I've had this for about a year and am very happy with it. I've used it for roof and wall framing, sheathing, and siding. It has good power, light, comfortable, anti-slip pads, and the depth adjustment is very convenient, just push a button on the nosepiece and it moves in and out, very nice when you go from framing with 16d to sheathing with 10d so you don't drive through the plywood/OSB (face it, if you needed to get a tool to adjust the depth, you wouldn't do it!). This feature is also nice when you are doing exterior trim and siding so you don't just blow through the material (it comes with a rubber cover to cover up the toenailing teeth for finer work). But the real beauty of this nailer is that it converts to a positive placement gun. Push the same button that lowers the nose for depth adjustment and you pull the whole nose out and replace it with a positive placement nosepiece that allows you to shoot teco nails in metal connectors. (I'll agree with other reviewers that these nails are difficult to find, I got the sku from Stanley's webpage and did a special order at Lowes, price was fine, to dispel another reviewer's rant). With todays building codes, they want metal connectors on everything, I have joist hangers, rafter hangers (LSSU2110) and holddowns, this nailer really made this work bearable. There are better dedicated framing nailers (this doesn't have a bump trigger option) and positive placement nailers (this is big and sometimes can't reach in a corner) but this is a real nice combo unit if you want one that can do both. I have a gripe that it doesn't come with a bag/case, but I guess you can buy one separate. I also attached a rafter hook to mine available here at Amazon: Toolhangers Unlimited 21087T, it says it is for a wormdrive saw but it fits this nailer fine.

After using this nailer on numerous projects, I can now submit what I feel is an objective review of this product and hopefully dispel some of the incorrect information that is contained in other reviews. Based solely on some of the reviews located here, I hesitated for quite awhile on purchasing this tool...but now I am very pleased that I chose to do enough research to be fully confident in my purchase.
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br /I am by no means a full-time professional framer, but I do enough construction work to separate junk tools from the good stuff. Since purchasing this gun few months ago I have sent around 50,000 framing and sheathing nails through it along with 10,000 metal connecting nails (MCN). In those 60k or so nails, I have had 0 - yes ZERO - misfires. I have has basically no maintenance out of the ordinary on this nailer. Additionally, this is a very fast and easy nailer to reload and to change from a framer to a MC tip (this can be done in under 10 seconds). The metal connecting ability of this tool is 'phenomenal'. It literally cuts the amount of time required by ...well I don't know exactly, but it's a lot ... and produces a superior result to hand done clips.
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br /The weighting and balance does take a little getting used to if you are not familiar with an N88 style nailer, and can be a little tiring compared to some of the substantially lighter Hitachi's I have used. This is especially true when using it as a metal connector as much of the time you are working above your head. This issue is minor enough that I do not feel that it should factor into a person's decision to purchase this tool.
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br /Other reviewers complaints seem to fall into three categories: durability, lack of a bump or contact trip trigger, and the availability of MC nails. As for the first issue - durability - I can only assume that they have received "lemon" nailers or have unnecessarily abused them. I know a few contractors/professionals that only use Bostitch nailers because of the company's long term reliability. In fact, I was working with a professional building a garage recently who was using a Bostitch N88WWB (the WWB and the RH mechanically similar tools) that he has had for a few years with very few problems. He was blown away by the versatility of the RH and will be buying one soon. He never could justify the expense of a dedicated metal connecting nailer and he needs to change nailers to meet many new local codes that ban clipped headed nails in framing.
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br /Bostitch does not officially support using a bump trigger with this nailer, probably because some "genius" would use it while shooting MC nails. Though, as another reviewer noted, the contact trigger is available through Bostitch parts if you look under the N88RH (not 2MCN). The part you are looking for is CNTK1. Unfortunately, this part is not currently available through Amazon.com.
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br /Finally onto the availability of the connector nails. I do feel that it is unfortunate that Amazon.com does not stock any of these nails, but I have come to understand that Bostitch makes it hard for all retailers to get their hands on them. With a little Internet searching they are definitely findable. Also, make certain you plan ahead and give yourself enough time to receive the nails, the best source I have found still takes around a week to deliver. As other reviews have noted, all of the big box retailers can special order them for you, though they probably will have no clue what you are talking about, just ask to see their Bostitch price sheet and look for the section that has model numbers that start RH-MC and you will be set.
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br /Sorry for being so long winded, but I really feel that this is a superb tool that gotten a bad rap. It is unfortunate that it is not easier to find this information, which is certainly a fault of Bostitch. It becomes even more baffling when you take into account how much marketing Bostitch is putting behind this nailer.

