There is provided a device for the delivery of surgical fasteners. The device improves the penetration of the fasteners and reduces the effort required for a surgeon to hold opposing pressure in order to deploy the fastener. The device comprises a lever in mechanical cooperation with a resilient element for storing energy; a drive mechanism which cooperates with at least one surgical fastener; and a release mechanism for rapidly releasing stored energy from the resilient element to the drive mechanism. In certain embodiments, at least partial depression of the lever stores energy in the resilient element while release of the lever from the at least partial depressed position does not release the stored energy from the resilient element. Additionally, the drive mechanism converts stored energy from the resilient element upon activation of the release mechanism to deliver the at least one surgical fastener.