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by Scott Crawford - April 6 2024 Late in December 2023, Rossi announced the upcoming release of their new model R95 .30-30 Winchester rifle in stainless steel and laminate stocks. While Rossi had previously released their new R95, .30-30 in a walnut look stock, this rifle is a big step up in my eyes. Yes indeed, it is upgradeable with aftermarket parts that fit the very popular Marlin 336 rifle. I also love the large loop lever on this model, wrapped with paracord it is friendly to your hands and extremely helpful when wearing gloves. Unboxing the new Rossi R95 Laminate It was just three months ago when I wrote my review of an R95 Rossi rifle, the first .30-30 Trapper. That was my first experience with a new model R95, and it turned out to be fun to use & reliably accurate lever gun. That leads me to this review. I am extremely happy to see them expanding their line of R95's and looking forward to even more choices. 
So, let’s get down to business. The model R95 is available in two calibers (as of this writing) .30-30 Winchester (Tested) and .45-70 Gov't., two different barrel lengths (16.5”, & 20” [Tested]).  I’ll start off with just how smooth this action is. Both in running a round from the tubular magazine into the chamber and extracting a fired cartridge, this is probably the smoothest action I've ever had the pleasure of operating in a lever gun. After running factory and hand loads in the hundreds through this rifle, I didn't have one fail to load, fire or eject. Just a pleasure to operate both from the bench and standing. On with the details. The Rossi R95 Laminate 20.0” barrel holds five rounds of .30-30 Winchester in the magazine tube. The side loading gate is easy to depress while loading rounds and looks good as well The large loop finger lever when worked with deliberate forceful action is as mentioned before, smooth! Cheek weld and sight alignment felt natural, pretty much like a 336 Marlin. Very comfortable rifle to shoulder and it is after all, only 39.00” overall length. While this is a bit longer than the Trapper model it is still made for tight spaces. And at just under 7.0 pounds (naked) it is a breeze to carry all day. I’ve carried this length rifles for years in the woods and this model from Rossi has just made my list of useful & reliable timber rifles. The factory sights on this model consist of an adjustable rear ghost ring and drift adjustable front blade. It also has a full length Picatinny Rail that easily accepts a scope or almost any sight option you want. This design is very functional and right out of the box I was in the ten ring at twenty-five yards and later at fifty. I did mount a Hawke 1-4x20 IR scope for testing the rifle and since I kept the rifle after testing, the scope will stay on.   The stock and forearm are constructed of gray laminate wood giving a distinct color. I'm very happy it had sling studs installed as I often carry with a sling on trails or hunting. The rubber butt pad was adequate for firing the .30-30 rounds providing just enough cushion.  The metal fit and finish on this particular model is very crisp, clean and very acceptable. The overall impression when picking up & handling the rifle is that it was quality built from the start. The sights sit plumb on the barrel, not canted to one side, the hardware isn’t scratched or mangled from assembly and the wood to metal fit is very acceptable for this price of a firearm. The metal finish on the barrel and receiver is polished stainless steel. I'm a stainless lover both, on handguns and long guns and this model is no exception. It makes a great looking overall package.   The rifling twist on this model is 1:12 with six grooves which works well for a .30-30 load. I found the accuracy, repeatability quite good for a 20.0" barreled rifle. The muzzle on this rifle is the typical crowned, round barrel with no threading for a suppressor.  Now let’s talk ammo. I used one factory ammo load, the Hornady LeveRevolution 150-grain FTX which seemed to run very smooth. The rest of the rounds I shot were my hand loads of Starline brass and the Hornady 150-grain round nose Interlocks. They all loaded, cycled & ejected without issue. I loaded the Starline Brass with 35-grains of LeveRevolution powder providing right at 2,290 fps muzzle velocity. While not a hot round it was great for testing over 200 plus rounds from the bench and provided consistency across all testing.  At 6.8 lbs., naked, this model is plenty light enough for hauling through the woods all day long. As alluded to before, this rifle managed to hit the ten ring at fifty yards easily with factory sights; I’ve shot several lever actions that took considerable adjustment in the iron sights to get on target. I did attach a scope for testing so I could really understand how well the rifle grouped on target. With my hand loads the rifle was grouping just under 1.375" at fifty yards. Plenty good for a lever action rifle and on-target for my deer hunting ranges. While some may balk at the Rossi $1,212.99 price tag, I'd say it is priced right compared to the competition’s available rifles. While Rossi certainly isn’t built in the United States it is built by a trusted firearms manufacturer that has been around since 1889. For those that like to "modernize" their rifles, companies such as Ranger Point Precision offer partial or complete makeover kits or parts that will rival any other modernized rifle on the market.  Parting Shots  I wanted to summarize what I thought of the overall package compared to my other lever action rifles. This rifle is almost identical in weight and overall length, although most of mine are in the 16.5" to 18.5" length. It carries five rounds in the magazine which is a requirement for me if possible. The wood to metal fit is every bit as good if not better than some of my other lever actions and the action is extremely smooth. Did I say that enough? From a purely cosmetic perspective, I wish they would have made the Cross Bolt Safety push button out of stainless to match the receiver. It works perfectly fine; it just stands out more than I wish it did. On the other hand, I just love the lever wrap. It makes working the lever as comfortable as you can make it. Overall I'd say these Rossi-built rifles handle well (with good balance), provides very good grouping and ranks high on the overall finish of metal to wood fit. I have learned during the "Test & Evaluation" phase that I need to add a couple of .30-30's to the safe. I know it is not my normal straight wall cartridge however this rifle changed my mind entirely. I intend to change this moving forward. Thank you, Rossi, for allowing me this opportunity. Would I buy one? Absolutely. This will be in the field with me during this year's deer season! Technical Specifications
   
IN THIS ARTICLE Rossi Firearms
Hornady Bullets
Starline Brass
Hodgdon Powder
Hawke Optics
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