Hello,
Less than a year ago, a small US Company named Dark Mountain Arms introduced a take-down rifle in the always interesting chambering of 5.7x28mm. I picked one up as an impulse buy, based soley on the rifle's resemblance (in my mind) to the Crutch-concealed assassin's take-down rifle in the original film "The Day of the Jackal" with Edward Fox as the titular character. But I digress. What arrived this past week turns out to be a really fun little plinking/survival/backpacking rifle suitable for both the tin can killing camper and the prepper liifestyles. This little bolt-action rifle is surprisingly accurate if the shooter does his/her part to overcome the long and somewhat spongy trigger pull, consistently delivering sub-MOA 5-shot groups at 40 yards (so far). The 5.7x28mm cartridge easily reaches out to 100m, delivering devastating energy on small game using factory FN ammo with 40 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip projectiles.
The Left-side action is an interesting idea, the concept being that the firer can maintain a firing grip on the rifle throughout the loading, firing and unloading cyle. The mini action itself is a 60-degree lift with a slick and very short throw. The Stowaway is a single-shot firearm, with the firer placing single rounds in front of the retracted Bolt, which is then thrust forwards to chamber the round and lock the action. This places the rifle's acction in the Half-Cocked, drop-safe position. In order to actually fire the rifle the shomustt henoter physically draw the Cocking Piece on the rear of the Bolt further rearwards until it clicks into the cocked position. The rifle is now a trigger-press away from firing, with no manual safety or other devices preventing discharge. The firer lines up the target and works through the long, spongy trigger press to reach a rather crisp let-off. Excellent accuracy is possible despite the imperfect trigger, however it is more of a struggle than it ought to be. Hopefully either Dark Mountain or the after-market will eventually produce a "Trigger Kit" in order to improve the stock pull.
The physical take-down of the Rifle is very simple - unlock the action, then unscrew the Barrel Nut/Handguard. Once the Barrel Nut is loosened from the threads, simply pull the Barrel straight out of the Receiver. Easy-Peasey! Assembly is simply done in the reverse order, ensuring that the barrel is correctly aligned and seated using the AR15-style Barrel Indexing Pin in its corresponding Receiver slot.
The rifle's finish is a combination of nitrided steel and anodized T7075 aluminum alloy. The Barrel, Barrel Nut/Handguard, Receiver and Buttstock Strut are all steel components with an aluminum Bolt body. Despite the prevalent use of steel components, the rifle is still extremely lightweight in the hands.
So, is it worth the $600 MSRP? I think that the "Stowaway" is a bit pricey for what you get. That said, it is SUPPOSED to be a minimalist survival-type, take-down rifle, and in that regard it is very well done. The overall weight is just a couple of pounds, perhaps a single Kg (if that). The overall length is less than 17" when disassembled into the Barrel and Receiver components. The provided Picatinny Rail is adequate for a Red Dot sight or an LPVO if magnification is desired. The Length of Pull is 12.7" Trigger to Buttplate, which is quite comfortable for my 6'2" frame. Caliber changes are intended to be quick and easy, based on the swap of the Barrel and Bolt-Head. The 9mm conversion is shipping now, with .22LR, .17 HMR and other small calibres in te development pipeline...
Less than a year ago, a small US Company named Dark Mountain Arms introduced a take-down rifle in the always interesting chambering of 5.7x28mm. I picked one up as an impulse buy, based soley on the rifle's resemblance (in my mind) to the Crutch-concealed assassin's take-down rifle in the original film "The Day of the Jackal" with Edward Fox as the titular character. But I digress. What arrived this past week turns out to be a really fun little plinking/survival/backpacking rifle suitable for both the tin can killing camper and the prepper liifestyles. This little bolt-action rifle is surprisingly accurate if the shooter does his/her part to overcome the long and somewhat spongy trigger pull, consistently delivering sub-MOA 5-shot groups at 40 yards (so far). The 5.7x28mm cartridge easily reaches out to 100m, delivering devastating energy on small game using factory FN ammo with 40 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip projectiles.
The Left-side action is an interesting idea, the concept being that the firer can maintain a firing grip on the rifle throughout the loading, firing and unloading cyle. The mini action itself is a 60-degree lift with a slick and very short throw. The Stowaway is a single-shot firearm, with the firer placing single rounds in front of the retracted Bolt, which is then thrust forwards to chamber the round and lock the action. This places the rifle's acction in the Half-Cocked, drop-safe position. In order to actually fire the rifle the shomustt henoter physically draw the Cocking Piece on the rear of the Bolt further rearwards until it clicks into the cocked position. The rifle is now a trigger-press away from firing, with no manual safety or other devices preventing discharge. The firer lines up the target and works through the long, spongy trigger press to reach a rather crisp let-off. Excellent accuracy is possible despite the imperfect trigger, however it is more of a struggle than it ought to be. Hopefully either Dark Mountain or the after-market will eventually produce a "Trigger Kit" in order to improve the stock pull.
The physical take-down of the Rifle is very simple - unlock the action, then unscrew the Barrel Nut/Handguard. Once the Barrel Nut is loosened from the threads, simply pull the Barrel straight out of the Receiver. Easy-Peasey! Assembly is simply done in the reverse order, ensuring that the barrel is correctly aligned and seated using the AR15-style Barrel Indexing Pin in its corresponding Receiver slot.
The rifle's finish is a combination of nitrided steel and anodized T7075 aluminum alloy. The Barrel, Barrel Nut/Handguard, Receiver and Buttstock Strut are all steel components with an aluminum Bolt body. Despite the prevalent use of steel components, the rifle is still extremely lightweight in the hands.
So, is it worth the $600 MSRP? I think that the "Stowaway" is a bit pricey for what you get. That said, it is SUPPOSED to be a minimalist survival-type, take-down rifle, and in that regard it is very well done. The overall weight is just a couple of pounds, perhaps a single Kg (if that). The overall length is less than 17" when disassembled into the Barrel and Receiver components. The provided Picatinny Rail is adequate for a Red Dot sight or an LPVO if magnification is desired. The Length of Pull is 12.7" Trigger to Buttplate, which is quite comfortable for my 6'2" frame. Caliber changes are intended to be quick and easy, based on the swap of the Barrel and Bolt-Head. The 9mm conversion is shipping now, with .22LR, .17 HMR and other small calibres in te development pipeline...
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