framing nailer differences

[Updated 02/06/2023]

Clipped head, wire coil, plastic strip: Framing nail guns come in a wide range of types and collations. Ever wonder what's the deal with all the framing nailer angles? Never fear. From 15-degree to 34-degree nailers, we've got the angle on framing guns.

The first thing to know is that the angle degree refers to the nail collation and more specifically the angle of the magazine, not the slant that the nail is driven. Nails are driven straight or perpendicularly into a surface. The second thing you should know is that the framing nailer degree you need may depend on the geographic location of your project. More on that later. 

Stick and coil collation are the two main types of framing nailers. Stick collation refers to nails that are held together with paper or plastic and come in a long, straight strip. On the other hand, coil collation refers to nails that are wire-bound with two thin wire strips and come in a circular shape, a few outliers namely DuoFast come in a plastic collation versus the predominant wire coil. 

15-Degree Framing Nailers

Stats: Full-round head nails. Wire coil collation.

There are two main kinds of framing nail collation—stick and coil collation. All framing nailers in the 15-degree group are wire-coil collated. This means that their nails are held together by two thin wire strips and slanted at a 15-degree angle. The nails themselves have a fully round head and the collation is circular in shape. More often than not, the full-round-head nail that these nailers drive is the preferred head shape for building code.