I had the pleasure of making Aaron Voigt's acquaintance back in 2017 with the launch of the Trailblazer Lifecard series of folding pistols, which he designed and developed. The impression that remained with me after reviewing his first firearm design was that the quality of the product was just as high of a priority as its curious configuration. The practice of using top-quality materials and cutting-edge manufacturing techniques carried over into his next product, the Trailblazer Pivot carbine, launched in 2023. It would go on to win a coveted Golden Bullseye Award for tactical product of the year in 2024.
The modular Stowaway is a modern interpretation of the single-shot survival rifle platform.
The same year that the Pivot started shipping, Voigt launched another veteran-owned company devoted to manufacturing American-made firearms. Dubbed Dark Mountain Arms, this company's flagship product series is the lineup of modular single-shot, caliber convertible Stowaway takedown survival rifles and large-format pistols. The Stowaway was inspired by the first rifle that Voigt owned as a teenager, which was a Keystone Sporting Arms Chipmunk. Although his latest platform draws on certain design concepts reflected in these svelte, single-shot .22 LR bolt actions, it is by no means a clone or a copy of that gun. For this evaluation, I took a closer look at the rifle version chambered in the unconventional FN 5.7x28 mm cartridge along with a 9 mm caliber conversion.
The Stowaway is a proprietary single-shot, bolt-action takedown rifle designed to be as lightweight as possible without compromising the quality of its construction. As it arrives from the factory, the FN 5.7x28 mm version tips the scales at just 2 lbs. 14.8 oz. Installing the 9 mm pistol caliber conversion reduces the weight just a bit more to 2 lbs. 13.4 oz., unloaded. Overall, this is one of the lightest centerfire rifles currently available.
This rifle is easily disassembled without the need for tools.
At the heart of this little survival gun is a tubular “upper” receiver, threaded at the front and open at the back, milled from 6061 T6 Aluminum and treated with a matte black Type II anodized finish. The receiver is topped with an aluminum 9-slot Picatinny optics rail that houses the takedown lever that allows the bolt assembly to be removed from the receiver either for cleaning or caliber swaps.
The “lower” receiver, which contains the trigger group, is molded from durable glass filled nylon. The tubular aluminum shoulder stock is mounted into a port at the rear of the lower via two retention screws and capped off with a textured polymer butt plate. The generously sized square-profile trigger guard is made from aluminum and bolted into the polymer lower. The guard provides a mounting point for the removable B5 Systems AR-style textured pistol grip.
The barrel and barrel nut can be quickly removed for more compact storage.
The thin-profile barrels, sometimes called “pencil barrels,” are made from 4140 steel, button rifled and treated with a corrosion resistant black nitride finish. They are listed as 16" long but measure 16.625" (16 5/8") due to the addition of a scaled down AR-15 style barrel extension which engages with the three lugs of the bolt. The rifling of the FN 5.7x28 mm barrel is cut at a 1:9” right-handed twist rate while the 9 mm sports a 1:10” twist. Both barrels have muzzles threaded at 1/2"x28 TPI for popular muzzle devices including flash hiders, compensators and, in this case, sound suppressors. Knurled and anodized aluminum thread protectors are provided.
At the top of the barrels' extensions is a small post which aligns with a notch cut into the threaded portion of the aluminum receiver. This ensures the barrels are properly aligned and seated when installed. The barrel is secured in place by a 4.7" long aluminum tube which serves as both a barrel nut and the rifle's forend.
This caliber-convertible 3 lb. rifle is currently available chambered in FN 5.7c28 mm and 9 mm.
The bolt assembly consists primarily of black oxide coated 4140 steel components which, where needed, are heat treated for added durability. The knurled charging handle is made from aluminum. It's worth noting here that this gun's ejection port and charging handle are on the left side of the receiver which will make it a welcome option for southpaw shooters. This configuration also allows right-handed shooters to operate the action with their support hand while maintaining a shooting grip with their shooting hand. Either way, it's a good fit for both groups.
The bolt assembly has been simplified to reduce this rifle's weight as much as possible. As a result, opening and closing the action will feed in fresh rounds and eject spent cartridge cases but it does not automatically cock the striker. With the action closed, the striker is fully cocked by pulling backwards on the glass reinforced nylon cocking knob. It makes a distinctive audible and tactile “click” when properly set. This manual cocker is rebounding, meaning that in between shots it rests in essentially a half-cocked position so that it will not come into contact with the firing pin if bumped or dropped. Because this gun can only fire once the cocking knob has been locked back, there are no other external safety levers or buttons.
The bolt assembly features a left side charging handle and a polymer cocking knob.
The vertical steel trigger would have a flat face if not for just a hint of beveling for added comfort. Although the trigger's feel is fairly unique, I found it pleasant to work with once I got the feel for it. The gun sent for this evaluation exhibited a trigger pull of 4 lbs. 4 oz. with a 0.5" arc of travel. Roughly 0.3" through the swing the trigger breaks then continues to travel. Basically, it swings through like a double-action revolver trigger but with a lighter, easier going feel.
Disassembling the Stowaway for storage or transport is a simple process that does not require any tools nor are there any tiny loose components to manage. Begin by opening the bolt and verifying the gun is completely unloaded. With the bolt open, twist off and remove the barrel nut and then pull the barrel out of the receiver. Close the bolt and this rifle is ready to be packed.
The polymer pistol grip can be removed and traded out for other AR-15 type grips.
