The nailgun is the only gun in Rust you can build and feed without a single grain of gunpowder. Every player knows the blueprint, it costs 75 metal fragments and 15 scrap, and its ammo is made from metal fragments too. That makes it the go to gun for the first hour of a wipe.
This Nailgun Rust guide covers the recipe, how to make nails, the real stats, how many nails it takes to kill a player or an animal, how it compares with the bow, crossbow, Eoka and revolver, how to get one and what it recycles into.
What Is the Nailgun in Rust?
The Nailgun is a construction tool turned into a weapon, which is exactly how the game describes it. In the game files it is pistol.nailgun with item ID 1953903201, and its ammo is ammo.nailgun.nails with ID -2097376851 (see our Rust item IDs list).
It fires one nail per click, holds 16 nails and reloads in about three seconds. Each nail does little damage and flies slowly, so it is a close range spam weapon. What makes it special is the cost: there is no gunpowder anywhere in the gun or its ammo, so you can fight for a spot before you have farmed a single node of sulfur.
In our Rust weapons tier list it sits with the crossbow, Eoka and revolver as an early game tool. It loses to anything with real bullets, but on wipe day almost nobody has real bullets yet.
How to Craft a Nailgun in Rust
The Nailgun is known by default. You do not research it and it is not on the tech tree; in fact it cannot be researched at all. You only need to stand at a Workbench Level 1.
| Ingredient | Amount | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Metal Fragments | 75 | Smelt 75 metal ore in a furnace |
| Scrap | 15 | Roadside barrels and crates, or recycling |
| Workbench | Level 1 | 500 wood and 100 metal fragments to build |
| Craft time | 15 seconds | Faster at a Workbench 2 or 3 |
Raw cost from zero is about 75 metal ore plus the wood to smelt it, 15 scrap, and the Workbench 1 itself if you do not have one yet. Our Rust crafting calculator does the maths for bigger batches.
Nailgun Nails: How to Make Ammo
| Nailgun Nails | Value |
|---|---|
| Recipe | 8 metal fragments for 5 nails |
| Workbench | None, craft it anywhere (default blueprint) |
| Craft time | 2 seconds per batch |
| Stack size | 64 |
| Full magazine (16) | About 26 metal fragments |
| Full stack (64) | 13 batches, 104 metal fragments |
| Despawn on the ground | 5 minutes |
Since the 2017 nailgun rework, fired nails stick into what they hit and can be picked back up, the same way arrows can. Collect your misses after a fight or a hunt and the gun costs almost nothing to run. Nails are worth nothing in a recycler, so do not bother recycling spares.
Nailgun Stats
| Stat | Nailgun |
|---|---|
| Damage | 18 per nail |
| Headshot | 27 (x1.5) |
| Magazine | 16 nails |
| Fire mode | Semi-automatic, up to about 400 shots a minute if you click fast |
| Reload | About 3.1 seconds |
| Nail speed | 50 m/s, very heavy drop |
| Aim cone | 0.75 degrees |
| Attachments | None |
| Workbench | Level 1, default blueprint |
| Despawn on the ground | 20 minutes |
| Shortname / Item ID | pistol.nailgun / 1953903201 |
Wikis disagree on the nailgun’s DPS (anywhere from 54 to 120) because it depends on how fast you click. In practice you will empty the magazine in a few seconds, then spend three seconds reloading. The nail speed is the real limit: at 50 m/s a nail is slower than an arrow from a crossbow, so past about 15 to 20 metres you have to aim well above your target.
Nailgun Shots to Kill
| Target | Nails to kill (body) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Naked player (100 HP) | 6 | 4 headshots |
| Burlap set | About 7 | Burlap blocks very little |
| Hoodie and pants | About 7 to 8 | Still a fair fight |
| Wood armor | 9 or more | Most of a magazine |
| Metal facemask or chest plate | Not worth it | Disengage and come back with a real gun |
| Scientist (150 HP) | About 9 | Aim for the head and use cover |
Against another fresh spawn with a rock and a spear, the nailgun wins easily. Against a player in wood armor it is a coin flip, and against anyone in metal it is a loss. Treat it as the gun that gets you to your second gun.
