magazine to be placed high enough. This is why some manufacturers now offer extended or adjustable mag catches.
If that magazine well will accept an AICS 5rd, it will absolutely take an AW mag. I could see how the mag catch might not position an AW mag high enough to work with some actions, but I can’t see how a guy would know unless he or someone else had actually tried it with a specific action.
I'm using this with the new ARC action so getting it high enough is the concern. Having an adjustable mag catch is part of why I'm getting the aero
Put a bunch of rounds on this chassis yesterday. The mag catch has alot of pressure and is also angled into the empty magwell quite a bit. It was much easier to insert while depressing the lever. I’m running the cheek rest at its lowest setting, but there is still some wiggle. I have some foam tape to go on top, will put some underneath to take up the slop. I’m running my buttpad all the way in, no movement. The grip is actually quite nice, but I’m going to swap out for an ergo zero. I ordered another chassis in gray.
What's difference of forend length between an MDT ACC and a 17" Aero chassis? I had an ACC, and always seemed so long to me. Anyone have both an ACC and an Aero chassis to take a pic of both stacked on each other for comparison?
My ACC looked funky with an 18" bbl. Wondering if should go with a 15" or 17" aero chassis.
My ACC looked funky with an 18" bbl. Wondering if should go with a 15" or 17" aero chassis.
I'd get the 15" for an 18in barrel. the ACC I think is a 17 or 18in forend, so the 17" would be very similar
ACC is roughly an inch longer than 17” Aero. I like the tucked barrel look, so I’d go 17.
Liking it, selling an ACC or two. Needs clearancing for trigger hanger screw…easy enough with a dremel or palm router.
Buy one… you can then call yourself a gun smith.
No seriously buy one, they are cheap and handy!
Ok that said
Just received mine. I like it.
I have a couple Bravos that I have modded a bit on, ( such a great stock/chassis) also have an XLR Element which is good but I think the Solus may be a bit better, time will tell.
I have shot ACC and Envy Pros so this will be fun to compare. It does have the chassis “ring/vib” to it. No Foundation dampness here!
I did change the grip out for an MDT virt grip.
The mag seating will need adjustment, my mdt mags do not fit in as it come from Arto.
As someone else mentioned I had to shim my forward action screw for my origin action also.
With my full length bull barrel it is needing some weight in the back end to balance better. Hope a butt stock weight will be out soon!
Hope to shoot it this week and report back.
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I was thinking of getting this chassis in FDE, but after seeing this, I might go with the grey. Wow!
Has anyone found an external weight that doesn't interfere with sliding a CKYEPOD or other ARCA bipod around?
Have 3 of them... One on a custom Solus build (that's currently incomplete) and 2 of them on 700 5R Milspecs that I removed the HS stocks from.
They're awesome for the money.
Incomplete Solus build...
R700 5R Milspec 22" .260 Rem...
They are doing 20% off on their web site this weekend. The action. Is only 719 and free shipping. The chassis is 619, not sure what they regularly are but what a killer deal.
Holy crap, you added 10 pounds of weight with a 1.25” barrel? That thing must be pushing 30 pounds!
Was it that far out of balance to need all that weight? How did you secure the weights on the inside of the chassis?
Was it that far out of balance to need all that weight? How did you secure the weights on the inside of the chassis?
I have a 17” aero chassis and love it. The only issue I had was the cheek piece getting in the way for bolt removal and cleaning. I ended p cutting the slot on the cheek piece so I can remove it very easily. I suggested this to aero and they told me they will look into it. They also said they are going to release a folding mechanism very soon that replaces the extension on the stock so removal of the cheek piece won’t be an issue. Those that are having issues with slop on the buttstock or cheek piece, there is a nylon tipped set screw that will take up the slop
What mags are you using? This question goes for anyone using the Solus chassis. What mags work well? Either aw or aics.