Thankfully, the Dark Mountain caliber conversion kits are very easy to install. Instead of having to pull pins and screws to swap out the bolt, this company provides a complete, ready to use bolt assembly with the caliber conversion barrel. If the barrel is already removed from the receiver, just open the bolt, pull it back and then, while depressing the optics rail mounted takedown lever, pull the bolt assembly out of the receiver. Insert the new bolt assembly while pulling the trigger back. With the bolt in the open position, insert the new barrel and then twist the barrel nut back into place. Now the rifle is ready to shoot with a different caliber of ammunition.
While I was working with this rifle, there was a good deal of conversation about sound suppressors in the shooting sports community due to the possible passage of positive legislation. Bolt actions like this one can be ideal suppressor hosts because of their closed action design. But some suppressors are large, heavy and kind of awkward to use, especially with a little survival rifle specifically designed to be as light weight as possible.
Silencer Central’s lightweight titanium Banish suppressors are an ideal fit for this platform.
Thankfully, Silencer Central offers two suppressors that are an ideal fit for this platform. The all-titanium Banish 22 is a great fit for the FN 5.7x28 mm barrel. This 1" diameter, user serviceable 8-baffle suppressor is just 5.375" long and weighs only 4.1 oz. But it is still sturdy enough to be full-auto rated with calibers from .17 HMR up to FN 5.7x28 mm.
For the 9 mm barrel, I went with the recently released ultra-small Banish 9k. This 3-D printed 1.3" diameter titanium suppressor is also an 8-baffle design. But it's only 4.1" and weighs an impressively light 2.7 oz. The caliber range for this can includes .380 ACP, FN 5.7x28 mm, 9 mm, and the .300 BLK rifle cartridge with a sound reduction potential of 26 dB. And so, if you only wanted to invest in one suppressor for both Stowaway’s current center-fire calibers, the Banish 9k would do the trick. Pricing for these suppressors starts at $549.
At the shooting range the Stowaway proved to be utterly reliable with all of the ammunition and accessories tested.
For the range test, this rifle was topped with an affordably priced Riton Optics’ X1 TACTIX ARD red-dot ($199) mounted to the carbine using the provided quick-release, AR-height riser (a low mount is also included). The Stowaway proved to be utterly reliable with all the FN 5.7x28 mm and 9mm ammunition tested. There were no malfunctions of any kind throughout the course of testing. The formal bench-rested accuracy was conducted from a rubber bench block by firing three 3-shot groups for three loads into paper targets posted at a distance of 50 yards.
A Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph was on hand to measure the average muzzle velocity for 10-shot strings with each load. The test ammunition manufacturers included DoubleTap Ammunition, Federal Premium, Fiocchi USA, G9 Defense, and Hornady. Here are the results without the suppressors installed:
After the formal testing was completed, a fourth 3-shot group was fired with each of the FN 5.7x28 mm and 9 mm loads through the Banish 22 and the Banish 9K suppressors. I wanted to see if they might cause any appreciable change in group sizes. If we average all the group size averages together (this is called the Extreme Spread in the performance table) we get 1.07" for the FN 5.7x28 mm and 2.16" for the 9 mm barrel without the suppressors. The average group size with the suppressors was 1.12" for the FN 5.7x28 mm and 2.16" for the 9 mm. In other words, the suppressors did not negatively affect the accuracy potential. And quite frankly, the suppressors made an already fun gun to shoot even more enjoyable to use!
The FN 5.7x28 mm cartridge proved to be fast, accurate and soft shooting when fired from this little rifle.
The Dark Mountain Arms Stowaway single-shot takedown rifle has turned out to be one of my favorite guns to work with this year. Yes, I know, single-shot backpack guns like this are a bit niche. They tend to appeal to certain segments of the outdoor and survival crowd. But this takedown model has qualities and features that make it an attractive option for a broader audience.
First, the initial caliber options are smartly selected. The FN 5.7x28 mm is widely untapped as a survival or hunting round. But hopefully that will change as more companies, like Dark Mountain, pick up on what this slick little cartridge has to offer. And 9 mm, a ubiquitous defensive pistol round, is affordable, easy to find, packs more of a punch than rimfire cartridges and it’s enjoyable to shoot out of a gun like this one. But for those who have a hankering for rimfire options, this company will be offering .22 LR and .22 Mag. versions of this platform in the near future.
Ammunition for the 9 mm caliber conversion is plentiful, affordable and enjoyable to use.
Next is its size and less-than-3-lb. weight. When fully assembled, the rifle version has an overall length of 31.78" and a length-of-pull (LOP) of 12.75". With the barrel, barrel nut and bolt assembly removed from the receiver, this rifle's components should fit comfortably into a storage space that's roughly 17" long, 7.25" wide and 1.5" tall, depending on how the parts are tucked and stacked. It will comfortably fit into bags, packs and storage places other long guns simply will not fit.
The best individual 3-shot group of 0.84” was fired using the Federal American Eagle FN 5.7x28 mm load.
Last, but by no means least, there's the quality. I've handled other rifles in this class that seemed to be no more than an afterthought for the manufacturers. The Stowaway is, for lack of a better term, a “professional grade” single-shot takedown. Overall, the fit, finish and function is excellent. It feels and behaves like a rifle that really can be counted on in a pinch. With listed prices starting at $389 for the pistols and $419 for the rifles, folks are getting a top-notch gun for the price. For more information, visit darkmountainarms.com.
