Was really looking for a new Marlin/Ruger classic in 30-30, but they disappeared. Saw one on gunbroker for 1700!
I did handle a new marlin in 44 at the shop. Very nicely fit and finished. Action wasn't as smooth as I hoped. Did find a trapper on line for 1100. Stainless and laminated stock.

Then I started looking at Rossi R95, both 20inch and trapper. Like that pistol grip stock. Only hardwood but seems reviews are positive. In the 600 range. Just going to be a truck gun, keep in the corner gun. Pretty much a direct copy of the 336.
Anyone have one?

I have one in .357 mag. I have only put a few hundred rounds through it, and those were mostly 38s. Other than the crappy saftey, on top of the receiver, I have been very happy with the gun. I haven't had any problems with the saftey, I just hate tge look of it up there. The mag was pretty hard to fully load when I first got it, but I cut a few coils off of the magazine spring, and that helped out a lot.

I have one that is about 15 year old 16-inch .357 Magnum and it runs fine. God Bless

quote:

Originally posted by smithbc:
I have one in .357 mag. I have only put a few hundred rounds through it, and those were mostly 38s. Other than the crappy saftey, on top of the receiver, I have been very happy with the gun. I haven't had any problems with the saftey, I just hate tge look of it up there. The mag was pretty hard to fully load when I first got it, but I cut a few coils off of the magazine spring, and that helped out a lot.

The R95 is a new design modeled after the 336, not the Winchester 92. It has a cross bolt safety like the newer Marlins, not the safety on top of the bolt like the R92. I've not seen one in person, but I'm intrigued.

I almost bought an R92 in .44 Mag a couple of years back but I stumbled into the Marlin 1894 that I really wanted before I dropped the hammer on the Rossi.

I have one of their copies of a 1892 Winchester. I have had it over 20 years. I got it used. It was made before they put the safety on top of the bolt. I have put several hundred rounds thru it. I have never shot it past 50 yards. I can hit clay birds on the ground at that distance, off hand. I have never had a problem with it. I am happy with it.

I have a Rossi in 357-16” barrel. First thing I did was to tear it apart and remove and edges on everything. Then I slathered valve grinding compound (800 IIRC) on the insides and put it back together. Ran it about a hundred cycles and flushed it out with mineral spirits. Took it apart, cleaned and oiled it and it’s a champ!

I ground down the silly safety nubs on the top and reblued it(now it’s always on fire). And I put a marbles front sight on it-the one with the brass bead.

I also clipped off one coil on the ejector spring as it was absolutely tearing brass up such that I couldn’t reload it.

Perfect truck gun, and no one calls 911 if you step out of your truck with it.

Got to handle a 20 inch today. Really smooth action. Looks exactly like the 336 action, with a AR style ejector.

Now have to decide 20 or 16.5 barrel?? Figure 4 inches less barrel in 30-30 will make a huge difference at 100yd distances.

I've got a carbine in .45 Colt and I'm impressed. Runs great and darned accurate as a brush gun/defense gun.

keep in mind Rossi is owned by Taurus ,

meaning they generally build a good firearm, as long as it is not a poly framed pistol

Going all in.
Selling a Winchester 94, 86-87.
Ordering 2 R95's, a 20 inch classic and a 16.5.

Part of me screams "Noooo!" But another part of me says I'd rather have a 336 than a Win 94, especially a post-'64 version. If Rossi is making a reliable 336 clone, this may be a good call. I'll be interested to hear your take on them, and a range report when you get them out.

Rossi may be owned by Taurus but they are different animals. I have a 16" stainless Rossi in .357, (I got it in a trade) and could not be happier with it. It is very accurate and feeds everything I have put in it. High powered .38 rounds, if you can call them that, feel like a .22. It does have a problem loading/cycling soft point ammo but I mostly shoot fmj or jhp without issue.

Timely thread. My trapper in .357 is scheduled to arrive at the FFL Monday. I'll report back. My plan is safety delete and peep sight. I've heard positive things about the platform but nothing in regards to the 357. So it's a bit of the unknown.

I own two of the Rossi's, a .357 and a .44, both 20in and in stainless. They are fun to shoot, accurate, and function like they should. Now, quality is definitely not Marlin, but for the price.... I bought them 12-13 years ago as a pair, it was a divorce present to myself. They have gone up close to $300 each since then. Now, I need to replace a buttstock on the .357 due to a crack in the buttstock at the grip. Had it on ATV across the rack and I'll leave the rest for imagination.

The Rossi R 95 arrived at my FFL. The lever action is very smooth. Fit and finish is about what I would expect if not better. The trigger is weird. It feels heavy but averaged about 5.5 pounds in 6 pulls with one being closer to 4 and a half pounds. The trigger has a very hard wall and breaks clean, but feels heavier to my calibrated index finger. The trigger also started to feel lighter after about 20 dry presses. I hope to run a few rounds through it tomorrow. I will be replacing the buckhorn sight with a Ranger Point and installing a safety delete. After that, I probably won't do much beyond a sling.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mlazarus,

I have a Rossi Ranch Hand in .357/38. Fun gun. Only issue I’ve had is that it won’t feed .357 magnum, 158gr jacketed soft points. Round nose lead or plated in either caliber as well as HP feed fine. Just does like the SP.

I’ve used a Rossi 24” octagon barrel in .45Colt in Cowboy Action since 2015 with an action job and spring upgrade kit…since the upgrade it doesn’t eject brass to the moon…but it ejects spent brass in a neat pile about 3’ away and is slick as a minnow…but be warned…disassembly and installation of the spring kit can be a challenging task (Saint John Moses Browning loved himself a puzzle)…but if you pay attention and follow YouTube videos (hopefully they are still there)…because the the 1892 action is based on the 1886 Winchester…it is viewed by many lever action shooters as the strongest lever action rifle own the market…hope this helped…this Aussie’s videos are an excellent place to start …

https://youtu.be/rKAucKBnbes

https://youtu.be/K0r0l5MRNaU

https://youtu.be/hzRiXnG1q5g


OOOPS…my bad…just saw in your post that you are buying a Model 95…my reading comprehension is lacking as of late … maybe these links will help some other Rossi Model 92 owners

I had the chance to shoot the R95 today. Faster .357 rounds grouped about 1 and a half inches at 60 yards using the buckhorn sights. Slower rounds (same bullet weight (158 grains) were a little more spread out. Velocities for the fast rounds were about 1650 fps and very little deviation. Slower rounds were around 1350 fps. 132 grain .38 special fed with zero issues and they ran right at 1000 fps. Shooting the faster .357 magnum rounds produced almost no recoil. The .38 special rounds were like shooting a louder .22. Action was very nice. Trigger is improving. Buckhorn sights are not my thing. I meant to install the peep sight at the range. I even brought my tools with me. If only I remembered to bring the actual sight...