How to load a nail gun for common brands of nailer

It’s about time you got yourself a nail gun. Why? Because they’re easier to use, just press the contact tip and pull the trigger. No more smashing your fingertips with the hammer!

Now you just can’t seem to figure out how to load a nail gun. The manual that comes with the tool does not make any sense; you don’t know where to start. The hammer seems pretty good right about now. Do not despair because we are here to help. When you are done reading through this, you will never have to wonder how to lead a nail gun ever again.

How to Load a Nail Gun

Requirements: A nail gun, a nail clip.

1. Switch off the power source

Unless you are firing the nails using the nail gun, you always have to disconnect it from the power supply to prevent accidents resulting in severe injuries. As a matter of fact, loading the nail gun while it is still powered up could get you electrocuted.

2. Understand your tool

You can go through the user manual that came with your nail gun as you try to understand how it works. Different nail guns from various manufacturers come with their set of procedures, so make sure you know yours very well.

3. Get your clip of nails

Depending on how the sleeve connects to the barrel, you can have an angled clip of nails or the straight nail clip. Get the right kind of nail clip for your nail gun. Make sure the nails on the clip are all facing the right direction.

4. Position your nail clip

You have to place your nail clip on the same line as that of your sleeve. The nail clip heads should point towards the barrel.

5. Insert your nail clip into the notch

You can find the notch at the base of the sleeve. Again, make sure you insert the nail clip with the nail heads pointing towards the barrel.

6. Invert your nail gun

The nail clip needs to slide towards the end of the sleeve. By holding the nail gun upside down, gravity will do the job for you.

7. Secure the nail clip

The spring mechanism does this for you. The spring mechanism has a button that you press, which allows you to slide it into position behind the nail clip.

8. Ensure the spring mechanism is set

There will be a definitive clicking sound you will hear after the spring mechanism is correctly set behind the nail clip. Once you hear this sound, you can confirm that the nails are properly set.

These are the general guidelines on how to load a nail gun. Now we can delve into specifics, tackling individual makes of nail guns. Yet to own a nail gun? Visit your local hardware store to get your very own nail gun today.

How to Load a Porter-Cable Nail Gun

1. Disconnect the nail gun from the power source. It is always important to uphold safety measures when handling high power tools.
2. Angle the nail gun nose away from human traffic. This is yet another nail gun safety procedure that protects from unintended triggering.
3. Locate your notch at the back of the magazine. It will have a distinctive T-shape. You can load your nail clips through this slot.
4. Pull back the spring mechanism towards the rear end of the magazine and release. You should hear a clicking sound confirming the nail clips are in position. The spring mechanism will push the nail clips together and into position for firing.
5. Perform a test on the nail gun by firing into a scrap of wood to make sure you are loading the nails correctly.

How to Load a Bostitch Nail Gun

1. Make sure you deactivate the nail gun. You can verify this by disconnecting the nail gun from its power source. This is primarily a safety procedure.
2. Invert your nail gun. From this vantage point, you should be able to locate the slide latch that is at the bottom of the nail gun.
3. Lift the slide latch and pull out the slide from below the nail gun. Keep the slide latch held up while doing this.
4. Carefully observe the slide. You will notice arrows on the slide that face a particular direction. That is the direction that the nails in your nail clip must point. Make sure that the nails in your nail clip are all facing the correct direction to prevent jamming.
5. Once you load the slide, push it back into the nail gun until it clicks into position. Lower the slide latch to finish the loading process.
6. Activate your nail gun and test it on wood scraps to confirm you know how to load a nail gun.

 * See Video How To Load a Nail Gun:

How to load Dewalt Nail Gun

1. Disconnect the nail gun from its power source. Do this by removing the battery pack from the nail gun. You must also make sure that the nail gun contact tip is not activated.
2. Keep the nail gun pointed away from you, and others while loading it.
3. There are two methods of loading the Dewalt Nail Gun

• I. The Lock and Draw Method
• II. The Lock and Load Method

I. The Lock and Draw Method

• Locate a slot at the back end of the magazine and load the fasteners.
• Locate the pusher and pull it back until the nail follower lies behind the nails.
• Release the pusher, and the fasteners will lock into position.

