Rossi R95 45-70 Pistol 13.25 in. Lever Action 4+1 Black Cerakote Picatinny Rail – Superbly Serious

Description

The Rossi R95 45-70 Pistol is a lever gun with the buttstock replaced by a bird’s head grip. Thirteen and a quarter inches of barrel, four rounds in the tube and one in the chamber, black Cerakote from end to end, a large loop lever with a paracord wrap, and a Picatinny rail already sitting on the receiver.

It is chambered in .45-70 Government – a cartridge from 1873 that throws a 300 to 405 grain bullet and has never needed improving. Out of a thirteen-inch barrel in a gun with no stock, it is a genuinely serious proposition, and this listing is going to be honest about that.

Part number 95P4570131, UPC 754908365104. Five in stock.

What the Rossi R95 45-70 Pistol is

• Lever action in .45-70 Government, 4+1 capacity
• 13.25-inch barrel with a tube magazine underneath
• Black Cerakote on barrel and steel frame
• Bird’s head grip, no shoulder stock – it is a pistol
• Large loop lever with a paracord wrap
• Picatinny rail fitted to the receiver from the factory

Read this part before you buy it

• .45-70 out of a short barrel produces a very large muzzle flash and a concussive blast. It is loud in a way that surprises people who have shot magnum handguns
• Recoil from the Rossi R95 45-70 Pistol with standard 300-grain loads is heavy but manageable in a gun this weight. It is not a pistol you hand to a new shooter to try
• Do not feed it the heavy “strong action only” loads. Those exist for rifles and the recoil out of a stockless 13-inch gun would be punishing at best
• Subsonic and standard-pressure 300-grain loads are the sensible choice here, and we stock both
• Tube magazines want flat-nose or wide-meplat bullets. Rounds sit nose to primer, and pointed bullets do not belong in them. Most .45-70 is flat-nosed anyway

Rossi R95 45-70 Pistol specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 95P4570131
• UPC: 754908365104
• Calibre: .45-70 Government
• Capacity: 4+1
• Barrel: 13.25 inches
• Action: lever action, large loop
• Finish: black Cerakote, barrel and steel frame
• Optic mounting: Picatinny rail on the receiver
• Grip: bird’s head, no shoulder stock
• Classification: pistol

It is a pistol, and it has to stay one

The Rossi R95 45-70 Pistol is sold and transferred as a handgun because it has no shoulder stock and never has had one. Fitting a stock would create a short-barrelled rifle, which is a National Firearms Act item requiring ATF approval, a tax stamp and a wait. MAG5 Firearms does not sell NFA items and cannot advise on that process – speak to a dealer who handles NFA transfers if it interests you.

Because it is a handgun, handgun age and residency rules apply to the transfer rather than long gun rules. Those differ by state and they catch people out on lever pistols in particular, so check yours before ordering.

.45-70 Government pressure and dimensional standards are published by SAAMI. Factory ammunition loaded to SAAMI spec is what this gun is built for.

The rest of the R95 family

In .44 Magnum the R95 lever pistol is the same gun in a far gentler cartridge, and it is the one to buy if you want the format without the punishment. If you would rather have the stock, the R95 Trapper in .45-70 is the short carbine, the 16.5-inch R95 rifle sits between the two, and the 22-inch wood-stocked R95 is the traditional one with six rounds in the tube.

Why the Rossi R95 45-70 Pistol earns its place

• There is nothing else quite like it – a .45-70 you can carry on a belt or in a pack
• Serious stopping power in bear country, in a package that does not need a sling
• The Rossi R95 45-70 Pistol has its rail fitted from the factory, so a red dot goes straight on
• Cerakote everywhere, which is what you want on a gun that gets rained on
• Five in stock and the distributor has none

Be honest with yourself about who this is for. It is not a range toy, it is not a first handgun, and it is not something to buy because it looks impressive on a wall. A stockless .45-70 is a specialist tool with real recoil and serious muzzle blast, and shooting it well takes practice and a red dot.

Where it makes complete sense is as a backcountry defensive gun. Bear country, horse packing, trapping, guiding – somewhere the weight and length of a rifle is a problem and the power of a rifle cartridge is not optional. For that job the Rossi R95 45-70 Pistol is close to unique, and the price is far below what a custom equivalent would cost.

MAG5 Firearms ships to your FFL. Send us your dealer and we will handle the rest.