Aero Precision is synonymous with quality and affordability, and the company's new products for SHOT Show 2025 were excellent examples. Aero brought all the enhancements from its Pro line to its large-format ARs with the M5 Pro, rolled out the Solus bolt-action rifle in .300 PRC, and showcased Hornady’s new .338 ARC round.
M5 Pro
Last year, Aero debuted the M4 Pro line with upgraded features to the company’s AR-15 rifles. This year, Aero is taking all the M4 Pro features and adding them to its large-pattern AR rifles. This will be called the M5 Pro and will initially be chambered in .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor, with other calibers coming.
The Pro rifles will have fully ambidextrous controls, including a bolt hold-open and release. I love ambi controls. I find them so useful, and I’m not even left-handed. Pro rifles will also have Ballistic Advantage Cold Hammer Forged barrels, match triggers, enhanced buffer systems, and Magpul furniture.
Finally, the new MOD5 handguard is a new slimline but robust design. These should be available in Q3, and pricing has not been finalized.
Solus .300 PRC
Aero also was rolling out its long-action Solus rifle in .300 PRC. If you haven’t heard of this round, it’s a relatively new .30-caliber Magnum cartridge that is designed to launch heavy, high-performance bullets very far. The .300 PRC has been gaining popularity in both long-range hunting and Extreme Long Range matches that engage targets past 1,000 yards.
I got the chance to fire this rifle at Industry Day at the Range. I was able to get a first-round hit at 881 yards in high winds. I was also able to hit a 1-MOA target at that distance. To say the least, I was impressed. I’m glad to see that Aero is continuing to expand the Solus rifle line with more and more long-action options. Pricing and availability are to be determined.
.338 ARC
The final thing I got to experience was not actually an Aero product. Aero Precision is partnering with Hornady and Ballistic Advantage to debut Hornady’s new .338 Advanced Rifle Cartridge. The .338 ARC is intended to be the newest hard-hitting subsonic round. You can think of it as the .300 Blackout’s big brother. It has 1.5 times more energy than the typical .300 Blackout subsonic round and about twice the effective range.
It is designed to be fired from an AR-15 platform, so with just a barrel and bolt change, you can fire either a subsonic 307-grain Sub-X bullet or a supersonic 175-grain hollow point. And, you can use the same gas setting with both super or subsonic ammo.
At Range Day, I got to try the .338 ARC in an Aero M4 Pro rifle. I was blown away at how quiet and how soft shooting the round felt. It’s on my list of new cartridges to try in the coming year.
