Tapering footings

[acollins]

What is the best way to taper footings and get them even.  I have never used footings before. I glued one on last night and shot it today.  I like to never got it out of the target.  I now see why they need tapered.

[Caleb Monroe]

Chamfer and deburring tool used to prep rifle brass.

[M60gunner]

I assume you mean footed carbons? I cut mine to length, clean up the edges with a file. Then rotate and file a taper on one end. Another way is taper with file, cut and clean up edges. This way you have more old shaft to hang on to. OR clean them up, mount on shaft, install insert. When glue is dry take a 175 grain field tip and chuck up in drill motor. Screw on shaft and use file to make taper. This last way is tricky, you do not want to file the shaft.
Also Harbor Frieght sells a chamfering tool for pipe. It works pretty good, about 10 bucks in plumbing section.

[Bladepeek]

That chamfering tool mentioned above for rifle/pistol brass is very inexpensive and has an internal chamfer on one end and the external chamfer we want on the other end. Used very lightly, the inside chamfer can clean up the inside of arrows after cutting to length.

Personally, I just chuck the footing in a drill press and turn the rear edge down with a sharp, new file - very nearly to the inside diameter so there is hardly a ridge. When epoxied in place and the excess epoxy wiped clean, it is hard to feel the transition from shaft to footing and they pull quite easily.

[ChuckC]

Like Bladepeek does.  Not too tough to do.  You can use a regular hand drill if you don't have a drill press.

ChuckC

[kat]

After cutting the footing to length, I slip it over a carbon shaft, and put it on the belt sander on an angle. Rotate it on the shaft, and you get a clean even taper.

[acollins]

Thanks for all the replies