Is it normal for framing nails to be bent and sticking out of the studs?

Toe-nailing studs to a plate is standard practice, but what you're describing sounds like a total lack of craftsmanship that goes beyond just 'moving fast.' When nails are left proud or bent over, they aren't providing the lateral resistance required to keep that wall from racking or shifting. If the wood is splintered and shredded at the base, the structural integrity of that connection is compromised becasue the wood fibers no longer have the 'grip' needed to hold the fastener tight. You are definitly not overreacting. Shiners and bent nails happen occasionally on a high-speed job, but they should be pulled and replaced immediately, not just left there to be covered up by sheathing. If they're allready forcing nails at bad angles and splitting the lumber, it tells me they're using the wrong nail gun depth settings or they simply don't care about the layout. Once the sheathing goes on, it becomes a nightmare to fix these connections without tearing things apart.

Bring this up with your GC immediately before the crew moves any further. A quality build relies on a solid **load path** from the roof down to the foundation, and that starts with the connection between the stud and the bottom plate. If they can't get the simple stuff right, you're going to have major headaches when it comes time for plumbing and electrical trades to move in and find walls that aren't plumb or secure.

Tell the GC you want the split studs replaced and the fasteners driven correctly. Don't let them tell you the sheathing will 'suck it all together.' The sheathing is meant to provide shear strength, not to compensate for a poorly framed skeleton. It's much easier to hurt thier feelings now than it is to deal with drywall cracks and floor squeaks for the next twenty years.

That sounds super stressful. I’m just starting to learn about framing myself and I honestly wouldn't have known that bent nails were such a big deal—I figured as long as there were some nails in there, it was probably fine. Shows how much I know!

Does the splintering make the wood more likely to rot if any moisture gets in there later, or is it strictly about the strength of the wall? Also, if they're rushing the base plates, are there other 'hidden' spots I shold keep an eye on before they cover everything up? I’m still trying to figure out what’s acutally normal versus just lazy work.

Back in the day, we didn't have these high-pressure pneumatic guns firing 16d nails like machine guns. We used a 22oz framing hammer and actually looked at where the steel was going. What you're seeing is 'gun-happy' crews. If they're blowing out the grain and leaving 'shiners' everywhere, they probably didn't even bother to crown their studs before nailing 'em in. I’d bet my pension those walls won't be straight when you go to hang cabinets. Check the layout with a 4-foot level now; if they're sloppy with the nails, they're usually sloppy with the plumb and square too.

Oh wow, I'm just getting into all this too and it's so cool to see how the skeleton of a house acutally comes togather! Even though it's a bit scary about the nails, I'm obsessed with how fast these crews work. Since you mentioned the wood splintering, it made me wonder—does the type of wood they use for the bottom plate change how much it cracks? I saw some green-looking wood at a site near me and someone said it was 'pressure treated.' Does that stuff hold nails better or worse than the regular studs when they're firing them in that fast?

I hear the concerns about craftsmanship, but have you ruled out the moisture content of the lumber? Sometimes that kiln-dried stuff from the yard is so brittle it’ll split if you even look at it wrong, regardless of how the gun is set. Also, are the splits actually deep enugh to compromise the grain, or is it just surface checking from the pressure? If the wall is alredy plumb and they’re coming back with structural sheathing anyway, I’d be curious to see if those minor gaps even exist once the house is weighted down. Might be worth checking if it's just a few 'ugly' spots versus a systemic issue before hitting the panic button with the GC.