I just bought this as my first nail gun and I'm really happy with it so far. Seems great as a framing nailer. The 21/22 deg nails are cheap and easy to get. But it truely shines as a metal connector gun. True, the 0.148 x 1.5" nails are tricky to find (I had to order them through Numax) and they are pricey, but you save so much time that it is worth it. It is easy to align the tool and it sinks the nails beautifully. Even if you don't do that much with metal connectors I don't know why you wouldn't get this nailer over other full head framing nailers. It makes joist hangers almost fun.

I have owned a lot of nailguns in my career as a general contractor. Before purchasing this gun I was a little sceptical about bostitch guns, especially a 2 in 1 positive placement gun. After using this gun for the past three months and installing nearly 10,000 positive placement nails with it I am 100% sold on this thing. I would never even think about doing a serious faming project without it. If you are even considering buying one of these do it, you won't regret it. This gun can install a full range of framing hardware nails, from 1 1/2" to 3 1/2"! And with a quick change of the nose, it converts to a normal nail gun (single fire, not bounce) in 3 seconds. This is such an advantage to every other positive placement gun out there.

I regularly use this gun for residential new construction/remodels. It generally works well for framing purposes and for hanging connectors. However, its one major detractor is that the MCN attachment (for nailing into connectors) is prone to breaking and is not easily replaced if it does break. We've gone through three of the attachments (lots of metal connectors required in my area) and have had a difficult time finding replacement parts. The MCN attachment is not available at the retail level and must be ordered through Stanley Bostitch (after a considerable wait). Thus, a decent tool but not totally reliable.

Just an update. I've now put upwards of 30,000 nails through this gun, and my opinion has only improved. If it wasn't locked, I'd change my rating from 4 to 5 stars. I love it. (March 2006)
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br /I couldn't justify a separate framing nailer and a positive placement nailer, so this appealed to me. I was a bit worried by the two one-star reviews here. Both seemed a bit extreme, so I bought it, and haven't been sorry. It's well made and does what I need without annoying me. Favorite features are easy depth adjustment and framing to positive-placement changeover. I've done a good amount of both now, with frequent changes back and forth. My main issue is that it won't shoot a 16d nail when in positive-placement mode.
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br /I've had none of the problems in the negative reviews. Yes, it's somewhat heavy, but no more than other framing nailers (same as the Hitachi NR83A2 recommended in the Alex Crowder review). Compared to other framing nailers, it may be a bit bulkier at the top, but the grip is standard, not "weird" in any way I can see. It seems no louder, and loading nails is extremely easy.
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br /Finding nails was not a big problem. Lowes and Home Depot had framing nails (mostly off-name brands). I went to a pro supply place (Manor Hardware) for the connector nails, and I ended up buying all my nails there. I'm sure the high quality nails I used, Halsteel Trackers, are partly responsible for my good experience.
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br /Being single-purpose, a dedicated positive-placement gun is most likely superior in some ways. All I can say is my combo Bostitch has worked great for me.

I recently replaced an old framing nailgun. The N88RH ranked highly in a recent builders' magazine review, but what really sold me on the N88RH-2MCN was the ability to drive nails in metal framing connectors.pI've been using the gun for about 6 weeks now with a Dewalt Emglo compressor and I love it. Depth-of-drive adjustment takes 2 seconds and requires no tools. Nails are driven consistently to the set depth. Loading is simple, and the gun feels durable. You have to change nosepieces (included) when going between standard framing nails and metal connector nails, but this is as quick and easy as adjusting the depth-of-drive.pI got my first framing connector nails today and set a couple dozen Simpson truss clips. Not a single miss, and every nail driven perfectly. The nails are hard to come by, and I had to check several hardware stores before I found one that could even special order them (it turns out that Home Depot was able to do this for me). True, the nails are a bit pricey, but labor is far pricier, so it's really not an issue when you consider how much time you save.pAll in all, given how many metal framing connectors are used in typical residential construction nowadays, this gun is terrifically useful.