II. The Lock and Load Method

• Ensure you keep your fingers away from the pusher, and that the contact trip lock-off is locked to prevent unfortunate injuries.
• Locate the pusher and pull it back all the way, until it locks.
• Load the fasteners onto the magazine.
• Release the pusher by pushing it forward, and let the pusher slide until you firmly lock the fasteners into place.

4. Once you load the nail gun, test it on extra wood scraps to ensure you learnt how to load a nail gun correctly.

Top 3 Best Nail Guns

These are top 3 best nail guns comparison table which will help you to make the best choice for your woodworking projects easily:

Nail Gun	Image	Power Source	Magazine Capacity	Shipping	Editor's Rating	Price
BOSTITCH F21PL Round Head 1-1/2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer		Cordless-Electric	60 Nails	FREE Shipping	(4.4 / 5)	See on Amazon
Hitachi NT65MA4 1-1/4 Inch to 2-1/2 Inch 15-Gauge Angled Finish Nailer		Pneumatic	100 Nails	FREE Shipping	(4.6 / 5)	See on Amazon
Hitachi NT50AE2 18-Gauge 5/8-Inch to 2-Inch Brad Nailer		Pneumatic	100 Nails	FREE Shipping	(4.4 / 5)	See on Amazon

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How to Load Ryobi Nail Gun

For those interested in versatility, the Ryobi nail gun should sound very attractive. You can load the Ryobi nail gun using either Staples or Brads.

Loading using Staples

1. Disconnect the nail gun from the power source. This involves removing the battery pack.
2. Invert the nail gun to locate the latch. Squeeze the latch to release the base. Slide the base open.
3. Take your staple strip and load it into the base channel, with the legs facing upwards.
4. Slide the base back into locked position and secure the latch in place.
5. Attach the battery pack back to the nail gun.
6. Test how the staples are fired on extra wood scraps to confirm you loaded the nail gun correctly

Loading using Brads

1. Disconnect the power source. Remove the battery pack.
2. Invert the nail gun to locate the latch. Squeeze the latch to release the base. Slide the base open.
3. There are two channels for placing the Brads depending on their length. The Ryobi Nail Gun can accommodate Brads of lengths between ¾ inches and 1 ¼ inches. The smaller channel holds Brads of lengths between ¾ inches to 1 inch. The larger channel carries Brads that are 1 ¼ inches long. Use the appropriate channel for the appropriate Brad length.
4. Slide the base back into locked position and secure the latch in place.
5. Attach the battery pack to the nail gun.
6. Test how the staples are fired on extra wood scraps to ensure they were loaded correctly.

How to Load a Paslode Gun

1. Deactivate the nail gun. Remove the fuel cell and the battery to prevent unintended firing.
2. Locate the follower on the magazine and pull it back until it is secured to the rail cover.
3. Along the magazine are the wear strips. You can insert the Paslode finish nails through this slot.
4. Once you finish loading the nail gun, detach the follower from the rail cover.
5. The follower will press behind the Paslode finish nails with pressure from the constant force spring.
6. Always keep the fastener track free of debris for efficient fastener feeding.
7. Test out the firing mechanism on scraps of wood to ensure proper loading of the nail gun.

Conclusion

There are a variety of makes and models of different nail guns in the market, we have sampled just a few for your benefit. The loading mechanisms of each of these nail guns have shown a definitive pattern.

Now, it should be relatively easy to load a nail gun. As you can tell from the explanations above, if you know how to load just one nail gun, you can load them all. As always, put safety first while handling any kind of power tool.

We hope this article has been of great assistance to all handymen worldwide.