REVIEWED: Rossi R95 45-70 Laminate: A Modern take on a Classic

If you’ve been a shooter or gun collector any amount of time you’ve probably got a story about the one that got away. I definitely do, two in fact. Sometimes being an adult has to happen and we send those guns or gear that fit into the ‘nice to have’ category down the road. For me at least my big bore magnums weren’t seeing the use they once did and the money went into paying off more important stuff. One was a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 with a 7.5in barrel, the other, which hurts me quite a bit worse to this day, was a 2003 model JM Marlin 1895 guide gun in 45-70 purchased for the princely sum of $395 at Wal-Mart in Boone, NC getting ready for a black bear hunt.

That particular Marlin wasn’t my first lever gun or even my first big bore – that would have been the same model carbine in 444 four years prior, later sold to a cousin who’s passion is collecting magnums by my Dad who saw no real point in the caliber other than bragging rights. “30-30 or 30-06 is all you really need” he said. He might not have been all that wrong, who knows. Suffice to say he thought that $395 I’d just dropped was equally as silly when my old Marlin 336 would have done the job on a black bear just as well. But then again, I wanted those bragging rights along with a connection to the past. The allure of Quigly’s caliber of choice was too much for a young man’s soul and his wallet, along with a 405 grain lead nose. And it faded over time like any good late teenage fling, full of fond memories of a time gone past.

Marlin itself would fall on hard times in the years since, having been bought by Freedom Group, experiencing its reputation nosedive amid rampant QC problems, only to fade nearly into obscurity amid the tumultuous downfall and auctioning of Remington and everything in orbit around it much like Winchester had done first. That said life finds a way. And while Ruger is rapidly rebuilding the Marlin brand, right here in NC, in fact, other companies also stepped into the void left by an American icon’s downfall. Lever guns are as synonymous with American cowboy culture as cocaine, conchos, rhinestones and cheap tequila, while also coming back into vogue both by contemporary America’s resurgent infatuation with that lifestyle coupled with gun grabbers in all 50 states generally ignoring them as a relic of the past. Let’s keep it that way, but meanwhile appreciate some of the other companies that have risen to the times. Henry is doing great work for absolute certainty, but no conversation is complete without Rossi from our Gaucho brethren down in Brazil.

Brazil maintains a rich ranchero culture coming from common cultural ancestry in the Iberian peninsula and with it a unique firearms scene out of the necessity of ranch work. Some of the companies can be a bit…hit or miss, quite literally, but the fact remains that there are some real gems being built and among them are the lever guns themselves. One real sleeper is Rossi’s R95 lineup which owes its design quite literally to the Marlin 1895 design. Considered the strongest of the lever gun receivers, the 1895 was significantly different from previous top-gate or side-gate lever actions in that it had a single piece top receiver. This made scopes, becoming more and more commonplace in the era, easier to mount along with having the strongest action to handle increased chamber pressures of higher yield gun powder. This was one of the big differences that made Marlin a favored choice over Winchester for anything with more punch than a 30-30.

Back when I owned that 1895 one of the preferred modifications was outfitting the carbine with an extended top rail section, peep sight and adding a cattleman’s loop for running the action while wearing rancher’s gloves. This aftermarket package would make its way into Marlin’s lineup as the 1895SBL, which would later vanish only to be reborn on the big screen in Jurassic World. Rossi no doubt noticed the popularity and brought this model back, true to form, in the R95 while also adding another feature – a threaded barrel for suppression.

The action on the Rossi is as smooth as any Marlin I remember and definitely better than the post-Remington acquisition of the brand. This carbine was obviously built with attention to detail with a flawless stainless finish. Visually its one of the best finished firearms I can say I’ve ever purchased, on par with the Colt Python. The lever and bolt move with no slop whatsoever and the trigger is quite impressive breaking right around 4lbs to my finger, just slightly finer than the advertised 4.5lbs. Its certainly made to my taste.

Let’s talk shooting it. With a 16.5 in barrel, the 45-70 is an absolute menace on both ends of the muzzle. I’m a full grown man but I’ll safely say that 45-70 hurts a lot more at 40 than I remembered it at 17, or even 27, for that matter. This is a brush gun, plain and simple, made for relatively short range work on threats ranging from men, bear and bobcats to charging moose out west, punching through intermediate barriers with enough energy to be a one shot show stopper. It is certainly that. Equipped with a Khyber Optics MDO (heresy to some, I know) she put up a respectable group off my shoulder, standing, through an entire box of Remington 405gr SP pills. Round impacts remained all in the center of mass making close to 12ga rifled slug sized holes from the 50yd line.

I really can’t think of a single negative thing to say. Personally I was surprised by the fit and finish when I checked it out at a local gun shop which prompted me to buy it and the performance surpasses any expectation I previously held. At its current street price of anywhere between $800-$1000 I consider it a hell of a bargain. While I plan on picking up the modern Ruger take as well, made just next door at their NC factory, the Rossi is certainly no slouch and a proud addition to the living room cabinet of my working guns.