Keeping 23ga pins from curling around - are some pins better than others?

[Dan Friedrichs]

My HF 23ga pin nailer ALWAYS seems to shoot pins that blow out the side of a piece. The pins "curl" as they go through the wood, apparently. In all species and applications, I bet at least 75% of the pins do this. It makes the thing pretty much useless. I do know how to use a brad nailer, know to keep the gun perpendicular to the work surface etc (I never have this problem with my 18ga nailer).

Is this typical? If not, is it a problem with the gun, or a problem with the pins? Are some pins "stiffer" than others? Should I try a different brand?

[David Weaver]

Will it shoot grex pins? I am not much for stuff like pinning, but do have a grex pinner and I don't know that I've ever had a properly lined-up pin come through where I didn't want it to. I'd imagine the pins have to be properly shaped on the tips for them to not wander, and evenly coated, too.

[Paul Wunder]

I have the same pinner as you but I am not experiencing your problems. I do not use the HF pins. I use:

Grex P6/MP-3 multipak from Amazon (3000 pins of assorted sizes) It was $9.95 with free shipping (I have Prime). Excellent pins. I am sure that there are other Name brands will work well

[Ronald Blue]

I have a porter cable pin nailer and while I have had a few blowouts I have felt in almost every incident it was either my fault or the grain deflecting it off line. It doesn't happen that often that I felt it a big problem. Fewer than 10% I am sure. I use porter cable pins and I don't know if that matters or not.

[Peter Quinn]

I use porter cable or senco pins in a porter cable or senco pin nailer, never had a problem with pins going other than where I aimed them. I don't try to get too close to the edge. Once in a while my aim is off and I send a pin out of the wood, but the problem always seems to be me, not the gun, though I still like to blame the gun.

[Sam Murdoch]

I only use 23g up to 1" and don't usually have a problem but if I do it is with the 1" size and not 3/4" or 1/2" . Are you shooting longer than that?

As for the brands - I use Sencos, Porter Cable in 23g and 18g without issue except with some occasional ornery grain or bad aim on my part and with the longer 23g pins.

[peter gagliardi]

High quality pins are a must. Do you have them loaded the right end up? They are made to shoot only in one direction.

[John Schweikert]

I would look at the nailer as the issue more than the pins. I bought a HF roofing nailer to make quick work of doing a shed roof and Hardie siding. Buying it and selling it later cost less than renting a roofing/siding gun. That gun sucked. 2 out of every 5 nails went in crooked and not flush. The nails were very good quality purchased elsewhere. Still faster than by hand though. The guns I own and will never get rid of are my Hitachi brad and finishing guns and Porter Cable framing gun. All of which work flawlessly.

Hitachi, PC, Bosch all make very good quality pin nailers.

If switching to better pins doesn't improve the situation, ditch the HF nailer and get a quality name brand. Amazon is your friend. Makes buying tools too darn easy.

[Mark Bolton]

Generally speaking the better pins are clipped to a point on BOTH sides forming a point in the center of the pin. The cheaper pins are clipped from one side making the tip look like a chisel with only one angled face.

Any pin that is too long or poorly placed can blow out but using the better pins (because of the shape of the tip not the pin itself) is about your best option.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Thanks, guys. I'm using the HF pins (that have chisel-shaped tips), and suspect that might be the problem. I'll get some Grex pins and try again...

[Mark Bolton]

You can test the tip issue by rotating your gun 90 or 180 degrees. Hard grain is an issue but generally the chisel tips will predominantly blow out in the same direction every time.

[glenn bradley]

Same pinner, I run Porter Cable and Bostich pins from the BORG. No problems.

[Rick Fisher]

I started out using the very cheapest 23ga pins. I switched to Cadex which are basically Grex and had much less blow-outs.