XS Sights Pic Rail and Ghost Ring Sight Set for Rossi Lever Guns: Review

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Lever-action rifles have made a big comeback in recent years. Their resurgence has brought with it a host of available accessories, including aftermarket sights, stocks, slings and other add-ons. One of my favorite upgrades to a levergun has always been the addition of ghost-ring sights. I’ve had a set of XS Sights on my Marlin 1895 Guide Gun for at least two decades. These days, XS Sights has expanded its lineup to be compatible with a variety of rifles, including those made by Rossi in Brazil. Rossi’s line of lever-action rifles includes the R95, chambered in 30-30 Winchester. The carbine is available in different barrel lengths, including the compact and handy 16.5-inch model. This carbine shares a great number of features with its Marlin counterpart and shares many accessories. XS Sights makes two products that are compatible with Rossi lever-actions, a simple Picatinny rail that attaches to the receiver and a versatile optic mount and ghost ring sight set.

The optic mount and ghost ring sight set are a bolt-on solution designed to attach directly onto the Rossi. It is really two products in one, so let’s start with the optic mount. This extended Picatinny rail runs from the receiver and extends forward 6.5 inches down the barrel toward the muzzle. This provides roughly 10 inches of mounting length that can be used to secure a variety of optics. A standard magnified scope can be mounted over the receiver, and a scout-style, extended-eye-relief scope can be mounted well-forward of that position. A red dot or similar optic can be mounted anywhere along that surface that the user prefers. This mounting length provides a ton of flexibility in that regard. I’ve mounted both an Aimpoint Micro and a variable-power Leupold VX-5HD to this rail.

The rail is secured to both the receiver and barrel. The R95’s receiver is drilled and tapped with four scope mounting holes on the top of the receiver and the rail attaches to those points with screws that are included with the XS Sights kit. The barrel mount is a bit more involved. To secure it, the factory rear sight must be removed from its dovetail. Mine wouldn’t budge using the usual method of a hammer and non-marring punch, so I had to up the ante. Using a milling machine, I cut a deep groove through the rear sight to relive the tension on the dovetail and what was left tapped out easily. A dovetailed part that is included with the rail then slides into the barrel slot and the front section of the rail is secured to it using a two-piece fastener. But, for my trouble removing the factory sight, mounting the rail was fast and simple.

Optics are great but, good iron sights are often a superior solution. XS Sights includes a set of its excellent ghost ring sights as part of this kit. The sights include a white stripe post front sight and a fully adjustable aperture rear. The front sight is installed by removing the factory front and then securing the island base to those two tapped holes. The sight blade then slides into that island via a lateral dovetail. Fitting the sight required a few strokes with a file, a process that took about a minute. The rear sight attaches directly to the rail. Two rear apertures are included: a .230-inch ring designed for low-light use and a .191-inch ring intended for daylight. The rings simply thread into the sight so they can be installed and removed quickly and without the use of tools. Adjusting the sight for elevation is accomplished by turning the rear ring clockwise to lower it and counter-clockwise to raise it.  Windage adjustments are made using a set of opposing slotted screws on either side of the sight base. The entire design is simple, robust and effective.

When I first installed XS Sights on my own levergun, red dot sights were still uncommon. Today, they are seemingly everywhere. With both the rail and the ghost ring sight setup, a user could mount a magnified or red dot optic in detachable mounts and have the iron sights available as a backup. This setup from XS Sights is a worthy addition to any lever action—it is a quality product that is made in Fort Worth, Texas by a family owned business. I’ve been using their sights for half of my life, and I’ve never had one fail. The rail and sight combo retails for $192.99.

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