barrel tapered shafts ????

[Brack Shooter 32]

I have heard of the benefits of tail tapered shafts but what benefit does a barrel tapered shaft provide? Someone clue me in here. Is there benefit to barrel taper over the traditional tail taper? What gives?

[Aggie1993]

Quicker recovery and improved penetration.....information from two well known arrowsmiths.  I personally cannot tell a difference between the two.

[Dave2old]

My apologies to Aggie, but in Dr. Ashby's studies the barrel taper comes in last in most categories, including penetration and breakage. Single (tail tapered) is the way to go if you are talking hunting shafts. For target archery ... I haven't a clue and Aggie may well be right. My 2 cents, humbly offered. dave

[Overspined]

barrel taper reduce penetration on game, they are thicker in the middle. I am unsure why someone would use them. Target archery maybe?? don't know.

[O.L. Adcock]

Yep, I had a "hunter" taper fail on a black bear before I knew any better. Caught it's elbow as he was backing up. The shaft failed right behind the head. A "hunter" taper was 11/32 in the front, 23/64" in the middle, tapering to 5/16" at the nock....O.L.

[Jedimaster]

My favorite shaft of all time was the Supercedars.  Barrel tapered poplar (a specific type, not just the regular 'poplar').  No longer made but I have a few that I still love to shoot.  They just shoot well for me out of most any bow I put them through.  I don't know any more than that.  I've done no tests scientific or otherwise but they have been effective in my use.

[Boneyard Bowhunter]

I've tried barrel tapers twice. They break just  behind the tip. Single tapers are the way to go.

[Aggie1993]

Not sure why it would "reduce" penetration Overspined - whether it be a 11/32 or 23/64 shaft. The size of the shaft is smaller behind the tip and gradually increases to what would be the size of the shaft if not tapred - how could that reduce penetration?

I too shoot only a "hunter" taper but mainly because the barrel taper cost more and I did not notice any difference between the two.

[Brack Shooter 32]

so these have a tendancy of breaking and do not have as high of a penetration rate as normal shafts why are they still out there being offered. I guess I am must be missing something. Do they stabalize a broadhead better or something?

[AkDan]

used to shoot barrel tapered shafts and loved them.   Very durable and so far they were and still are to this day the best penetrating system I had.  Very little has changed in the way of the bow, nothing in the way of the heads.  Only the weight and lack of taper on the shafts I shoot today have changed.   Still trying to get my footed shaft tapering jig set right....been a interesting few winters now, be interesting to see it when it's done.  Atleast for me personally and how I've done I think they'll do quite well.   The footing is to help keep the cedars from breaking behind the point.  But really most shafts break right behind the points anyways that are unfooted tapered or paralell...again that is in my experience and to many arrows busted.........

[O.L. Adcock]

Aggie1993, "The size of the shaft is smaller behind the tip and gradually increases to what would be the size of the shaft if not tapred - how could that reduce penetration?"

For the same reasons heavier points in the front increases paradox, heavier shaft in the back increases bending when the arrow hits something. Arrows go through pradox twice, once when you put a large force on the back and again with a large force on the front. Barrel taperes would/could be a lot better if footed.

Brack, barrel tapers are great aerodynamically for long distance shooting but a breasted taper is better!       ...O.L.

[Van/TX]

Barrel tapered footed cedar shafts were popular with the target shooting crowd back before aluminum shafts were available. They were the most accurate arrows for long range shooting...Van

[stump man]

What type of wood is being used by those whom experience breakage behind the point on barrel tapers?  Cedar ? If so it has been common knowledge for decades that this is a weakness of cedar be they parallel, tapered or otherwise.  To blame this breakage on the fact that they are barrel tapered I have to raise question.  

  I made a batch of barrel tapers once and will share the information learned here since the question has been brought up.  Wood species was Western Larch or Tamarack as some know it.   I had two pick-up loads or one chord of the stuff (guy that brought it mistook it for fir) or roughly 5,000 shafts.  .  At the time I had no idea what kind of arrow shafts it would make, so let the experiment begin.  I was concerned the spine would be low so I barrel tapered them 23/64 in the middle to 11/32 on the ends thinking mass in the middle would equate to higher spine yet maintain use on the ends for available knocks and points.  Boy was I wrong in the fact that Larch is pretty darn good shaft material in both mass and spine on its own,  it didn’t need any help from me.  But we experimented with them anyway since we had them on hand.

  I experienced no drawbacks to them and can relate only the positives I experienced.  Most surprising was how well they would fly when not straight.  Didn’t matter if it was broadhead or field point.  Spin it point down like a top on a table and wobble like heck, take it out and shoot it and it was a frozen rope.  Only explanation I can think for this is “center of mass”.  Since the mass weight was in the center of the shaft it would allow either end to wobble a bit and still fly straight.  Larch is tuff stuff and I experienced no unusual breakage.

  As for how this effects penetration etc, etc.. I will leave that to the experts.  I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.

 my .02 worth
stump

[George Tsoukalas]

Barrel tapered shafts are as old as the English longbow if not older. I do believe they were used back in Medieval times. I guess the penetration back then was pretty good. When hand planing shafts, that was the method used back  then,  the barrel tapered ones are the easiest to make consistently. Removing wood from the middle has a great effect on spine while removing wood from tips allows the fletcher more control over grain weight. I make them 11/32 on the tips and 23/64 (or so) in the middle. As for the penetration differences I'll leave that to the experts.    Jawge

[Ben Maher]

as a target/3d shaft my Copperhead barrell tapers were the most accurate and forgiving shaft i ever shot...for hunting and stumps give me a single taper everytime. Ben

[joe skipp]

I shot barrel tapered ash for years, still have 2 dozen. Silent Pond Shafts was my supplier until he went under. toughest arrow I hunted with next to the old Forgewoods. Great penetration on game and only broke a few on some rocks when stumpshooting.

[Al Kidner]

I make and shoot footed breasted or "Hunter" tapered shafts all the time and think I have the best of both worlds in this type of shaft.

1. My shafts are footed to stop the problems of braking just behind the head, and

2. with the "Hunter" or breasted tapered shaft it recovers from paradox quicker due to less mass in the point and nock end. The ends of the shaft spend less time in oscillation, hence the better arrow flight.

Now no arrow is stone cold solid...


   

But this is how you want an arrow to brake if it's gotta brake...


 


And the other 1/2...

 

Note: these shafts came from Bob at Whispering Wind, I did not make 'em but they are/were quality shafts, as what we can expect from Mr Burton.

If I was to hunt anthing from Elk and upwards i'd follow what the good doc says and shoot a high FOC arrow with a single taper. I have some high spined and heavy weight timbers. I plan to hunt scrub bulls back home in Oz in 2009 with these heavy shafts so stay tuned...

AK.