Another Nail Gun Incident

[-MIKE-]

I would say much less than that.

[Leon]

I always thought 2~3 feet would be the dangerous zone. With no barrel at all to channel the energy the nail pretty much starts decelerating and loosing direction the moment the it looses contact with the hammer.

I think hollywood has distorted the actual results when using one as a weapon.

[Josepi]

No! it was claimed a battery operated tackgun could kill an elephant through a 1/2" plate steel barrier at over 1.5 km.

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I always thought 2~3 feet would be the dangerous zone. With no barrel at all to channel the energy the nail pretty much starts decelerating and loosing direction the moment the it looses contact with the hammer.

I think hollywood has distorted the actual results when using one as a weapon.

[Kerry Montgomery]

Some cartridge firing nail guns are capable of nail velocities of over 1000 fps. Pneumatic ones much less. Kerry

[Steve Barker]

YABUT... if they don't go through a 3/4 plywood when you miss the joist at point blank, why would anyone believe they could penetrate ANYthing at any distance? I doubt you could get a nail to stick in a pumpkin at 20'.

[Josepi]

The nail head would stop it from going through the plywood. They do burst through thin materials if you miss the "meat" underneath.

[Josepi]

Here I made a video for you.

[Leon]

I could not disagree, but all energy is spent once the nail looses contact with the hammer. The heat and expanding gasses do not touch the nail like they do with a bullet in a gun barrel. I think the energy loss would be great on a nail

[m II]

ROFLMAO.. and the room goes quiet!!!

Here I made a video for you.

20'.

[-MIKE-]

Not all of us are sitting in mom's basement, twiddling our fingers, just waiting for the next social interaction to validate our miserable lives.

I saw the video. If it wasn't faked, it's about on the money for what I would expect. I'll have to ask my friend who owns a trap and skeet range, but I'm fairly certain clay targets come in many different densities. Some wouldn't survive being dropped on a concrete floor. I don't know about the one in the video, but it's very possible a BB gun could've produced the same results.

As far as the nail "sticking in the plywood" behind the clay target... did you happen to notice it looked like swiss cheese from the thousand or so holes already in it?

In any case, given the circumstances in that video, I would wear a face mask and normal street clothes, stand in front of that target and let them shoot away. Heck, let me wear my umpire gear and I'd stand 10 feet closer. :-)

[Steve Barker]

i call bullshit on that also. no way they'd fly that far and still have any power.

[John Grossbohlin]

I'm guessing it was faked...

RE the hole in the clay pigeon, it wouldn't surprise me to punch a hole in the web area like that without it shattering. I've picked up many a clay at the range with holes in them but other wise intact... I've got one sitting on my workbench (at least I think I still do) with 9 holes/chips in it that were made with a shotgun while it was flying through the air. Not only did it survive the hits but it survived hitting the ground!

John

[Steve Barker]

not quiet at all. just at work. I'll have my nail gun going later, i'll disprove this easy enough.

[Steve Barker]

i shoot clay and i can assure you that they are like paper in the center.

[Larry W]

Not talking about powder-operated fasteners here, but let's consider. As a previous poster pointed out, a nail gun can drive a (say) 10d nail through 3 inches of wood. You know what? in my younger and healthier days, I could take a framing hammer, and after a few setup taps, also drive a 10d nail through 3 inches of wood in a single hit, too.

So, it must stand to reason then, that if the nail gun can kill at a distance, I should be able to (with practice of course) toss that nail up in the air, strike it with my hammer as it falls, and propel it to a lethal hit with similar performance to the nail gun, right? What do you guys think? :) Somehow I don't think I'll be doing any hunting with hammer and nails any time soon...

(I have no idea where that poster got the 100 mph figure though, which comes to mere 150 or so feet per second, not a lot faster than what a good major league pitcher can do to a baseball. Even the most anemic modern pistol rounds move at more like 800 fps. Personally, I'd rather get hit with a nail at 150 mph than a baseball at 100)

[Larry Jaques]

Bzzzzzzzzzzzt! Once the nail or bullet reach their relative speeds, either from the solenoid/piston or the gunpowder/barrel, the mass of either keeps it going to its target. Nails travel at a slower speed for a shorter distance, but across the room, there is probably little to no loss. That thing -will- hurt you.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that treating nail gun wounds costs at least $338 million per year nationally in emergency medical care, rehabilitation, and workers' compensation[1]. Often personnel selling the tools know little about the dangers associated with their use or safety features that can prevent injuries. Tell your friend, Gass, to get right on it.

-- The most powerful factors in the world are clear ideas in the minds of energetic men of good will. -- J. Arthur Thomson

[Leon]

Yeah I think the nail going across the room would basically be going close to ZERO before it hit the wall. I don't think it would reach the other side of a room and penetrate anything.

I have most every size nailer available and have shot thousands of nails. Deflected nails that do not enter the wood can often be found near by. Not unusual to see a toe nailed nail bounce off a fence picket when toe nailing rails. The fact that you can see it bounce is testament that it is not moving as fast at a distance as you might think.

And you think these injuries were from nails shot across a room? ;~)

[Larry Jaques]

TRY IT and then tell me about your experiences. Hold the nose safety button down (fingers out of the way, please) and pull the trigger with

90+ psi. Wear eye protection, welding suit, helmet, gloves, etc.

I don't think the pneumatics have nearly the velocity the powder actuated nailsets do.

Only in Anti-Gun Hollywood.

P.S: Thinking of you, Leon. ;)

'm sorry it's not green.

-- Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything. -- George Lois

[m II]

From wikipedia article

"Spring-piston guns have a practical upper limit of 1250 ft/s (380 m/s) for .177 cal (4.5 mm) pellets. Higher velocities cause unstable pellet flight and loss of accuracy. This is due to the shock wave generated as the super sonic pellet contacts the air. Shortly after leaving the barrel, the pellet falls below the speed of sound and the shock wave overtakes the pellet, causing it to tumble. Drag increases rapidly as pellets are pushed past the speed of sound, so it is generally better to increase pellet weight to keep velocities subsonic in high-powered guns. Sonic crack from the pellet as it moves with supersonic speed also makes the shot louder sometimes making it possible to be mistaken for firearm discharge and drawing unwanted attention. Many shooters have found that velocities in the 800?900 ft/s (240?270 m/s) range offer an ideal balance between power and pellet stability."

"In the 17th century, air guns, in calibers .30?.51, were used to hunt big game deer and wild boar. These air rifles were charged using a pump to fill an air reservoir and gave velocities from 650 to 1,000 feet per second (200?300 m/s). They were also used in warfare; the most famous example is the Girandoni Military Repeating Air rifle. "

Not talking about powder-operated fasteners here, but let's consider. As a previous poster pointed out, a nail gun can drive a (say) 10d nail through 3 inches of wood. You know what? in my younger and healthier days, I could take a framing hammer, and after a few setup taps, also drive a 10d nail through 3 inches of wood in a single hit, too.

So, it must stand to reason then, that if the nail gun can kill at a distance, I should be able to (with practice of course) toss that nail up in the air, strike it with my hammer as it falls, and propel it to a lethal hit with similar performance to the nail gun, right? What do you guys think? :) Somehow I don't think I'll be doing any hunting with hammer and nails any time soon...

(I have no idea where that poster got the 100 mph figure though, which comes to mere 150 or so feet per second, not a lot faster than what a good major league pitcher can do to a baseball. Even the most anemic modern pistol rounds move at more like 800 fps. Personally, I'd rather get hit with a nail at 150 mph than a baseball at 100)