Rossi R95 Lever Action Rifle: Fun in the Field

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They say the .30-30 Winchester has been used to take more deer than any other cartridge. There’s probably no way to quantify that statistic but it’s fair to say it has been an extremely popular hunting cartridge throughout its 13-decade run. When something is used that often for that long, you can bet there’s a reason for it. The .30-30 Winchester simply gets it done with minimal fuss on game and, with fresh rifles on the market like the Rossi R95, its successful run is sure to continue.

Consistent with cartridge naming practices of the blackpowder era, the .30-30 Winchester got its name from its .30 bore diameter and 30 grains of powder. The original load pushed a 160-grain bullet at 1,970 fps. Coming on the heels of rounds like the .45-70 and .44-40, the .30-30 was a game-changing high-tech round with lightning-fast velocity, a jacketed bullet and smokeless powder. If anyone had a man bun, better known as a top-knot back then, they definitely hunted with a .30-30.

Deer haven’t evolved to be tougher over the past century, but bullet and powder technology have seen significant advances during that period of time. Modern loads such as the Federal Premium Hammer Down and Hornady LeveRevolution push 150-gr. and 140-gr. bullets at 2,300 and 2,465 fps - performance that is nothing to sneeze at.

With lots of body taper and a rim, the .30-30 Winchester is an excellent choice for a lever-action rifle. It feeds and extracts easily which is something that many of us take for granted for sake of accuracy and velocity. Lever-action rifles have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years and Rossi has emerged as a viable player in that market.

Rossi R95

There are two main product lines in Rossi’s centerfire lever-action rifle catalog—the top-ejecting R92, chambered in cartridges such as the .357 Magnum and .454 Casull, and the side-ejecting R95. The R95 is available in the handgun chamberings but also accommodates rifle cartridges such as the .30-30, .45-70, .444 and .360 Buckhammer.

In simplistic terms, the R92 is based on the Winchester 94 while the R95 is a near-clone of the Marlin 1895. Handily, many accessories intended for the Marlin are cross-compatible with the Rossi. The even better news is that the R95 Stainless Laminated comes stacked with accessories right out of the box so there’s not much for the end-user to buy.

This R95 uses stainless steel for the majority of its metal components so it will do well in the elements. The barrel is 20 inches, which strikes a nice balance between ballistic performance and portability. With this barrel length, the overall length of the rifle is 39 inches. The twist rate is 1:12, standard for the .30-30.

The receiver is constructed from stainless steel. A round bolt rides inside of the receiver and extends out of the rear of the action when cycled, cocking the hammer along the way. Traditionally, a flat-top lever action would use a stamped steel extractor, but Rossi updated to an M16-style extractor that pins into the bolt and is actuated with a coil spring. I consider this an upgrade.

Loading and Safety

Below the ejection port there is a loading gate that provides access to the tubular five-round magazine that rides below the barrel. Traditionally, tubular magazines have negated the use of spitzer-style bullets for safety reasons but more recent innovations such as Hornady’s soft-tipped FTX bullets have changed that narrative. Tubular magazines may seem archaic to some but, to me, they offer one huge advantage – the ability to top them off. With a tubular magazine, the user can feed another round or two into the mag without taking the rifle out of the action. I’ve seen this come in handy while hunting bears on the move in thick scrub.

The R95 uses a crossbolt safety located at the back end of the receiver where your thumb can reach it easily. The safety can be engaged when the hammer is in the cocked or half-cock position. What’s handy is that, if the hammer is fully cocked, you can engage the safety before lowering the hammer to half-cock. If the hammer slips, the gun is still on safe.

The trigger on our R95 broke at 5.75 pounds after a bit of creep. That may sound heavy when compared to a precision rifle but, on a lever-action, that’s pretty much average. This R95 comes with a large-loop cocking lever which allows for heavy gloves in the winter. It’s become popular for users to weave 550-cord around the lever to protect their knuckles during recoil—this rifle comes with that straight from the factory.

When lever-action rifles hit the market, scopes were a rarity. When scope use became popular decades later, the design limitations of top-ejecting lever guns became apparent. The answer was the solid-top rifles produced by Marlin that had a nice flat surface on top of the receiver for mounting an optic. The R95 is drilled and tapped for scope mounting with four 8-40 holes positioned on top of the receiver.

Options

On the model we tested, Rossi took things a step further. This rifle has an extended Picatinny rail that covers the top of the receiver and extends 6.5 inches down the barrel. This provides 10 inches of mounting surface. Given the length of the rail, the end-user can mount a traditional riflescope, a red dot, or even an extended eye relief scout-style scope. This is an extremely versatile mounting setup that would add significant cost to the rifle if purchased separately.

Optics are great but there are situations where I’d rather have iron sights; hunting over dogs comes to mind. This rifle is ready for those scenarios, as well. Our R95 was equipped with quality iron sights. The front sight is a drift-adjustable .100 gold bead dovetailed onto a steel base that screws onto the barrel. The rear aperture attaches to the full-length rail and is adjustable for both windage and elevation. The screw-in aperture is .115, which allows some light in around the front sight. In situations where a faster sight picture is desired, the insert can be removed which leaves a .175 sight that’s more of a ghost-ring. These are really useful sights—Rossi gets a thumbs up.

The laminate stock is a bit of the best of both worlds. It provides some of the esthetics of wood but is essentially weatherproof thanks to its construction. It looks good next to the stainless steel. The length-of-pull is 13 7/8 inches which includes a soft rubber recoil pad.

This rifle weighs 6.85 pounds. That medium weight, combined with the modest ballistics of the .30-30 cartridge means that recoil is extremely light. In this chambering, the R95 is very pleasant to shoot. I take that back—this rifle was fun to shoot.

Final Impressions

Given the excellent iron sights and the overall spirit of shooting a lever-action, I did not mount an optic to the R95. The front sight is far enough away from my middle-aged eyes that I can still get a sharp focus and vital-sized steel targets were easy to hit at well-beyond 100 yards. Leave your Kestrel at home and hunt like your grandfather.

The lever-action .30-30 has been a North American mainstay since the horse was the primary means of transportation. It is effective now just as it was then, and with options like quality optics and stainless-steel construction, it is even more versatile. With the R95, Rossi has built a quality lever-action rifle at a reasonable price point.

Rossi R95 Specs

• Type: Lever-action centerfire repeater
• Caliber: .30-30 Winchester (tested)
• Barrel: 20 inches, 1:12 twist
• Weight: 6 pounds, 14 ounces
• Capacity: 4+1
• Stock: Laminated wood
• Finish: Polished stainless steel
• Sights: Bead front, adjustable aperture rear; Picatinny rail
• Safety: Crossbolt
• Trigger: Single-stage, 5.75 pounds
• MSRP: $1,213
• Manufacturer: Rossi, rossiusa.com

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