A hip nail is inserted across a fracture of the proximal femur and locked in place by a plurality of tangs that are forcibly deployed from within the leading end of the nail into the head of the femur by means of blows on a central driving shaft, while a recoil transferring tube and tool shaft, and the inertia of a mass releasably attached to the base of the nail absorbs the recoil, enabling the nail to remain stationary relative to the bone, thereby enabling the tangs to deploy in a generally curvilinear perpendicular direction without twisting or unwanted distortion.
