Had to pick between the framing nailer and the old hammer on a budget job
I was working a deck rebuild near Austin last month and my budget only let me buy one new tool. I chose the nail gun over my usual hammer - big mistake. Ended up wasting two hours fixing jams and misfires, and the customer saw me struggling from her window.
Seventy percent of jams come from people using cheap nails that don't match the tool, plain and simple. @morgan.charlie is right that clearing jams fast is key, but most folks don't even bother to read the gauge. I've watched guys wrestle a jammed nailer for five minutes when it's just a single bent nail in the feed. Grab the right ones and that 15 second fix is actually realistic.