Just realized my nail gun safety habit was backwards after a near miss

Been framing for 8 years now, always held the nail gun with my hand over the nose tread to brace it. Last Tuesday on a roof in Austin, I fired a nail and it ricocheted off a knot, missed my thumb by maybe an inch. My boss saw me and said, "You're lucky that didn't go through your palm, keep your hand off the muzzle." Turns out I had it inverted the whole time, all this muscle memory built on a false idea. Any other carpenters catch themselves doing something risky for decades without knowing? Has anyone got a close call that made them re-check their own habits?

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felixward24d ago

That grip never felt right to me either, but I figured it was just me being picky. Hearing this makes me want to double check every stupid habit I've built. Glad you walked away with all your fingers, man.