The 10 Best Roofing Nailers

Roofers have reached for the Bostitch RN46-1 for decades, and it's still the gun many crews name first. The canister swings open from the side, so a fresh coil drops in fast. A quick-set depth guide and an adjustable shingle guide help put each nail where the shingle maker wants it. Parts and repair kits are sold widely. It can jam or fire two nails after long days, so keep it oiled and clean.

Sold for years as the Hitachi NV45AB2, the Metabo HPT NV45AB2 now carries a five-year warranty from its maker. The canister loads from the side, depth sets without tools, and rubber pads help keep it from sliding down the roof. It ships set to bump fire, which suits fast shingling. If you want one nail per trigger pull, you have to buy and fit Metabo HPT's single-shot trip kit, sold as a separate part.

For roofers tired of dragging a hose, the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 2909-20 runs on Milwaukee's M18 batteries and switches between single-shot and bump firing. Milwaukee rates it at up to six nails a second, quick enough for real shingling, and a lockout stops it from firing blanks when the coil runs out. Milwaukee's older air-powered 7220-20 is hard to find now. This one is heavy to hold all day, and it comes without a battery or charger.

Hot days and tar-coated shingles gum up a nailer's nose, and the Max SuperRoofer CN445R3 is built for that problem. Its nose resists tar, the contact foot comes off for cleaning, and a magnet holds the last nail steady. A dial sets depth, and a trigger lock keeps it from firing on the climb up the ladder. Max backs it for five years. It feels bulky in the hand, and the price runs high.

Built around a light aluminum body, the Makita AN454 is an air gun for roofers who carry it all day. A dial sets depth without tools, the canister adjusts in one step for different nail lengths, and a magnet blocks firing when one nail is left. Makita covers it for three years. The kick is strong, and a veteran roofer reported it firing on its own, so keep your finger off the trigger when moving.

Homeowners re-roofing a garage or patching storm damage get the whole setup in one box with the DeWalt DCN45RND1: the gun, a battery, a charger and a bag. DeWalt says one charge drives about 500 nails, roughly one square of shingles. A wheel sets depth without tools. It fires in bump mode only, there's a short pause while the motor spins up, and the recoil is sharp.

A shingle guide that comes off when you don't need it makes the Senco RoofPro 445XP handy on ridges and around vents. It's a light air gun that runs on little air, so a small compressor keeps up. It comes with a bump trigger, and other modes mean swapping the trigger. There are no rubber skid guards to grip the roof. The seller's title calls it a siding nailer, but it drives roofing coils.

Repair crews and homeowners fixing a few rows can skip the hose with the Metabo HPT NV1845DA. It runs on the brand's 18-volt batteries, fires in single or bump mode, and has a lockout switch for carrying. Metabo HPT covers the tool body for life. Pro Tool Reviews found it keeps a slower pace than a seasoned roofer and called it heavy, so it suits patch jobs and ridge caps more than full installs.

On a tight budget, the Freeman PCN450 still lets you switch between bump and single-shot firing, and it adds a fire lock. Depth sets with a wheel, and the clear nail bucket shows when the coil is running low. Freeman backs it for seven years, a long term for a gun at this price. Replacement parts can be hard to track down, so a broken part may mean a long wait.

If you only roof a shed or swap out a few shingles each year, the WEN 61783 keeps the cost down and still does the job. It comes in a hard case with oil and wrenches, and it has an adjustable shingle guide and depth control. Some parts are plastic, and a roofing-tool seller that stocks it rates it fine for a few hundred nails a year but not for a whole house.