In case you do not check the other boards on this site sad news about Michael has been posted.

I met Mr. Petrov in 2007 when I lived in Anchorage. What a great guy. His knowledge of everything guns was absolutely astounding. I learned a lot from him. I really enjoyed sitting with him in his gun room as he showed me the ins and outs of his rifle collection. These weren't just rifles or guns to him, they were much more than that, they were his passion and his life's work. He reminded me of some sort of gun archeologist or detective... thousands of hours of research, and finally the prize to show for it. Just amazing.
His upstairs research room looked like something out of a mad scientist movie....thousands of papers, books, and other materials scattered about several desk....in an "organized mess". A virtual library of gun related research.
What a guy. What an amazing guy.

That's terrible news. This board has been through so much over the years and with Michael’s passing this is just another horrendous blow to us.

For I have said this here far too often.

May

He Rest in Peace.

We have lost a true gem!

His generosity with time and information will live on in our hearts and minds as long as his books exist; and all of us alive today, and others, finding them in the future, care about the great american custom rifles of the classic era.

Hail to you Michael!

Colleagues—

Mal has expressed perfectly my thoughts. I never met Michael face-to-face, but over the last 10 plus years, we spoke often by phone. I felt at times that I was drinking from a fire hose of facts and data, but he was always will to slow the flow so that we could enjoy the taste of knowledge shared.

He was "a true gem”

Berrien

Thats very sad to hear.
I'd always read any post he put up here,and come away having learned something or seen something I hadn't before.
You could tell he was a true gun nut, in the nicest sense.
Rest well Mr Petrov..we will miss you.
franc

I enjoyed communicating with Mr. Petrov. He was very knowledgable on Springfield M-1903's and custom bolt rifles from the first half of 20th century. Hopefuly he is now prowling the Happy Hunting Ground with a 1930's Neidner or Linden rifle.

JERRY