Rear load magazine assembly

A device for driving successive fasteners from a stick of fasteners, said device comprising:

• a housing structure including a handle portion defining a manually engageable handle for enabling a user to portably operate said device and a nosepiece portion disposed forwardly thereof,
• a magazine assembly extending rearwardly from said nosepiece portion and defining therewith a drivetrack,
• a fastener driving element slidably mounted in said drivetrack,
• power operated means for moving said fastener driving element within said drivetrack through successive operative cycles each including a drive stroke in one direction and a return stroke in an opposite direction,
• said magazine assembly including structure defining a fastener stick receiving feedtrack and means for biasing a stick of fasteners in said feedtrack so as to move a leading fastener of said stick into said drivetrack to be driven therefrom during the drive stroke of said fastener driving element into a workpiece,
• means for mounting said magazine assembly with respect to said housing structure in an operative position with respect to said nosepiece portion and for movement away from and toward said operative position,
• means for resiliently biasing said magazine assembly into said operative position and for allowing said magazine assembly to be moved through a first range of movement including resilient movement of said magazine assembly away from said nosepiece portion during an unwanted fastener deformation so as to allow the deformed fastener to self clear after which said magazine assembly is returned to said operative position, and
• a manual actuator mounted for manual movement between (1) a normal operating position wherein said resilient movement within said first range takes place and (2) a release position wherein said magazine assembly is enabled to be moved through a second range of movement beyond said first range so as to clear a deformed fastener which does not self clear by virtue of said resilient movement within said first range.