Tapered arrows

[capt eddie]

Can someone steer me in the right direction about tapered shafts?  Both nock end and barrel tapered.  What about breast tapered.  I will be shooting them out of a longbow and recurve. I have had problems with shafts breaking when I hit an animal at less than 5 yards.  From Javalina to black bear.  No penetration.  Arrow snaps behind the head or very close to it. I shot 65 lb longbow and 72 lb recurve.  Will tapering help with this problem? What is the idea behind tapering?

[aromakr]

eddie:
At short ranges like you mentioned, your arrow is still going through paradox and from the sounds of things your setup might be the wrong spine. Properly spined tapered arrows will overcome paradox faster, however I think its more of a spine issue. I have made and sold breast tapered arrows and shafts for many years. The Idea behind tapering is too cause the shaft to straighten out quicker, but even tapering won't correct improper spine.
Bob

[Steve P]

I like tapered arrows and, other than my first set of wood arrows, is all I have used after swithcing from aluminum. Looking back I now know they were a poor example of wood arrows. Fortunately they did not sour me on wood and I sought out better and more experienced arrow makers. What aromakr says about spine issues is first and formost. I believe footing an arrow will also strenghten the pile if you continue to experience problems behind the broadhead. Were these cedar?


Steve

[oldgriz]

I have to agree with aromakr... it sounds like your shafts are still trying to straighten out... you might want to try a set of test arrows.. most of the  better suppliers will sell you a set of a dozen in 3 different spines so you can see what shoots best...
I love tapered shafts... I got a set of tapered poplars from Twig archery that fly like darts from my Bear Mag TD... beautifully dipped and crested and the price was more than reasonable...

[capt eddie]

I bare shaft test all my arrows before I fletch them.  Out to 18 yards they fly good.  No problems like I hear of with unproper spine.  I shoot a 75 to 80 spine cedar. Out of the hatfield T/D at 72lb.  Shooting bear and elk should I keep the weight of parallel or want the advantages of tapered?  A parallel arrow now weighs 625 grains.  What will I lose with a taper.

[Orion]

A rear 9-inch taper on a 11/32 cedar shaft to 5/16 will take about 20 grains off the arrow, more if tapered from 23/64 to 5/16.  I use both, but when I want all the weight I can get, I use a parallel shaft.  A well tuned parallel shaft will shoot so close to a tapered shaft that it is beyond the ability of most of us to tell the difference.  Keep in mind that almost all aluminums and carbons are parallel.

[purple heart]

eddie--
Go to a good heavy hardwood foot such as purple heart and you won't break any more shafts behind the point.  Better balance and hard hitin'.