Aero Precision and Ballistic Advantage forge new partnership

Aero Precision makes the left part and Ballistic Advantage makes the right.

Aero Precision, a big name in the AR business, picked up a majority share of Ballistic Advantage, a barrel manufacturer with a good reputation and a solid history. Each company on its own has proven its mettle and together they promise great things ahead, they said in a press release.

Aero has been a leader in the AR-15 market for years and has recently developed as their own rifle brand as well. Ballistic Advantage’s barrels, chambered for 5.56 NATO, .223 Wyle and .300 AAC Blackout are a natural fit for Aero’s rifles and uppers.

Recently Aero broke into the AR-10-style .308 Winchester/7.62 NATO field as well, and because of their new partnership, Ballistic Advantage will be applying their AR-15 skills to big-bore barrels in the near future.

“We picked Ballistic Advantage because we felt they made a great product at a great price and that was directly in line with Aero Precision’s products. They do a great job at manufacturing a critical piece of a rifle, much like we do with receivers,” Aero’s Chad Larson told Guns.com on the partnership.

“It also opens up a lot of product synergies between the two companies, some of which will be released in the next few months” he said. “The Hanson barrel is going to change the way a lot of people view the AR15.”

Hanson barrels eliminate straight cuts for improved accuracy and smoother barrel harmonics. They are offered with low-profile pinned gas blocks from the factory. (Photo: Weapon Outfitters)

The Hanson profile is their flagship design, built to minimize barrel whip and deliver accuracy through improved barrel harmonics. Developed by Clint Hanson, this particular profile allows Ballistic Advantage, and now Aero Precision as well, to shoot tight, predictable groups without adding bulk to their barrels or turning to more expensive machining processes such as fluting.

Ballistic Advantage offers barrels with their Hanson profile at different price points along with standard-profile barrels in their Modern, Performance and Premium series barrels.

All of their barrels are made from 4150 chromoly vanadium steel. The Modern and Performance lines have a QPQ nitride finish for durability and increased lifespan. The Modern series makes up their entry-level and uses a nitride finish on the barrel extension as well. Ballistic Advantage uses a FailZero nickel-boron finish on the barrel extension for easy cleaning and the barrels are individually high-pressure tested and magnetic particle-inspected.

The Premium series is constructed using 416 stainless steel, have recessed target crowns and finished by bead-blasting. These barrels are also HP and MPI-tested and have FailZero nickel-boron barrel extensions.

“Keep an eye on us,” Larson said. “We’re growing and expanding, with lots of new products to come and improvements to existing products and product lines.”

Ballistic Advantage is a great fit for Aero. Both companies have well-established reputations delivering above-average products at extremely competitive prices. Them working together will is going to put pressure on other AR builders and give people a “no-brainer” option when it comes to selecting an off-the-shelf rifle or upper receiver, at prices that will be very hard to beat.