Widder, SASS #59054 Posted January 10 Posted January 10 (edited) I'm gonna pick up a new rifle today. Its the Rossi R95 'triple black' in .454 Casull w/16" barrel. I've never owned a Rossi lever rifle but it resembles the Marlin action. And the .454 Casull can be a potent round on any game animal I've aware existing. Any of the Saloon Pards have one....or know much about them? There are YouTube videos on the Rossi model 92 in .454..........and there are some videos on the triple black models. But, I can't find any videos on the R95 models in .454 Casull. EDIT: Rampaging groundhogs beware! And who knows, even some of those Jurassic coyotes might experience the consequences of my new acquisition..... ..........Widder Edited January 10 by Widder, SASS #59054 3 Quote
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted January 10 Posted January 10 Hey Widder!! Dat rifle gonna be a whole lotta FUN!! You Betcha 🤪 1 Quote
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted January 10 Posted January 10 Hope it has a good recoil pad! The .454 is an amazing cartridge. Loctite all the screws. Trust me on this..... 3 1 Quote
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted January 10 Author Posted January 10 FIRST UPDATE: I took the Rossi apart today and behold, it looked like a modified (improved) Marlin 1894. I replaced the hammer spring with my favorite Ruger 10/22 spring. And, I lightened up that trigger/lever safety bar spring. The carrier is the ;swivel bar; style, similar to the older Marlins.....no plunger stud. And more importantly, the area where the cartridge sits has some similarities to how I set up my 'cradle' area on Widdermatics. I did some slight policing of that 'cradle' area and put the rifle back together. It's darn slick. And more importantly, I've fed it 300 grain XTP's, 300 grain hard cast lead rounds and 325 grain hard cast lead ammo. They all fed very smooth with no discernible glitches or hesitations to feed. Also, the chamber entrance is ramped into the chamber at the 12 o'clock position. This also is a little similar to mods I've had to do on some Marlins that had trouble feeding smoothly. The 'Triple Black' models come with a long picatinny rail mounted and the large lever is already 'rope wrapped' from the factory. A very nice touch. At the 1K price range, some shooters might shy away from this Rossi. But in my opinion, during this first checkup and testing process, I'm glad I got it. Its a humdinger of a rifle. If someone is looking for a rifle in .454 Casull, 30-30 Win or 45-70......this Rossi R95 models are worth the look-see. DISCLAIMER: I don't have a thing to do with Rossi, etc. But there are aspects of this rifle that looks like I would have designed it. Can't wait for weather to dry up. ..........Widder 3 2 Quote
Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 Posted January 11 Posted January 11 oh my , that lever is FUGLY CB 3 Quote
Chief Rick Posted January 11 Posted January 11 Why in Hades do manufacturers keep putting big loop levers on new rifles? 1 Quote
Texas Joker Posted January 11 Posted January 11 13 hours ago, Chief Rick said: Why in Hades do manufacturers keep putting big loop levers on new rifles? Because they sell. I bet one of the first things most folks do a spin lever cock. Probably before they even load it 1 Quote
Timothy Posted January 11 Posted January 11 Quote Because they sell. I bet one of the first things most folks do a spin lever cock. Probably before they even load it I miss when guns were tools instead of toys. Quote
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted January 11 Author Posted January 11 3 hours ago, Texas Joker said: Because they sell. I bet one of the first things most folks do a spin lever cock. Probably before they even load it You may be correct....... but not me. Even after I got it home, I haven't been tempted to twirl it and doubt I ever will. Actually, the lever design is the only thing on the rifle I would change. I wish it was a little smaller in diameter. ..........Widder 2 Quote
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted January 12 Posted January 12 5 hours ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said: You may be correct....... but not me. Even after I got it home, I haven't been tempted to twirl it and doubt I ever will. Actually, the lever design is the only thing on the rifle I would change. I wish it was a little smaller in diameter. ..........Widder Think you can heat the lever and reshape it? Quote
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted January 12 Author Posted January 12 (edited) 1 hour ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said: Think you can heat the lever and reshape it? Oh yea. I'm thinking about cutting about 3/4" out of the lower 'oval' area, heat up a portion of the front section and bend it upwards to achieve the type lever I want. But....I'm gonna consult my gunsmith/welder specialist before making my decision. Today (Sunday afternoon), I tweaked the lever plunger to open real smooth and easy and yet not pop open when loading thru the loading gate. At present, it only holds 7 rounds in the mag tube but I'm sure I can tweak the mag tube spring to allow 8 rounds in it. If not, it's no big deal. The 454 Casull is a beast and my reloads, as mentioned above, feed smooth and reliable. I've got some various red dot/green dot sights I could put on it, plus a Leopold 'Gilmore' red dot that I presently have on my Marlin 94 in ..45 Colt. That rifle, with hot loads, is awesome. And the 454 will be even 'awesomer'. ..........Widder Edited January 12 by Widder, SASS #59054 2 1 Quote
Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 Posted January 12 Posted January 12 looking at the amount of material , I figure a cut and weld is in order a heat and beat , without cutting , would just make it worse IMO CB but what do I think I know ? 🤣 1 Quote
Sedalia Dave Posted January 12 Posted January 12 The marketing pushes the large loop lever as a feature that allows the rifle to be shot while wearing winter gloves. Quote
Vail Vigilante Posted January 12 Posted January 12 On 1/10/2026 at 6:14 PM, Chief Rick said: Why in Hades do manufacturers keep putting big loop levers on new rifles? Gloves would be my guess. 1 Quote
Stump Water Posted January 12 Posted January 12 Looks like there's an aftermarket "Medium Lever Loop", but it says: FITS RIFLE CALIBERS: Rossi 95 Medium Lever Loop 45-70, 30-30, 444, 360 DOES NOT FIT: Rossi 95 small caliber rifles: 357 Mag, 44 Mag or 45 Colt https://rangerpointstore.com/rossi-95-lever-loop I'm guessing the 454 is also "small caliber" ? Quote
Chief Rick Posted January 12 Posted January 12 24 minutes ago, Vail Vigilante said: Gloves would be my guess. If you're wearing gloves big enough to fill these levers, you're not using that trigger finger to pull the trigger. Quote
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted January 13 Author Posted January 13 6 hours ago, Stump Water said: Looks like there's an aftermarket "Medium Lever Loop", but it says: FITS RIFLE CALIBERS: Rossi 95 Medium Lever Loop 45-70, 30-30, 444, 360 DOES NOT FIT: Rossi 95 small caliber rifles: 357 Mag, 44 Mag or 45 Colt https://rangerpointstore.com/rossi-95-lever-loop I'm guessing the 454 is also "small caliber" ? Howdy Stump. Your right. Those longer RIFLE calibers you mentioned have a receiver that is about 1" longer than my 454. And therefore, the levers are different. I took my rifle to Slater today for one of his 'trigger jobs'. Because the trigger is like the Marlin (2 piece), he was able to weld it info a 1-piece and then modify the 'trigger/lever safety bar' info a trigger stop. I now have a nice, crisp trigger with no flop or overtravel. I really like the way he does his trigger work..... (Slater's In-House-Guns). ..........Widder 5 Quote
Stump Water Posted January 13 Posted January 13 21 hours ago, Chief Rick said: If you're wearing gloves big enough to fill these levers, you're not using that trigger finger to pull the trigger. There are many variations if this: Trigger Flip Mitt Quote
Chief Rick Posted January 13 Posted January 13 (edited) 4 hours ago, Stump Water said: There are many variations if this: Trigger Flip Mitt To each their own... Edited January 13 by Chief Rick Quote
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