This site and it's predecessors would not be what they became without him. He was mister 6.5mm before the millenials got a hold of it.

Sad day.

Hoot was one of my very favorite people in this whole world. I. Could say so many nice things about him but we all know, because he was kind and giving to us all.

He will be missed.

--
https://facebook.com/M2bKydex/

I am sorry for his family and for us. The world is a lesser place without him. I am not sorry for him. His suffering is over and he has entered into the peace of the Lord. As David said many thousand years ago, "He will not return to me, but I will go to him."

--
Ele era velho.
Ele era corajoso.
Ele era feio.

I hate it that Hoot has gone on.

But much as I hate it, it's better than staying. I remember the last week of my father's life as the cancer finally took him... I know that "he's in a better place" is a cliché, but for Hoot (and for my dad) I really believe it.

Now I'm going to have to create a project rifle in .250 Savage.

-AaronB

I met Hoot back in 2008 when I was on a quick visit to Minneapolis. We corresponded off and on over the years, both on the various iterations of the forum and off. A few years ago he passed on a NOS camera lens to me as I was getting more into photography. He also helped me over the years with different projects. It was a special moment to be present when he was made a fellow Shootist in Raton. He will definitely be missed.

Here's a recent image I captured through the lens he passed on to me, shooting with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless camera using his old Olympus mount lens. I shared it on the book of faces and hope he saw it a few weeks ago. He will be missed.

Hoot was one of the nicest men I have ever met. Didn't take him long to become a friend. He will definitely be missed. Prayers for Melodie and the rest of Hoot's family and loved ones.

See you on down the road, my friend.

was hoping he could still beat this. never met him but corresponded and inter-acted on line very frequently.

reminds me that we never know when our turn is coming. not sure how i have lasted this long.

Always read his posts. Seems I have read them for twenty years or more it seems. It is like you lost a friend you have never met.

He was always one of the first people I would look for down in Raton. He and I shared a fascination with the weird and different, especially when it was wildcat or obsolete cartridges. We had many lively conversations about loading oddball stuff. I will miss his smile, his laugh, and his quirky way of looking at a problem and finding a creative solution. I have been blessed to call him my friend.

Hoot is a man I will never forget. This is going to be the hardest post I've made here, but must be told to fully understand the impact Hoot made on me.

It happened around 2006 in Clarksville. To make a long story short, we were on the firing line and I had a ka-boom, it took a bit to figure out what happened, but I was totally at fault. Hoot was standing to my right and part of the cylinder wound up in his right forearm. He had to be rushed to the hospital, and then down to the next town to a larger facility for surgery the next day. He and Beth had to extend their stay a week before being cleared to travel. A number of us were waiting at the E.R. waiting for any updates from Beth. When they brought him out to transfer him, as I walked over to the wheel chair he stopped them. I was looking for words when Hoot reached out with his left arm for me, wrapped it around my neck and said "Murphy, I love you". I replied in kind and they headed off with him. A number of us made the trip also (one stayed the entire night). I kept up with Hoot over the next several months seeing how he was coming along and all had gone well. Nothing but kindness, compassion, and understanding from both he and Miss Beth.

This was the Michael "Hoot" Gibson I knew and came to love like a brother.

Murphy

Truly a gentleman of the first order.

one of the first people i communicated with here in the early 2000,s...Always enjoyed his post and insite on things he commented on......All the family will be in my thoughts and prayers in the upcoming weeks and months.

How sad. Condolences to his friends and family.