In November 2023, Remington released the 360 Buckhammer, a straight-wall cartridge designed specifically for deer hunters. The Rossi R95 is a modern lever action that’s perfectly suited for Eastern whitetails. The new R95 in 360 Buckhammer holds five rounds in its tubular magazine. The receiver features both a loading gate and ejection port on the right side, leaving the top of the receiver solid for optic mounting. The 20-inch alloy-steel barrel features six grooves and comes with a 1:12 right-hand twist. With its relatively short barrel, overall length is a mere 39 inches, making the R95 360 Buckhammer handy and maneuverable in a blind or in dense cover.
In addition to the drilled and tapped receiver, Rossi includes a set of iron sights with the R95 rifle. The rear sight is a classic ramped adjustable buckhorn while the front sight is a drift-adjustable post with a black bead. It’s a rather basic setup, but for shots at close quarters it works just fine so long as there is sufficient light to see the sights.
Both the alloy-steel barrel and steel receiver receive a basic black oxide finish that looks good alongside the two-piece wooden stock. Stippled checkering on the forearm and the pistol grip offer a secure hold on the rifle while firing, and while the wood on the test rifle didn’t have a lot of figure, the dark finish was eye-catching. There’s a dense black rubber recoil pad on the buttstock with a radiused heel to prevent the pad from hanging up on clothing or gear when mounting the rifle. Sling studs on the forearm and buttstock make it easy to attach a sling or, if you’d like, a front bipod.
Lever actions have notoriously bad triggers, and while the Rossi’s trigger isn’t as smooth or crisp as those in a high-quality bolt-action, it’s good for a lever gun. There’s a bit of take-up and a small amount of creep, but it’s less than many other lever actions I’ve shot. Average break weight was a respectable 4.25 pounds. Like many other modern lever guns, the Rossi R95 features a crossbolt safety near the rear of the receiver. The safety can only be moved from the safe to the fire position when the hammer is cocked.
The Rossi’s unloaded weight is 6.95 pounds. I added a Ranger Point Precision rail ($40) and a Leupold Mark 5 HD 2-10x30mm scope ($1,999) for testing, which brought the rifle’s total unloaded weight to 9 pounds, 8 ounces. A word of warning: scopes with large objective or ocular bells can interfere with operation of the rifle or simply will not fit. The Leupold Mark 5 HD worked because it has a relatively small objective, but you may need to select medium or tall rings or find a scope without large bells for this gun. Drop at comb is fairly pronounced—about 1.5 inches depending where you rest your face on the stock—and tall rings may require you to lift your head off the stock to use the optic. This isn’t unique to the R95—a lot of lever-action rifles are built this way. Of course, you could always use the included iron sights or add a reflex sight.
With medium rings the Mark 5 HD sat relatively low on the receiver. I could still access the hammer, but I couldn’t develop a solid cheek weld and look through the scope. To remedy this, I added a strap-on buttstock cartridge carrier/cheek riser. That added about a half inch to the comb height and aligned my eye with the optic properly. It also added a bit of cushioning and reduced the impact of recoil against my cheek, though recoil is not a problem with this gun/cartridge. The Rossi’s added heft helps mitigate recoil setback, making this is a gun that even the most recoil-sensitive shooter can control.
At the range I tested four different 360 Buckhammer loads with projectiles ranging in weight from 180 to 220 grains. The best group of the day measured 1.35 inches center-to-center for three shots at 100 yards with Federal’s 220-grain HammerDown load, but Remington’s 180-grain Core-Lokt finished close behind with a 1.42-inch group. The Rossi certainly plays favorites, and while those two loads both averaged around 1.5 inches, both the Federal Power-Shok 200-grain JSP and Remington Core-Lokt Tipped Lever Gun ammunition were closer to 2 inches on average. The Rossi did not group bullets of different grain weights close together. There was almost 4 inches difference between the point of impact with HammerDown ammo and Core-Lokt Tipped Lever Gun, so be certain to find a load that your R95 likes and stick with it to avoid point of impact shifts.
The 1.5-inch accuracy is perfectly suitable for a rifle chambered in 360 Buckhammer, though. The Buckhammer is formed from a .30-30 case necked up to accept .358-inch bullets, and velocities for the test ammunition ranged from 2005 fps for the 220-grain load to 2386 for the 180-grain Core-Lokt. When zeroed at 100 yards, expect 360 Buckhammer bullets to drop between 7 and 8 inches at 200 yards. Not far beyond that distance kinetic energy levels dip below 1,000 ft.-lbs. The 360 was not designed to be a long-range hunting cartridge, but it’s a suitable 200-yard round for deer-sized game. At that distance, a rifle like the Rossi R95 should be capable of producing 3- to 4-inch groups, which is perfectly adequate for deer, hogs and similar-sized animals.
With a bipod attached, I could consistently hit a 6-inch target at 100 yards, and most groups were in the 4-inch range. I also shot the rifle offhand, and this is where the Rossi really shines. It’s quick to the shoulder, and the balance point at the front of the receiver allows you to shoot, work the action and move smoothly from one target to the next.
I came away from the evaluation impressed with the Rossi R95. It’s a soft-shooting rifle and operation was flawless. The spring-powered ejector and the extractor both worked perfectly. I do wish the front sight bead was more visible, perhaps white or fiber-optic. As for the wood and black oxide finish, they are not on par with lever guns costing twice as much, but that is to be expected, and it certainly doesn’t affect the function.
If you hunt black bears over bait or with hounds, or hunt hogs or whitetails and you’re willing to keep shots to 200 yards, the Rossi R95 in 360 Buckhammer is a fine gun. It’s a classic deer rifle chambered for a contemporary straight-wall cartridge. It’s a solid big-game rifle, particularly for straight-wall deer states, which will work for many seasons.
Rossi R95
- rossiusa.com
- Type: lever-action, centerfire rifle
- Calibers: .357 Mag., .44 Mag., 360 BHMR (tested), .30-30 Win., .45-70 Govt., .444 Marlin
- Magazine: tubular; 5-rnd. capacity
- Barrel: 20"; alloy-steel; hammer forged; 1:12 RH twist; 6 grooves
- Trigger: single-stage; 4.25 lbs. pull weight
- Sights: ramp adjustable rear buckhorn; adjustable front post; drilled and tapped for optics
- Safety: crossbolt
- Stock: straight comb; wood; 14" LOP
- Metal finish: black oxide
- Overall Length: 39"
- Weight: 6.95 lbs.
- Accessories: none
- MSRP: $1,060.99
