Nail guns. Easy to utilize. Easy to hold. Highly effective if you’re an assassin with good aim. It’s best to always go for the lower abdomen, such as the kidneys. Well, jokes aside, doesn’t this get you thinking, “how does a nailer compare to an actual firearm such as a ‘regular’ gun?” And even if it did stand a chance, how far does a nail gun shoot a nail?
Quick Overview
How Far Does A Nail Gun Shoot?
Let’s put things into context. We definitely realize that carpenters use nail guns in various environments that can hamper or have an impact on their performance. Well, some may disagree with us, but that’s fine because we’re only going to let you know about our field test’s results.
Stopping Power
First of all, we need to recognize how strongly a fired nail collides with a target over a distance. This is generally regarded as the ‘stopping power’ in the mysterious world of firearms. Though this is quite debatable, one can measure the stopping power in terms of foot-pounds.
The greater the foot-pounds, the stronger the stopping power. Suppose you’re wondering why that’s because more energy is transferred to the target from the projected nail. So then, how much stopping power does a pin fired from a nail gun actually carry? There’s an easy way to calculate the foot-pounds (mass x velocity squared x 0.5)
Pneumatic Nailers
This suggests that all you’ll need is the nail’s mass and velocity, which brings us to our main question: how far does a nail gun shoot a nail? As of yet, the pneumatic nailer has established a record for the highest velocity with 2-⅜” nails; they travel at a whopping speed of 134 feet per second. That means these nails cover a distance of 134 feet in each second! That’s pretty amazing.
However, this distance kept decreasing with each simultaneous shot as the nail gun’s battery kept on draining. This indicated that the stopping power would also start to decline. As a matter of fact, we finally concluded that the longer a pneumatic nailer shoots a 2-⅜” nail, the weaker it gets. Furthermore, the inaugural shot is the strongest.
Heavy Duty Nailers
Just like handguns, power nailers also possess quite the strength to fire projectiles at incredible velocities. In fact, some model’s designs enable them to eject nails at speeds that can reach a maximum of 1,400 feet per second! That’s like 472 meters in a second.
After researching quite extensively about this, we discovered an article regarding this value. Although they didn’t directly mention the nailer’s velocity, they implied that the nail’s driving force was equivalent to that of a 0.22-caliber(10mm) cartridge’s explosion. Also, the 0.22-caliber can have different velocities; a long-range rifle’s 22-calibre bullet can reach speeds of up to 1,400 feet per second!
On the other hand, according to another source, you can nail guns as fatal weapons since they can fire projectiles at speeds of up to 100-150 m/s over distances of up to 500 meters. As a result, we’re practically requesting you to use the tool with caution.
Can You Consider Nail Guns As Weapons?
Identical to firearms, nail guns are designed with a specific purpose in mind. And along with their ammunition(nails), they can be multi-purpose. As a result, you can get different species of nail guns, each of which uses a plethora of methods to drive the nail in.
Nail guns that require excessive force or are helpful when it comes to extended tasks are supplied by a separate air compressor. While this boost’s the user’s driving power, your range and mobility will be minimal; you can’t just wander off. That’s why using the pneumatic nail gun( even though it’s the most popular kind) as a firearm isn’t a feasible option.
Nonetheless, this isn’t the only type out there. You can complete tasks or projects that are light-duty in nature using a nail gun without needing an air compressor. In any case whatsoever, we suggest identifying the nature of the nail gun first, then you can worry about the rest.
Weight
Now that you have finished determining the type of nail gun you want to use as a firearm’s substitute, let’s talk about the tool’s weight. Nail guns may look small, but they are heavy, which raises a few questions: how long will you be using them? Do you actually have the physical strength to carry it? Can you hold it long enough to use it effectively?
Moreover, these things don’t come with sights. As a result, you’ll practically be shooting blind, and it’s implausible that just a few shots will be enough to get the job done. This is going to be difficult regardless of how experienced you are with nailers.
Safety
This factor is more of a rule of thumb; no matter what device/tool you use in your lifetime, it needs to go if it’s not safe for you. Now that we have set that aside, nail guns have a sliding safety mechanism, which is drawn or held back for the tool to operate. Moreover, you’ll need to use both hands if you’re firing the nailer over a distance: one to pull back the safety and the other to shoot. Any kind of one-hand bravado won’t work here.
Frequently Asked Questions
While our article offers an extensive guide on how far a nail gun shoots a nail, it doesn’t give feedback to any of the questions we get on a daily basis. As a result, we have taken the decision to break the thin ice and respond to some of them below-
What is the longest nail for a nail gun?
-This mostly depends on the model’s design. However, the 2-⅜” nails are the shortest nails compatible with a framing nailer. On the other hand, the longer nail that a framing nailer can take is 2″.
Can you use a nail gun as a self-defence weapon
-No, you can’t. Please don’t make a huge mistake using a nail gun to protect yourself. First of all, it won’t have any effects whatsoever other than aggravating and annoying the person you’re shooting at. Even a hammer is a better option.
How dangerous is a nail gun?
-Each nail gun has the potential to cause severe injuries and even death in some unfortunate cases. Nonetheless, the most common kinds of nail-gun injuries include puncturing the hands and fingers. But it does hold the ability to cause more severe injuries.
Is a nail gun considered a firearm?
-A nail gun can be considered as a muzzleloader since it launches projectiles through its muzzle. However, the US doesn’t legally consider these types of tools as firearms on a federal level. Nonetheless, all the states do recognize muzzleloaders as deadly weapons.
Is a nail gun a good weapon?
-It’s a textbook fact that all kinds of nail guns are dangerous if you aren’t cautious with them. Therefore, experts do recommend users to follow similar safety measures to those of a firearm. However, if one doesn’t rig their designs, they aren’t very effective.
Our Verdict
To be brief, you could say that the nail fired from a nail gun has the ability to cover a significant amount of distance( almost up to 500 meters, to be precise). Moreover, the very fact that a device like a nail gun has the mechanical strength to shoot nails that far is mind-boggling.
Nonetheless, you could also say that these projectiles carry 1/50 of the 0.22-calibre bullet’s power that a handgun has shot. Moreover, this only gets weaker over; at 50 yards, you’d feel like you’re being hit with a handful of air. There you have it, one full course meal on “how far does a nail gun shoot a nail!”
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