Needed a framing nail gun a few months ago and just happened to see this one on sale at one of the large lumber stores. Saw that it had this metal connector piece also, but had no idea what it was for. I did a little research and thought "cool, that might come in handy some day".
br /I've used this gun to frame, floor, roof, and put up siding. It handles the 3" nails well, sinking them deep into typical framing lumber. The adjustable tip is great; pull it out 5 clicks or so and you can leave the nail standing proud 1/2" or so. Great for temp. bracing. The only mis-fires or problems I've had are from 2" or shorter nails (1 1/2" metal connectors). I've found that the gun is a little fussy about having more than 1 clip of those size nails in it. Sometimes when it mis-fires I just pull back on the slider and release it, that seems to help get that first nail back into position. The worst mis-fire I had was with a metal connector nail. The gun fired a blank, then without checking it I fired another time and the nail came out backwards and lodged. It took 20 minutes to free it.
br /Other than those occasional hiccups this gun has performed well and had done everything I have asked of it. Considering the great price I paid for it I would very much buy it again.

It is so easy to switch between modes. Uses standard SENCO framing and metal connector nails. Available at most tool stores that carry SENCO products. When framing in the floor of a large shed it was great to be able to fasten the Simson Ties and switch to framing nails in seconds. It shot both the framing nails, Hardened Metal Connector Nails and 8d ring nails for the sub floor with out a hitch. The only problem is if you are not carefull with loading the nails and you damage the connecting strip in can jamb but the jambs are easy to clear. If you can't afford to get a dedicated metal fastner gun then this is the way to go.

I am a general contractor and just bought this gun. We are working with truss joists and hangers and the metal connector system worked great. You can fire from odd angles and the tip still works well. However, I found that loading a full clip with a partial still in the gun will sometimes result in a jam or misfire. I had a hard time finding MC nails but finally my local lumber yard found a supplier and is stocking them for me. Hopefully as this gun becomes more popular the nails will be easier to find. As a framing nailer the gun works well. It would not, however, sink 16's into a 5 1/2" thick LVL beam, but maybe thats asking too much! I love the gun and feel that it was a great purchase.

An extreme DIY, I decided to replace all 13 windows and install siding at my home myself to save money. Realized early on that doing it by hand will definitely not work, I decided to get this nailer and the combo porter-cable compressor/brad/finish offer from amazon and never looked back....This gun is amazing....Granted that I don't have a reference to compare this gun too, since this is my first experience with a framer, it worked flawlessly when I needed it every single time. I am now definitely a Bostitch fan and look forward to tackling other projects with this incredible piece of equipment!!!!!!! Thanks Bostitch.

I needed a nailer for some home improvement projects and had been considering products in the mid-to-high $200 price range such as the Porter Cable and DeWalt. Generally speaking, I don't like to spend too little on a tool since I'm usually disappointed by features, durability, or both. The 5-star reviews on this product influenced me to take a chance, and I have no regrets. The N88RH-2MCN has done everything I require. (Please note, I've used lots of smaller air nailers, 16ga and smaller. This is my first and only experience with a framing nailer, so I have no basis for comparison. All I can say is that I am pleased.)
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br /The package includes two attachments (tips): a regular one (nicely spiked for toe nailing) and a special one for use with metal connectors. You MUST use Bostich fasteners with the metal connector attachment. I found them at Home Depot. Included is a soft nose to cover the spikes on the regular attachment so that you won't damage decking and other decorative materials. Depth adjustment is easily accomplished. Considering what it has to do, this nailer is reasonably light and handles easily.
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br /Unlike other users, I've had a couple of problems. I had one jam that required a trip to the repair shop. The manual doesn't recommend a method of removing a jammed fastener. The technician simply shoved a small screwdriver up the nose and pried the nail loose and up into the magazine where it could be removed. I would have been afraid to use such a crude procedure on my own. Now I know what to do, so I don't consider this single jam to be a serious defect. I also occasionally have trouble firing off the last couple of nails in a stick. The plastic collating strips sometimes crack, enabling the nails to go cockeyed. That's what caused my jam, in fact. I can't say if this is a general problem with nailers that use plastic-collated fasteners, or a problem that's specific to the Bostich. In any case, any problems have been infrequent, and certainly don't prevent me from recommending the product.
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br /For the cost, it's everything I'd hoped for. You'll have to ask the pros how it will stand up to daily, heavy use. For the home handiman, it's a great value.

