Howa Carbon Stalker 2 308 Win 22" Rifle

Howa has been building bolt action centerfire rifles in Japan for decades, and Legacy Sports International brings them into the United States. The Carbon Stalker 2 sits in that lineup, and this one is chambered in 308 Win behind a 22" barrel.

Twenty two inches has been the standard barrel length for the 308 for about as long as the cartridge has existed, and there is a reason it stuck. It gets nearly everything the case has to give while keeping the rifle short enough to carry in timber, work from a blind or ride in a truck without fighting it. The cartridge itself needs no defending. Factory ammunition runs from cheap practice loads to controlled expansion hunting bullets, every optic and mount maker on the market supports the chambering, brass is easy to come by for anyone who loads their own, and recoil stays mild enough that most shooters can learn to shoot it well instead of learning to flinch. The bolt action keeps the rest simple. There is not much to go wrong, the lockup does not care whether it is wet or cold, and a shooter who wants to know where the rifle is pointed always does.