Effect of taper on wood arrow flight?

[McDave]

My understanding is that if you want a higher quality of wood arrow, you buy tapered arrows.  The tapered arrows that I have seen offered for sale here in the USA are tapered toward the back end.  For example, the arrows might be 11/32 on the front and 5/16 on the back.

Now I'm reading a book,  The English Longbow, Myths, Legends, and How to Teach, Coach, and Shoot It,, by Mel Price, who is an Englishman.  In discussing arrows for the English Longbow, he recommends arrows tapered in the opposite direction: smaller diameter on the front than the back.

What is the effect of tapering of wood arrows on arrow flight, and is it possible that in some situations it would be best to have the taper on the back and in other situations to have the taper on the front end of the arrow?

[Javi]

For 40 yards and in tapering makes little sense except to move weight forward, lighten the shaft weight, allow the use of a smaller nock and slightly lower the dynamic spine... Probably the best explanation I've heard for using a tapered shaft for a hunting bow is "it makes the fletching clear the strike plate better" I reckon they meant that the back of the shaft would flex more because the spine was weaker in the last 10"... I doubt it has much effect at all in that department..

For target shooting at longer distances tapering or barreling along with smaller fletching which have very little offset will make the shaft more aerodynamic..

[Pat B]

I have a set of ash shafts(arrows) that are full length tapers, 3/8" at the point and 5/16" at the nock and weigh in at 650+gr for a 29" arrow with a 125 point. Tapered arrows give you a good weight forward arrow and seem to be less spine sensative than parrallel shafts. I shoot mostly cane or hardwood shoot arrows, both have full length tapers naturally and my tapered ash arrows shoot equally as well as both the cane and hardwood shoot arrows. Basically that taper does help the arrow get around the bow(I shoot selfbows),makes them weight forward and less sensative to different draw weight bows. I can shoot the same arrows from a 45# selfbow up to a 60#+ selfbow and at 15yds can't tell the difference.

[arrow flynn]

paul jalon of elite arrows sez it dont make much difference i have tapers and parallels and both shoot the same for me world champ dave wallace shoots parallels i got flamed for bringing that up before anyway if tapers fly better for you then you should use them imho

[Ragnarok Forge]

I read a thread online where it was referenced that the top 14 shooters at this years worlds has 11 parallel shaft shooters and 3 tapered shaft shooters.  I would guess it does not make a lot of difference or they would have all been shooting the same type shaft.

[Bjorn]

I think tapering is way overrated except for looks. I like a hunting taper-9 inches at the fletch and 5-6 inches at the pointy end. 11/32 shaft with a bit taken off at both ends. I do the front with just sandpaper in the hand. I have talked to top archers and agree with what Clay and AF say above-tapering has no effect on accuracy-I was surprised too.

[Ben Maher]

Out of  my Hill style bows I need al the help I can get with not only shooting the bow but getting arrows around the less than cut to  centre riser ...
I know Paul Jalon and a bunch of other really good shooters [ Redbow etc ]  use parallel shafts for comp, just as some use tapered  , and it goes to show what a good straight parallel shaft can do .

Myself I hunt with both parallel and tapered shafts , and find that my grouping past 40-50 yards on the field range are better with tapered , and barrel tapered shafts . At hunting ranges 20 and under I can't really tell the difference .Maybe they are more forgiving of a less than straight shaft , or a tad more forgiving on spine issues ?
Don't know if I can answer if they are better with any 'techie'  authority coz archery technician  ain't , I just know my best scores have been made with tapered shafts

ymmv

[Bill Carlsen]

One: The arrow will come out of paradox faster.

Two: The weight forward will do a couple of things....create better arrow flight (why are darts weighted on the front end  and why are airplanes made the same?....aerodynamics!) and the weight forward will also benefit penetration on a hunting arrow.

Three: You can only taper premium shafts so you know that you are getting straight shafts with no grain run off.

[Don Stokes]

McDave, the arrows I've seen that were tapered smaller on the point end were flight arrows, and were thickest just ahead of the fletching.

[Shinken]

In my experience there is a benefit to nock-tapering hardwoods shafts that typically recover slower than cedar.  Fletching clear the riser cleaner.