I have owned this nailer for 3 months and have shot about 2500 3 1/4" nails and about 750 1 1/2" hanger nails through it without any jamming or misses. One feature I do wish the nailer had was to stop firing when the magazine was empty. One does get used to monitoring the magazine though. Its lightweight and shoots nails into engineered lumber without any problem. I'd rate it a 10.

Outfreaking standing value for $170 bucks. I've loved my Porter Cable FR350 for many years now, but you can't beat this gun for the money. A little lighter than PC, with the bonus of a metal connector attachment. Haven't used that part yet, but can't wait to do so (doing two rafter/truss roof jobs this summer - will need to use a lot of hurricane ties and other metal connectors).
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br /UPDATE: Bostitch lady said you can buy the bump trigger for $12 and put it on this nailgun. I'm not going to get it, I'll use the PC FR350 for bump framing. Thought this might help some others though. You can have all the features (hanger nailing, single fire, and bump fire) with this nailgun. Just by the additional bump trigger.

Needed a roofing gun compatible with Bostitch HurriQuake nails, and fast! Searched high and low and on the net. Bostitch even tells you other manufacturer models that are compatible. Now, this gun also has an attachment for metal connectors, and it cost about half of what I could find anywhere- yes, Brand New! If you need a stick-nailer or are going to use HurriQuake nails - this is it.

I am a professional buildong contractor that uses nail guns all the time. I have 2 of these guns, one with the positive placement tip and one without. The positive placement tip works great for attaching metal connectors but the single fire trigger setup ( a must for nailing conectors on ) gets old when nailing sheeting, of framing walls. I end up using my older gun that has the bump firing set up the most.

I have gone through 15000 nails with not one jam , I use 3-1/4, 2-3/8 ring shank nails ,lots of power ,very pleased,have not used metal connector so I have no comment on attachment.

Previous to purchasing this tool, I had researched various nailers from the multitude of manufacturers. The fact that this nailer had the "metal connector" feature was certainly a plus, but the idea of reliability and availability of nailing products was also a big concern. I have to say, that so far this tool has worked flawlessly, and I am happy with my dicision to purchase it. I have used it to build 150 feet of fence, and have used different size nails with no issues! We are also rebuilding an old house, with various additions, so this tool will see many hours and nails over the next few months. This will be the telling trial.

I placed 4000 3.25" Stainless Steel Nails through 1" composite decking without any problems with the gun. This is the 16th Bostitch gun I've owned. Parts are easy to get and I rebuild my own.

I purchased this gun to help with an attic finishing project. There were a lot of kneewalls and toenailing. After 5 minutes with this gun, I wondered how and why I held off getting one for so long. I have used other Bostitch guns through rental centers and they seemed to work well. This one is no exception. I've used some no-name framing guns and, while less expensive, they are a lot less consistent in drive depth and often leave the nails proud of the surface. That occasionally happens with this gun but not often (maybe every 50 or 100 nails). The power is great- the gun can countersink 0.131" 3.5" long nails about 1/4" below the surface of the wood. I'm not afraid of toenailing anymore!

I can't say enough nice or good things about the nailer; very easy to use, easy t adjust, ect... So the only thing I would have liked is a case. Other than that trivial thing, the nailer shines.

Have used item briefly...having a little difficulty changing depth of the driven nail. Everything else seems to work okay. Item is well balanced and is very easy to handle...even though it looks as it would be heavy to pack around though it isn't.

I purchased this tool new through Amazon via [...]. Though had some initial problems with the gun and the original packaging had considerable water damage like it had been sitting outside for some time. They were responsive to my conserns and resolved things to my satisfaction. I have been using the gun for the last 3 months with no problems. It is well balanced, has plenty of "punch" to send 3" ers through just about anything, and I have not experienced any jambing problems. I have not yet had the opprotunity to use the metel connector head, so I can't really comment about that. Very stable, I would recommend it.

