Rossi one ups Marlin with new R95 .30-30 Lever Gun

Rossi is returning to the territory of a wood-stocked .30-30 caliber lever action brush gun with the new model R95 in both 16.5-inch carbine and 20-inch rifle variants for 2023.

Rossi has long been in the lever gun business, making their well-liked Model R92-- a great copy of the classic Winchester 1892-- in a host of revolver cartridges as well as the rimfire caliber Rio Bravo. Now, the Taurus subsidiary is re-entering the .30-30 market with the Model R95.

Rossi R95 in .30 30 — The 16.5-inch carbine, which runs a short 35.5-inches overall, carries an oversized loop while the longer 20-inch rifle has a more traditional loop on the lever action. (All photos: Rossi)

The R95 series ship standard with a hammer-forged barrel (in either 16.5- or 20-inch variants) with a 1:12-inch RH twist, a hand-finished lever action, a large side-loading gate, and a 5+1 underbarrel tubular magazine. As far as sights and optics, the receiver is drilled and tapped for the user's choice of glass, while a drift adjustable front and buckhorn rear sight are standard.

The Brazilian hardwood furniture has a walnut finish and is listed as being "compatible with rails and handguards that work with another major manufacturer’s lever action." Give you three guesses who that major manufacturer may be...

Both the receiver and barrel are listed as being made of alloy steel with a black oxide finish. The weight on the 20-inch model is listed as 6.85 pounds while the shorter 16.5 is just slightly lighter. Other standard features include a thumb safety, a fairly thick recoil pad on the buttstock, and sling swivel posts.

Midwest Industries is also advertising a Rossi R95 complete with a MI handguard and extended sight system, so that could be a factory option inbound as well.

Rossi previously made a very similar 336-style lever gun, dubbed the Rio Grande, off and on from 2010 through 2018 with a fairly attractive MSRP of around $643 at the time. The company marketed it both with a regular and large loop as well with an option for a Realtree APG camo stock in addition to the standard Brazilian hardwood furniture.

Now for the 2023 update. MSRP on the new Rossi R95 is $949 regardless of model, which is a good bit more than the old Rio Grande which only dropped off the catalog a half-decade ago. However, when compared to the oof-inspiring $1,239 ask for a new Ruger-made Marlin 336 Classic, it could be a relative bargain.

Brian with Build, Hunt, XPlore has a short review on the new Rossi R95, below.

Read More On:

Loading