Powder actuated tool misfire on a remodel, second guessing my routine

Last Thursday I was doing a tear out and reinstall in an old house near Tacoma, and my Ramset misfired twice in a row on a concrete slab. I checked the pins, reseated the charge, and it fired fine on the third try, but it got me thinking about how fast I move through the prep. I always wear ear pro and glasses, but I skipped the hard hat on that job, which feels dumb now. Do you guys have a checklist you run before every shot, especially on older slabs that might have hidden rebar or hard spots? I'm wondering if I should slow down or switch to a different tool for remodel work.

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chen.adam10d ago

Hold up, you skipped the hard hat on a remodel? That's the one thing I never cheap out on, even if it's just a quick slab job. Old concrete can spit debris in weird directions when it finally gives, and one stray chunk to the dome ain't worth saving two minutes. I'd say keep the Ramset but add a hard hat to your kit, and maybe do a quick tap test on the slab before you load up, just to feel for soft spots.