New nose cone for Porter Cable Brad Nailer not going on as easy as I thought it would

[Don Morris]

I have a Porter Cable BN200A that has given me great service for years. The rubber nose cone got hard and I ordered a new one. Threw out the old one and just recently had need to use the unit. Thought I'd just slip the new nose cone on and away I'd go...Nope. Trying to get in touch with a Porter Cable tech is in the same category as replacing a screen door on a submarine. Thought maybe you guys have done this more times than me and there might be some trick to replacement techniques for nose cones. It kinda looks like it should only need to be slipped on. But it doesn't. Is there a way to tell if you've got a wrong nose cone? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Don M

[Rich Engelhardt]

PC made a bunch of different BN200 guns.
IIRC, there's something like 6 variations of that gun - a plain 200, an A,B and C and Type 1 of a couple also.

I don't have that gun, but, I do have a 16 ga and a 23 ga & the rubber nose just slips off and on.

[steve swantee]

Hi Don,

I've had the nose piece off my BN200 a couple of times, and they are indeed difficult to put back on. I find the sides need to be spread apart a fair amount to allow it to slip on...more than you would think necessary.

Steve