15 Gauge finish nailers jam

[Ben Cadotte]

I have 2 15 Gauge finish nailers. Senco and HF, both are very simmilar and both have the same problems. When I use 2" or 1 3/8" nails they misfire, drive 2 nails at once, jam, and flat out pain in the arse to use. I have tried Senco and Porter Cable nails in them.

I can see what I think the problem is. The spring slide is angled to match the nail angle. But this is pushing up on the nail strip in the back basically increasing the angle.

Are these guns only good for 2 1/2" nails? That would be the only length that the slide would not force up the back of the nail strip.

[Thomas Knapp]

I've been a carpenter for over 30 yrs. The Senco angled gun is usually one of the most dependable finish nailers. They seem to penetrate better without bending nails than other nailers. Normally we use 90 psi for our guns. What psi are you using? I suspect you may have a damaged or bent driver. Also make sure you have no dirt or burrs that are keeping the front cover of the nail guide closing all the way. The Senco gun should be worth having serviced if you can't fix it yourself.

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

I've used my PC 15ga angled quite a bit with all lengths of PC nails. Haven't had a jam to speak of. I run it around 90psi also.

[Nolan Taylor]

I have three 15ga angle nailers ....
MY Senco MUST have 120psi to seat nails and even then doesn't do a real good job .... about ten years old and due to be rebuilt I guess

these next two both run fine on 90psi with all lengths of nails

Porter Cable ... great gun and never jams or misfires

Milwaukee .... light and "sounds" good too ..... never jams or misfires

I'm guessing that your air line is dirty and or clogged .... dunno about both yours altering the angle of the nails due to pressure at the top of the strip .... sounds strange ....

I run a pair of line filter/dryer and bleed off the compressor tankd at the bottom once a week or so.

AND
I put a few drops of oil into the quick disconnect on the gun three or four times per day .. depending upon use.

so I'll just recco making sure you're sending clean dry air to an oiled tool and see if that doesn't help your problem

[Jason White]

Say, I'm curious -- why would one use a 15-guage instead of a 16-guage nailer?

Jason

I have 2 15 Gauge finish nailers. Senco and HF, both are very simmilar and both have the same problems. When I use 2" or 1 3/8" nails they misfire, drive 2 nails at once, jam, and flat out pain in the arse to use. I have tried Senco and Porter Cable nails in them.

I can see what I think the problem is. The spring slide is angled to match the nail angle. But this is pushing up on the nail strip in the back basically increasing the angle.

Are these guns only good for 2 1/2" nails? That would be the only length that the slide would not force up the back of the nail strip.

[Kevin Ladenheim]

The 15 ga nail has a round head like a common nail that is
clipped on one edge. The 16 ga has pretty no much head
so then nail is like a finish nail. I have not measured them
but the 15 ga shaft is also larger. Bigger head, bigger nail.

I'd like to hear why someone would choose one over the other
for applications where the nail hole size doesn't matter.

[bill kiss]

I do a lot of prehung door installations. I like the holding power of the 15 ga, (I use a Porter Cable and I am happy with it) 16 ga. just doesnt seem as 'beefy' but the 16 ga. nails are a lot cheaper.

[Rob Wright]

Ben,

This may sound funny but the Bostich/Stanley 15ga takes a different nail then the PC or Senco 15ga angled. Once I found that out, I have not had any problems. Both are 15ga and angled but different. Take a look at the compatibility chart in the Mcfeely's catalog if you have one handy - I do not see it on the website.

Edit: found the page:

http://www.mcfeelys.com/iCatalog/master/f/61#view


$0.025

- Rob

[Peter Quinn]

I've used every nail size available in my PC 15GA over the last few years, never had a problem. In fact I don't think I even know how to clear a missfire as I can't recall having one. I have a few older Bostich guns that get real cranky if you don't oil them real good.

Maybe something in there is bent or dirty? Think they sell rebuild kits.

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

I like the 15ga because the (mostly) round head looks more like a traditional finish nail than the rectangular 16ga head. The biggest reason I chose the 15ga, is because the angled magazine is really nice in tight places, and especially when installing crown moulding.

[chris yount]

I have one of the hf 15 ga nailers.I got a coupon for $59 and couldn't pass it up.I run on 90psi and shoot hitachi nails from the blue borg.Ive never had any problems .The hitachi's seem to have a little more laquer than the other brands.Maybe try different brands.my dad has a pc 15 ga that only likes pc fodder.
good luck
Chris

[Jason White]

Are you able the "set" the nail heads? Or do you leave them flush?

Jason

I do a lot of prehung door installations. I like the holding power of the 15 ga, (I use a Porter Cable and I am happy with it) 16 ga. just doesnt seem as 'beefy' but the 16 ga. nails are a lot cheaper.

[Ben Cadotte]

Figured out the problem sorta?

I disassembled the HF gun figuring it wouldn't hurt to check it out. Didn't really find a problem with it and put it back together. Loaded some nails in it and they all stay at the top of the slide now. Fires every time, no issues now. So I took apart the Senco gun and reassembled it. Same thing. Gun works fine. Not really sure what the issue was. If they were not put together right the first time or something came loose in shipping?

I also took the time to work on my larger 18 gauge gun. It had an issue where it would not feed nails consistantly. I figured that one out. The nose piece was slightly out of alignment. So the nails were catching a little bit and not sliding all the way forward. I reassembled the nose piece while sliding a strip of nails back and forth to make sure it would slide smoothly. Gun works great now.

As for the question above why 15 gauge. I use it for trim work in the house along with a full head 21 deg framing nailer. I also have 16 gauge, 18 gauge, and 23 gauge for woodworking in the shop.