On Feb 7, 10:46 am, "Greg Esres" wrote:
I bought a Dewalt 257 about a year ago to fix drywall problems, but
the gun never worked well for me. Sometimes the clutch would
disengage with a satisfying pop and the screw would be set at the
correct depth, other times, the bit would spin in the screwhead,
stripping it and leaving it high. I tried a variety of depth settings
and techniques, but rarely got the "pop". In the end, I wasted more
time with this tool than I would have with a drill.

On the advice of Dewalt customer support, I the tool by one of the
support centers yesterday. The technician told me

1) The clutch is not intended to control the depth the screw is set.
It exists only to enable the operator to insert screws into the unit
more rapidly because it stops spinning.

2) The depth of the screw is solely controlled by the nosepiece; when
it encounters the work surface, the operator must release the trigger
to stop drilling.

The technician's statements do not match my understanding of how these
units are supposed to work. Is the technician correct?

I have an old Milwaukee drywall gun with no clutch. The cone on the
nose is what you adjust to set the depth of the screw. With practice
you can screw up a whole sheet of drywall without ever releasing the
trigger. A clutch prevents you from overtigthening or stripping out a
screw.