The recovery difference between nock-tapered cedar and parallel cedar that are matched to the bow is difficult to discern.

Also, nock-tapering may slightly lower arrow spine....

Barrel tapering - tapering at the point end and the nock end - supposedly provides great aerodynamic flight, but I personally do not have experience with barrel tapering.

Shoot straight, Shinken

   

[McDave]

From what people seem to be saying, tapering on either or both ends may not provide much better arrow flight than parallel shafts that are straight and well matched.

If tapering does provide better arrow flight, the results would be noticed at shorter ranges for nock tapering, due to faster recovery from paradox, and at longer ranges for point tapering because of better aerodynamics of the shaft.

This makes sense, because we would be more interested in the shorter range effects for hunting, while the English longbow shooter might be more interested in longer range effects, since they often shoot their longbows at targets that are 100 yards or more out.

[LostNation_Larry]

I am personally a fan of tapered shafts.  I have a tapering machine and the first arrows I made after buying it were wonderful. So now I taper every wood arrow I make for myself.  In my case tapered shafts take a little labor but don't cost more.

Two reasons come to my mind and they have been mentioned.  Quicker recovery and greater spine forgiveness.  It is the spine forgiveness I like the best.  If you ever end up short drawing your bow then effectively your arrow is stiffer.  I like the shaft to be a little forgiving of this form error.  Perhaps top level target shooters have fewer form errors and thus do not find tapering as advantageous.  Just my .02.

[arrow flynn]

have a friend has prop in sw oregon looking for ceder log on the ground then i would have my own supply he may be too sw though

[Hud]

I have used both for years, and feel the taper at the nock end, allows the shaft a faster recovery, will shoot out of wider range in weight, regardless of type of bow.

Vern Godsey, an engineer and flight shooter told me they use the barrel taper to reduce arrow weight, while keeping the desired spine, and for the aerodynamics in flight.  I believe most of old timers used barrel taper on arrows as short as 18" with center shot, over-draw flight bows. Elevation would add distance, and I think that is why they used the same place. Check the following:  http://bowmaker.net/flight.htm

[hvyhitter]

For me I've noticed that with a hill style bow my groups tend to be smaller and with fewer and tighter flyers with nock tapered or barreled woodies. Recurves and centershot longbows not so much. I believe the taper makes the arrow much more forgiving of form/release glitches when bending around a riser is more critical................YMMV

[Don Stokes]

Good point, hvyhitter.

[Trad-Man]

In my experience with tapered carbons....

I have a set of Arrow Dynamics shafts that spine at 100-110 pounds with 325 grains on the front end..(700 total, 22% FOC) that I shoot out of my 53@29" BW PSA.  They recover almost instantly, the bow is whisper quiet, and the target goes "thump" on impact.

[Jim Wright]

I mostly make my own parallel Doug Fir & Sitka Spruce arrows but I have had a few dozen tapered shafts made for me and within them were the only visibly mis-alligned nocks I've ever had. When your nock is off even tiny bit, you have a problem!

[Shakes.602]

Havent Ever shot a Tapered Arrow. The Only reason I  MIGHT  is if I have a Shortage of 11/32 Nocks!!  

[snag]

Jim, some don't realize that the shaft HAS to have the nock tapered ground BEFORE the end taper is done. That might be the cause of the misaligned nocks.

I have done some reading on this subject recently. For most archers parallel shafts are plenty sufficient for accuracy and consistency. Obviously this is true if world class archers are using them.
But as an arrowsmith and one who likes to experiment I look further and try other things out.

As far back as the 1930's these questions have been asked. If looking at slow motion of an arrow going through archer's paradox you will see the tail end is the part of the arrow that has to bend the most as it clears the bow's riser. That being said that is the part that should benefit from slightly more clearance from it's narrower diameter and from it's more flexibility.
 
So, with this in mind I ask "where should the shaft be bent for checking it's spine weight? At the middle as we always do, or at the tail end where it flexes most if tapered? I think anytime we veer off from parallel shafts we venture into areas that require more attention to these details.  Sometimes that is where some get in trouble...and others find a gem!