I love the simplicity and reliability of lever action rifles. They’re also nostalgic since they remind me of my Dad. Lever guns are enjoying a renaissance of late, and Rossi has expanded their lever action line by adding the classic .30-30 Winchester chambering to their R95 rifle.
The R95 is based on the popular Marlin Model 1895, and the .30-30 chambering is available with 16.5-inch and 20-inch barrels. Rossi also offers three furniture options: walnut, laminate, and the tactical “Triple Black.”
Rossi R95 .30-30 WIN 16.5”
We recently tested the 16.5-inch walnut version, which Rossi provided for that purpose. Let’s start with our test rifle’s specifications.
Specifications
- Caliber: .30-30 Winchester
- Barrel Length: 16.5 inches
- Capacity: 5+1
- Magazine: Fixed Tube
- Overall Length: 35.5 inches
- Weight: 6.7 lbs. (Unloaded)
- Walnut Stock and Handguard
- Alloy Steel Frame and Barrel
- Black Oxide Finished Frame and Barrel
- Front Sight: Drift Adjustable Blade
- Rear Sight: Adjustable Buckhorn
- Twist Rate: 1:12”
- Grooves: 6
Rossi R95 Features
The first thing I noticed about the R95 was the nice, contoured walnut stock. I’d never handled a Rossi before, and I don’t know what I expected, but the stock is much nicer than I anticipated. The pistol grip and handguard are lightly textured to provide a positive grip without feeling sandpapery. I like that combination. Checkering looks better, but this works just fine. The wood has more grain than I expected, too. It really does look nice.
Rossi notes that the R95 is compatible with rails and handguards “that work with another major manufacturer’s lever action.” That would be the Marlin 1895.
Fit and finish look good, though the stock rattled just a bit at first. Tightening the tang screw fixed that, and the rattle has not reoccurred. A thick, soft rubber butt pad eases recoil. Sling swivel studs are attached to the stock and machined into the barrel band. The black oxide finish is functional, if not eye-catching. This is a hunting rifle, not a presentation piece.
The large lever loop has plenty of room for any size hands, as well as gloves. It gets cold chasing whitetails in November, you know.
The hammer has a half-cock function, as you’d expect. The cross-bolt safety can only be engaged when the hammer is cocked, whether half or fully. The safety disengages the trigger when the hammer is down or in half-cock. You can pull the trigger when the rifle is on safe, but the hammer only drops to the half-cock position. I don’t like cross-bolt safeties on lever guns on principle, being the old-timer that I am. But I understand why firearms companies use them, and I can always choose not to use it if I want.
The side loading gate is a bit wider than my other lever guns, which I like. The R95 may be the easiest to load of all my lever action rifles.
The sights are classic lever gun, with the buckhorn rear and the bladed front with a faux bead. Many people don’t like buckhorns, and I get it. But it is worth your time to learn how to use them properly. Optics can fail, after all. The receiver is tapped for scope mounts or rails.
How Does it Run?
A lever gun is only as good as its action. Everything else can be great, but if the action isn’t smooth and robust, the rifle is useless, in my opinion.
I tend to run lever guns hard. So does my co-tester who is also my adult son. That’s how I taught him. We’re never going to short stroke an action. Lever guns are meant to be run that way. We’ve had a couple that didn’t hold up, but I’m happy to report that the Rossi held its own and more.
The action stroke is crisp and smooth. The lever locks up tight on the close. It doesn’t drag or stick. Every stroke is just like all the others so far. We’ve put 140 rounds downrange and have worked this action at least 500 times on its own. It’s solid.
The hammer is as smooth as the action. We’ve cocked, half-cocked, and decocked it hundreds of times as we worked the action. It’s the same now as it was out of the box. The trigger has no take-up and breaks crisply through the wall.
The Rossi shoulders comfortably and the 16.5-inch barrel makes it very handy. It points easily and we transitioned quickly. This isn’t a rifle with which I’d anticipate taking multiple shots, but that quickness, combined with the smooth action, sure doesn’t hurt.
At 6.7 lbs., the R95 isn’t exactly light, but neither is it heavy. Honestly, I don’t really want anything much lighter for a center-fire hunting rifle. In all, this was a very pleasant rifle to shoot. But how did it deliver downrange?
Shooting the Rossi R95 .30-30
I noted that the R95 is pleasant to shoot. The recoil isn’t bad and is mitigated a bit by the soft rubber butt pad. The 16.5-inch barrel has a bit more muzzle flip than the 20-inch model would, but it’s really no big deal. We had no problem staying on target.
The buckhorn sights were dialed in right out of the box, but we only tested them briefly. We quickly slapped on a new Vortex Viper HD 2-10×42 scope. The 2-10 magnification is perfect for this rifle in my native Appalachian Mountains. I don’t envision a scenario where I would ever take a shot beyond 125 yards or so, given where I hunt with this kind of rifle. Honestly, most of the shots I’ve taken in the mountains have been inside 50 yards.
We zeroed the scope at 100 yards with 150-grain Winchester Power-Point. That’s the round I anticipate using the most in the deer woods. But we ran four different loads:
- 150-grain Winchester Power Point
- 160-grain FTX Hornady LEVERevolution
- 170-grain Federal Fusion Bonded Soft Point
- 170-grain Federal Non-Typical Whitetail Soft Point FN
Most of the .30-30 Winchester ammunition for our testing was provided by Ammo-to-Go. I appreciate those fine folks’ sponsorship.
We consistently held 2-inch groups off the bench once we got zeroed. We had to learn the holds for the other loads, but our groups were consistent once we did that. Most of our shots, however, were freehand. This is not a precision rifle, and we didn’t treat it like one. We shot it like we will shoot it in the woods: freehand, and keeping the rifle shouldered while running the action.
The R95 is accurate, though unpracticed freehand groups are what they are, averaging 2 to 4 inches. All our shots, with each load, were technically in the kill zone for a whitetail but real shots on real animals, at my expected ranges, need to be more precise. I’m confident that practicing with a single load will improve that 2-to-4-inch spread.
Conclusion
I noted that I love lever action rifles. So much that I admit to being a bit of a snob. I grew up on old-school Marlins and Winchesters, and Henry has recently won my enthusiasm. I honestly never gave Rossi much thought.
But I recently had a chance to try one of the new Heritage rimfire lever guns, and I liked it. Then I got the opportunity for this Rossi. I was intrigued because I like lever guns, but I also knew that Rossi and Heritage are both affiliated with Taurus. The Heritage experience made me optimistic, so I accepted. After testing and running the Rossi, I’m glad I did.
My son and I like the R95. We like it a lot. There was a time when “Made in Brazil” might have scared me off. But not anymore. Taurus has gotten their act together, and that includes the Rossi R95. I know little to nothing about Rossi’s history, but I know that I like this rifle enough to buy it. Not only buy it but actually hunt with it.
A lever gun lives and dies with its action. This Rossi has that solid core. It’s not fancy, but it runs and that’s what I want. That’s what I need in the mountains.
I was cautiously optimistic when I got this rifle. The caution is all but gone now. I think time will eventually erase it altogether. If you’re looking for a solid, dependable lever action deer rifle that costs a bit less than its competitors, check out the Rossi R95. I think it will do the job for you.