Nailgun vs Bow, Crossbow, Eoka and Revolver
| Weapon | Damage | Shots | Recipe | Workbench |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nailgun | 18 per nail | 16, semi-auto | 75 frags, 15 scrap | WB1 (default) |
| Hunting Bow | 50 per wooden arrow | 1, fast draw | 200 wood, 50 cloth | None |
| Crossbow | 60 per wooden arrow | 1, slow reload | 200 wood, 75 frags, 2 rope | WB1 (default) |
| Eoka Pistol | Handmade shell spread | 1, misfires | 75 wood, 30 frags | None |
| Revolver | 35 per pistol bullet | 8 | 125 frags, 25 cloth, 1 metal pipe | WB1 (blueprint) |
Pick the nailgun when you have metal fragments and scrap but no gunpowder, and you expect close fights around your base or a monument. Pick a bow or crossbow for silent shots and range. The revolver is the clear upgrade once you have its blueprint and some pistol ammo, since 35 damage a shot ends fights almost twice as fast.
Hunting with the Nailgun
The nailgun is a decent hunting gun because missed nails can be picked up again. Chickens drop in one or two nails, a deer takes about six and a boar or wolf about nine. Boars and wolves fight back, so back up while you fire and reload behind a tree or rock. A few animals give you the fat for low grade fuel and the cloth and meat you need on day one; see our Rust food guide.
How to Get a Nailgun in Rust
- Craft it at any Workbench 1. Every player has the blueprint from the start of a wipe.
- Loot it off other players. It is not a common crate drop, so do not go looking for one.
- Recycle a spare at a recycler: 37 metal fragments and 10 scrap at a monument, 30 fragments and 8 scrap at a safe zone like Outpost or Bandit Camp.
Recycling gives back 10 of the 15 scrap at a monument, so a nailgun you picked up off someone is worth a trip to the recycler if you do not need it.
Nailgun Tips
- Fight inside 15 metres. Further out, the nails drop so much that you waste half the magazine.
- Click, do not hold. It is semi-automatic, so steady clicks on the head beat panic clicking.
- Reload behind cover. Three seconds is a long time with someone shooting at you.
- Pick your nails up. After a hunt or a fight, walk over your misses and collect them.
- Move on fast. Once you have gunpowder, a revolver or a Workbench 2 gun is a big step up.
Nailgun Rust FAQ
How do you craft a nailgun in Rust?
Stand at a Workbench Level 1 and craft it from 75 metal fragments and 15 scrap. It takes 15 seconds. The nailgun is a default blueprint, so every player can make it from the start of a wipe.
How do you make nails for the nailgun in Rust?
Craft Nailgun Nails from your inventory: 8 metal fragments make 5 nails in 2 seconds, with no workbench needed. Nails stack to 64.
How much damage does the nailgun do in Rust?
Each nail does 18 damage, or 27 on a headshot. A naked player with 100 HP dies to 6 body shots or 4 headshots.
Does the nailgun need gunpowder in Rust?
No. Neither the nailgun nor its nails use any gunpowder or sulfur, which is why it is so popular in the first hour of a wipe.
Can you put attachments on the nailgun in Rust?
No. The nailgun has no attachment slots, so it cannot take a holosight, lasersight, silencer or any other weapon mod.
Can you pick up nails in Rust?
Yes. Fired nails stick into the ground, trees and other surfaces and can be picked back up like arrows. They despawn after 5 minutes on the ground.
What does a nailgun recycle into in Rust?
A nailgun recycles into 37 metal fragments and 10 scrap at a monument recycler, or 30 metal fragments and 8 scrap at a safe zone recycler.
Is the nailgun good in Rust?
It is good for the first hour of a wipe, for hunting and for fights against players in cloth. It falls off fast against wood armor or metal, and any gun that fires real bullets beats it.