I have had this gun for a year now and have used it fairly extensively, from framing with PT lumber, putting up shear ply under a house, to installing many kinds of metal connectors. I have easily fired more than 10,000 nails of all sorts, from 1.5" thick MC nails to full 16d without a single jam. I have had no problems finding MC nails, even the local hardware store has them in various lengths. The gun will allow you to fire *ANY* nail with the MC nose, of course you are limited by the engineering requirements of the job. If the gun can shoot the nails with the regular nose, then you can use the MC nose on it. Some of the dedicated metal connector guns out there are limited by the type and length of nail, that is not the case with this gun.
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br /On the negative side, the gun is heavier than the newer lightweight alternatives, but I was never bothered by it as it also keeps the recoil down when you are reaching around obstacles and cannot properly brace the gun. The MC nose may break if you drop the gun on it, just take it off when not in use. Finally, the gun arrives with Seq. trigger, some professionals may prefer a bump trigger--I convert everything to seq. trigger for better control and safety.
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br /One reviewer claims the gun is loud: well duh, you are off-loading a 1000 ft-lbs wallop of air. Another claims his gun shoots when connecting the air hose: I don't know how he pulled that one off? Although I did catch my helper forcing on the air hose while he had the nose depressed into his crotch--mercifully, he had not pulled the trigger.

I bought this for framing out basement, building deck, and last weekend building a 20x12 loft in my garage for storage. The gun fires 3" nails with ease into anything including LVLs. Metal fastener adapter works great for 2X hangers. It is a little tough to find the nails, but a good search on the web and you can get them at tool king. Just go to the Bostitch sight first and get the part numbers you will need. Also, call to place the order so you can tell them NOT to require a signature when you receive them at the house. All in all, a great gun!

Great nailer. Used it on several projects using several different nail types/sizes. Had it modified to bounce-fire. Has been very reliable. I clean it often and put a couple of drops of oil in it at the start of the day.
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I was not sure if this would be a "quality" product. Bostitch is of course well known for their quality but in todays world of merging markets and second rate production lines, you really can not go on a time trusted name of any company anymore......With that said this lives up to the Bostitch name and is GREAT!!! Light Weight, well made, and 2 very nice features 1. you can turn the exhaust 360 degrees 2. It has a "snap on" metal fastening attachment which makes this 2 guns in one. ANd yea it really works quite well. Lowes, HD, etc etc you would pay at least $400 for this gun. Way to go Amazon at $169 I am in tool heaven!!

i purchased two of these nail guns. had to have it with being able to nail joist hangers plus a reg. nailer very nice item. also has great power. i like n88rh for durability, balanced very well, hope i could help but for this great price for the money. i dont know of another nail gun that you get all these features for this kinda price

I have been framing houses for 24 years and bought every gun out there. I have 8 of these guns my only problem is it is a slow framer cuz the sequental trigger but that can be fixed for $12 on the bostich parts web site.P.S. the hitachi has a sheet metal rail any gun with a sheet metal rail is crap.

We have two of these guns and they just don't perform. They are actually falling apart and they are only a month and a half old. Nails jam in the gun and the worst thing is they actually fire nails when you attach the air hose to it. So when you see someone at the beginning of the day hooking up the guns run for cover and I AM NOT KIDDING.
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br /If you are thinking about buying this gun reconsider and spend the extra money on a Hitachi.

if i had the choice i wouldnt have even given it a full star my dislikes br heavy odd balnce bulky really loud loading it is a pain in the a@@ the grip is weird and the hanger nail atchment is a joke the only 2 things i liked about it was the price and getting rid of it if you want a real nail gun step up to the plate and buy a hitchi nr83a2

One Star because BOSTITCH DOESN'T GET IT! Buying a nailer is endorsing a company and a philosophy. Oh, it's a great nailer all right. I love mine. BUT - if you intend to use it to hang metal connectors,(and let's face it, this is the big draw here) be aware that you will need to special order the nails, IF YOU CAN FIND THEM, and it will cost more than [money] for 1 box. [My local hardware store] charges [money] for 5000 nails. At more than [money] per 1 1/2in. nail, I understand why virtually every retailer does NOT stock them ... If I had it to do over, I'd buy the cheaper Porter Cable FR350 and have no problem with nails or their price. Why not the Bostitch n88ww? Well, when Bostitch builds a nailer but won't supply REASONABLY priced nails, I refuse to go back to them. They don't even offer nails at their site. Good nailers mean NOTHING if they don't take care of their customers.