Even if you’ve initially written off a firearm as niche or gimmicky, there are times when those guns can surprise you.
That was me with Ross’s lever-action R95 Triple Black Pistol. Mind you, I’m talking about a large-format firearm that, at first glance, feels like something caught between worlds. The Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistol comes with a big loop lever, has no sights, uses an abbreviated pistol grip and fires out of a stubby 13.25 inch barrel.
Initially, I felt like the R95 Triple Black Pistol seemed destined for the back of the catalog. After some range time at Athlon Outdoors’ Rendezvous 2025 my perspective changed. This review isn’t just about performance. It’s also about the specific context of the Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistol. As a large-format lever-action pistol, this R95 variant sits at the crossroads of classic lever-gun heritage, modular utility and laws that affect certain firearms with shorter barrels.
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Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistol First Impressions
Out of the box, the Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistol is all business. This lever action pistol grants its owner various shades of black, clean lines and an excellent fit and finish. I didn’t notice any blemishes or tooling marks whatsoever. The furniture’s speckled finish isn’t just attractive. It’s also quite functional because it helps to hide the inevitable knocks and bumps that will come from hard use. The sharpness of laser engravings and the paracord-wrapped lever loop (which adds comfort during rapid manipulation) speak to thoughtful manufacturing.
Like the full-size R95 series, Triple Black Pistols can be had in most of the standard chamberings to include: .357 Magnum, .45-70 Government, .44 Rem Mag and .454 Casull. The specific review gun featured in this write-up is chambered in .357 Magnum which also gives me the additional ability to cycle and fire .38 Special cartridges as well.
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It is Just an R95
The most interesting thing about the R95 Triple Black Pistol might not be what Rossi added, but what they didn’t. Strip away the quirky Triple Black Pistol furniture and you’re left with a Rossi R95. It’s the same action. Same threaded barrel. Even the stock attachment points are identical which means that the owner could swap and upgrade the firearm’s furniture in the future. Rossi didn’t reinvent their lever gun for this pistol format—they simply packaged their proven R95 action into a compact, modular package that gives the owner options without permanently casting them into a single style.
That modularity dovetails directly into a much larger legal discussion happening right now in America: the future of SBRs under the National Firearms Act.
Where The Triple Black Pistol & the NFA Collide
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The R95 Triple Black Pistol is classified as a firearm under the ATF’s definitions, much like the Mossberg Shockwave. The Triple Black Pistol is obviously not a rifle because it lacks a shoulder stock. It’s not a handgun because it’s designed as a derivative of a long-gun. And the Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistol has a rifled barrel, so it clearly cannot be a shotgun.
If you remove its standard grip and install a shoulder stock, the Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistol would suddenly become a short-barreled rifle (SBR) since its 13.25 inch barrel is shorter than 16 inches. As most readers are likely aware, SBRs are regulated under the National Firearms Act and require a tax stamp from the US Government. Historically building or purchasing a short-barreled rifle also involved paying the ATF $200 for that tax stamp, completing a Form 1 document, submitting fingerprints and passport-style photos and a waiting period of up to several months.
Due to recently passed legislation, the original $200 fee for the tax stamp has been changed to $0 starting on January 1, 2026. However, every other requirement to legally possess a short-barreled rifle is still in play. Even with the waived tax stamp fee, converting a large-format pistol into a short-barreled rifle would still require you to submit a Form 1, prints, pictures, et cetera and wait for approval from the ATF.
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Why does this matter? Because this is exactly the kind of gun that invites modular tinkering. In its factory-configuration the Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistol a handy large-format pistol that can pack a good punch thanks to the big-bore chamberings it is available in. If you swap out that pistol grip and add a stock, it doesn’t just turn into a short-barreled lever-action rifle, it also turns into a compact field gun that’s also ready for defensive work.
Shooting & Outfitting the Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistol
Triple Black Pistols ship without sights but include a robust aluminum Picatinny base on top of their receivers, inviting a convenience for mounting optics. I mounted the Meprolight MPO-DF, an optic that has become a personal favorite lately. Not only does this optic sit low, but Meprolight also includes a low Picatinny mount with it. The MPO-DF itself works off the pervasive Trijicon RMR footprint. It features a crisp 3.5 MOA dot, shake-awake, auto and manual brightness adjustments and rugged dependability.
With the Meprolight MPO-DF, my R95 Triple Black Pistol was dead-simple to zero and quite accurate inside 50 yards. Nailing 6-inch steel plates was hardly challenging.
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Even though it looks awkward at first, the R95 Triple Black Pistol is surprisingly intuitive to shoot. It balances well, cycles smoothly and the trigger breaks at a clean 4 lbs. 6.6 oz. Rossi deserves praise for this trigger: it’s heavy enough for safe field use but light enough to shoot well.
The lever loop’s paracord wrap takes the bite out of hard running, and while it’s not exactly a one-handed gun, it’s controllable. The dual sling swivel studs make this lever-gun easy to carry across the back or shoulder.
Ammo Performance
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My sample R95 Triple Black Pistol is chambered in .357 Magnum and holds 6 rounds in its tubular magazine. That alone makes it an interesting choice: the .357 Magnum is a classic pistol cartridge that gains some performance boosts from the 13.25 inch barrel. And not to mention, the versatility of being able to fire both .357 Magnum and .38 Special loads. Putting aside the types of powder used, the only physical difference between either cartridge is that the .357 Magnum case is ⅛ inch longer than the .38 Special case. This was originally done to prevent .357 Cartridges from being inadvertently loaded into a .38 Special revolver. In the case of the Rossi R95 Triple Black, it’s a flexible advantage.
Chronograph results from my range trip, using a Garmin Xero Chronograph:
38 Special:
Speer Lawman, 38spl 125g TMJ – 1177.9 fps
Federal Am. Eagle, 130g FMJ – 1081.8 fps
Lehigh Defense, 38+P 125g CF – 1144.2 fps
357 Magnum:
Federal Am. Eagle, 357 158g JSP – 1685.4 fps
Lehigh Defense, 357 125g CF – 1428.7 fps
Lehigh Defense, 357 120g XD – 1846.7 fps
Standout performance came from the Lehigh Defense 357 125g CF load, which printed a 1.5-inch group at 50 yards from a bag. That’s excellent practical accuracy—and plenty of performance for field or defensive use.
The gun cycled everything well, including the Lehigh XD solids, which often struggle in some guns due to their unusual nose profile.
Shutting The Gate
The Rossi R95 TBP defied my expectations. It’s well-made, smooth-cycling, accurate, and surprisingly ergonomic for something that looks so unconventional. But what elevates it beyond just a clever design is the moment in history we find ourselves in. This large-format lever-action pistol is perfectly positioned at the intersection of evolving gun laws and consumer freedom. It’s a reminder that firearms don’t exist in a vacuum; they’re part of a larger cultural, legal, and technical conversation.
Would I recommend this gun? Absolutely. And not just because it’s fun to shoot (which it is). I recommend it because it’s flexible, adaptable, and future-proof in ways that are especially relevant right now. The Rossi R95 Triple Black Pistol is a capable and handy firearm in the configuration that Rossi ships it out. But in ten minutes and with a screwdriver, it can fit your application. When you get yours, modify it responsibly if you want to lawfully convert it into a short-barreled rifle, please.
