In Remembrance of Eugene Lofton: A True Gentleman, a Marksman, and an American Original

In Remembrance of Eugene Lofton: A True Gentleman, a Marksman, and an American Original, Passed away: August 16, 2019, at age 76 

When I was just a kid—maybe 10 or 12—I met a man who would leave a quiet but lasting impression on my life: Eugene Lofton. To me, at that young age, he wasn’t just another face on the firing line; he was something extraordinary—one of the first black men I’d ever really come to know. A gentleman, an artist, a competitor, and like me, a left-handed shooter.

In a world that still too often divides people by color or background, we found common ground on the shooting line, as left handed shooters… often squadded side by side; because our legs go in the opposite direction when shooting the prone position…Both of us lefties and outcasts. Both with that familiar gleam in the eye that marks people who know the rhythm of breath, trigger, squeeze and stillness. In competition after competition, he was there—not just as an opponent, but as a quiet mentor. Teaching me to read the wind.

I remember his rifles like I remember the changing of the seasons. He shot a beautiful left-handed BSA Martini for years—an elegant piece of craftsmanship that suited his steady hands and sharp eye. And when he later upgraded to the Feinwerkbau, he shot that rifle with the same grace and precision. He shot them both beautifully, just as he carried himself: precise, measured, steady.

But it wasn’t just his marksmanship that set him apart. Eugene was the kind of man who didn’t have to raise his voice to earn respect. He commanded it through quiet excellence, through the way he treated others, and through the deep well of knowledge he freely shared. He was a master craftsman, a man whose hands not only carved bullets through paper but also helped shape some of the most iconic automotive designs to ever roll off Detroit’s assembly lines—including the Dodge Ram sculpture that stood proudly on truck hoods across America. Yes! That was his sculpture. Turned into an automobile hood emblem.

For a farm kid like me, from the middle of nowhere, he was my first real glimpse into a world bigger than my own. He showed me, without ever saying so, that character and skill know no color. That a good man is a good man. And that greatness can be found in the most humble of settings—like a dusty rifle range somewhere in Michigan or Ohio.

Eugene Lofton was a great American, a great shooter, and above all, a great human being. He is sorely missed, but the example he set—the quiet dignity, the unspoken mentorship, the steady hand—lives on.

I’m grateful I knew him.

If you enjoyed this article, then please REPOST or SHARE with others; encourage them to follow AFNN. If you’d like to become a citizen contributor for AFNN, contact us at managingeditor@afnn.us Help keep us ad-free by donating here.

Substack: American Free News Network Substack
Truth Social: @AFNN_USA
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/afnnusa
Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/2_-GAzcXmIRjODNh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfnnUsa
GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/AFNN_USA
CloutHub: @AFNN_USA