Paper Puncher Gunworks

Saw a new flag up for Paper Puncher Gunworks. Looks cool. Who is this gunsmith, and where? Just curious.

Will Newton, based in North Carolina.  He posts regularly on this forum so I am sure he will add more to this post.

Hey folks, I did not plan to do a big announcement thing, but since it was brought up, I started typing up a simple intro and was surprised to see that I actually ended up writing a pretty long essay on how I got to here.  I had never really gotten it down all at one time before and had a nice trip down memory lane.

I am going to work on it a bit more and post it to my website in a day or so, as it kinda goes beyond the format for the BE forum.  

Thanks for those of you that contacted me already, and indeed, already sent in work.  It has meant a lot to see this little seed start to take root.

I will make a post in this thread when l have the essay up on my site.

You can also check out Paper Puncher Gunworks on Facebook.

Maybe since Larry has passed (RIP), their might be a niche working on the Euro pistols?

I've shot with Will and would trust him to work on my guns.

Guys I am having some medical issues and in the hospital, apologies to all trying to get ahold of me. Jobs are being returned, so should be no complications there. Will be in touch. Wish me luck, I am doing better, but not out of the woods yet.

This forum is the best, be thinkin of you all.

@jmdavis- Thanks!

Get better!

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Prayers your way.  Get better.

I almost went to the shooting line in the sky folks.  I went from ambulance, helicopter airlift, surgery, and ICU for three days until I was stable enough to get a regular room for a few days, then thankfully home for recovery.  I want to tell a bit about my experience because I knew nothing about what was wrong with me and if I had, I would have gotten help sooner.  I had been having trouble breathing, but thought I had a cold brewing.  I was on my way to the Dr. when the proverbial dam broke and I went critical.  If I help one person, then this post will have done it’s job.

I had a massive acute saddle pulmonary embolism.  This occurs when a large spray of blood clots collect inside the arteries leading into your lungs where they branch out.  The clots blocked my lungs from receiving new oxygenated blood and I began suffocating like a fish out of water.  Within seconds I went from Ok to being unable to function at all.  Rapidly on my way to passing out, massively sucking air for all I was worth, heart racing at Olympic sprinter rate, and my extremities turning blue,  I could not speak or move.  If my wife had not been home to call 911 for help, I would be dead.

 I was also very lucky to be within three minutes of a Fire dept. They arrived and started me on oxygen until the ambulance came.  Acute saddle PE kills 25% of folks immediately and many more even when caught in time to get them to the hospital.  You get the idea of how serious it is when EVERY nurse you encounter in the hospital that reads or hears “saddle PE” on your chart looks at you in amazement and awe that you are still there.

Thanks to modern medical technology I had a minimal procedure that used catheterization (like a heart patient), special meds, and ultrasonic technology to break up the clots.  I am on blood thinners to help with circulation while the body (which naturally makes clot busting chemicals in small amounts) clears out the remaining clotting.

PE is caused by blood clots being rapidly flushed into your lungs, such as when you have been inactive, which causes the blood pooled in your legs to get rapidly pumped out when you resume activity or clots being broken free of blood vessels during surgery or just clots building up in size over time and coming loose as you age.  There are many sources and degrees of embolism. This same condition will cause strokes if the clots make it to your brain.  Clots may be very small, but clots love clots, so they will build up over time.

 Most commonly clots will be lodged in the legs and diagnosed as DVT or deep vein thrombosis, but they can get pumped from the extremities into the heart and into the lung, which act as a filter where they settle in the base of one or both lungs, so you can still pass oxygenated blood, but feel pain there and have time for diagnosis and treatment.  With acute saddle PE the clots settle in the arteries at the entry to the lungs blocking nearly all oxygen exchange to BOTH lungs.  In addition, there are no nerve receptors at the saddle area, so you have no warning pain that clots are building until it is almost too late.

If you feel short of breath, have leg, shoulder, arm pain, or a rapid pulse, yet don’t feel like a heart attack (which has near identical symptoms) you should still go to the Dr. or ER immediately.  Pulmonary embolisms are not rare in our society of sitting or standing all day at work, and then sitting in front of the boob tube all night.  Caught early, treatment can be easily managed.  If left unchecked, things can get out of hand in a split second.  

I am putting PPG on hold until I am fully recovered, but am improving and have a lot of optimism about the future.  I will still be lurking around here doing my admin duties and learning from noob and master alike.

 Thank you for all the well wishes, prayers, and good vibes.  I will miss my BE league tonight, but have every intention of making the line next week.



update- Just wanted to add, I am currently 45 and my doctor told me about a 16 year old athlete that died almost immediately when a blood clot was dislodged during knee surgery. This kind of stuff doesn’t just happen to the more “experienced” among us!

Will, we don't know each other, but get well soon! Best wishes!

Get well soon!!!

I am glad you are doing better Will.

Thanks for the update.  Glad you made it.  Hope to see you soon.

Your above ground and taking nourishment.  Those are good things.  Stay well, shoot well!

Will, I am really glad you are here to tell us about it.  Your book isn't finished yet.
Fast and full recovery.

So glad to hear you are recovering.   Now go buy a lottery ticket you lucky SOB 

Aprilian wrote:So glad to hear you are recovering.   Now go buy a lottery ticket you lucky SOB 

LOL, if only you knew how many times I have outrun the reaper. One day my ship will sail, but I hope to shoot a 10x beforehand!

When the lottery came to NC, I bought one lottery ticket for a dollar, just to say I did and won $5. I never bought another because who gets to say they won five times what they have spent on lottery tickets!

Speedy recovery, Will.  Now you know that at least once in your life you made best choice and married right woman!!     Get well soon, man!!
AP

Best wishes and speedy recovery.

Oleg

Will -Be well and take care of yourself

All of the above Will.  Wishing you a speedy and full recovery.

Damn. Certainly sounds like you were lucky. Makes me worry about the pains I occasionally get. I've already had a few close calls in various ways and it makes you respect how arbitrary and miraculous the time we do get to stick around is.

Wish you a speedy recovery.