Gun of the Week: Dark Mountain Arms Stowaway

One of the more interesting firearms to emerge in recent years is from Dark Mountain Arms. The company's Stowaway rifle is a bolt-action, single-shot design chambered for the 5.7x28 mm FN cartridge. Watch our American Rifleman Gun of the Week video above to learn more about this survival-style firearm.

"This is a single-shot, bolt-action rifle in 5.7x28 mm, which is kind of unique," American Rifleman Executive Editor Jay Grazio said. "There's not a ton of bolt-action 5.7s out there. I looked around and it's, well, it's mostly custom stuff. There's some semi-autos out there, but when it comes to bolt-actions, well, you've got the Dark Mountain Arms. They also make it 9 mm, if you'd prefer that. They also make it in a pistol version and braced pistol version, if that's your thing as well."

With a barrel measuring 16 inches long, the Dark Mountain Arms Stowaway we have on the range is the full-sized rifle version, and it comes equipped with a lightweight, minimalist stock setup. The use of aluminum and glass-filled Nylon components means this platform weighs in at just 2 pounds, 12.8 ounces. A Picatinny rail at the top of the receiver makes it easy to mount optics.

"The real party trick for this rifle is that you simply twist a little collet here, and you can pull the barrel out," Grazio said. "So this is a neat little backpacking gun. It's very small, very versatile and very simple to operate."

When broken down for storage, the Dark Mountain Arms Stowaway takes up only 17 inches of space. A 1/2-28 TPI threaded muzzle allows for the attachment of suppressors.

"You'll notice it looks like it's a left-handed bolt, but it's just as useful for right handed folks because it means when you've got it up, then you don't have to break your firing grip," Grazio said. "And also, one quick thing to note is that once you close the bolt, you do have to manually cock it for every shot."

Suggested retail pricing on the Dark Mountain Arms Stowaway rifle is $419. For more information, visit the Dark Mountain Arms website here.