Gun Of The Week: Rossi USA R95

When it comes to lever-action rifles, Rossi USA is no stranger to the platform and has been in business crafting cowboy guns for quite some time. So that brings us here to the range where we’re greeted with a classic rendition of its R95, and it comes chambered for a classic, all-American deer-hunting round, .30-30 Winchester. Watch our video above to see the Rossi R95 in use on the range.

This Rossi R95 is just one example of a number of guns that have kept the quintessentially American lever-action platform alive. In particular, the company pays homage to the Marlin designs that emerged in the final years of the 19th century. Although Rossi opted to add a few modern appointments to its R95 design, mechanically, this particular model is a faithful copy of Marlin’s 1895 repeater and made available at nearly half the cost. The original design came chambered for heavy-hitting, big-bore pistol-caliber cartridges and the historic .45-70 Gov’t, but today’s 1895 from Rossi is dialed down a bit to include the .30-30 Winchester. This rimmed, tapered, bottlenecked cartridge was made specifically for repeating actions of this type, and the round continues to be a great performer in the deer woods to this day, more than a century after its introduction.

Aside from being a practical design chambered for a great hunting round, this Rossi R95 is a looker, too. Our sample sports a 20” barrel and comes fitted with dark-stained wood furniture. And considering this is a gun meant for the modern era, the R95’s steel receiver comes drilled-and-tapped for optics, which is a boon to hunters wanting to improve accuracy or avoid looking down the gun’s buckhorn sights with tired eyes. There’s also a set of sling studs and a soft rubber recoil pad to diminish the felt recoil from of hot-loaded .30-30s.

You’ll find textured panels on either side of the stock’s wrist and fore-end that help with user purchase, especially on those cold hunting days when hands are gloved. Rossi incorporates a standard-profile under-lever, which preserves the traditional lines of the guns as opposed to the big-loop levers we’re used to seeing today. There’s still plenty of room to get your hand in to operate the action, though.

On the range, the R95 manual of arms was easy to master. A notable feature of the Rossi R95 was the crossbolt safety located at the rear of the receiver, just underneath the spur hammer. Pushing this button to the left allows the gun to fire. Our testers also enjoyed the lightweight, quick-handling nature of the R95 and we believe this is a gun that has the ability to be a capable hunting arm for the woods, as well as a great casual plinker. If you’re looking for a more compact, carbine-type version of the same gun, Rossi also offers a version of its R95 with a 16.5” barrel.

Rossi USA R95 Specifications
Importer: Rossi USA
Action Type: lever-action, centerfire, repeating rifle
Chambering: .30-30 Win.
Receiver: alloy steel; black oxide finish
Barrel: 16.5" alloy steel; black oxide finish
Magazine: tubular; five-round
Sights: fully adjustable semi-buckhorn-style rear, post front
Stock: wood
Overall Length: 39"
Weight: 6 lbs., 13.6 ozs.
MSRP: $985