Most of the bandsets I tie use a Parallel-Ends taper. It's one of the things that separates a hand-built bandset from a mass-produced one, and for target shooting it's arguably the most important detail on the whole rig.
Not everything I cut works this way - some tapers are meant to be continuous - but it's the build I'd point a target shooter at first.
So here's what it actually is, and why it's worth having.
What a taper is, first.
A flat band isn't a uniform strip of latex. It's cut so that one end is wider than the other - that's the taper. A "20-12" band starts at 20mm at the fork and narrows to 12mm at the pouch.
The taper controls how the band stretches and, more importantly, how it releases. A steeper taper means the band narrows more aggressively, which is faster but less forgiving. A gentler taper is slower but smoother.
What "Parallel-Ends" means.
Most tapers are cut as a continuous straight taper - the band narrows steadily from one end to the other. A Parallel-Ends taper is different: the band keeps a straight, untapered section of latex at both ends, then tapers through the middle.
So instead of narrowing right from the fork, the band holds its full width for a short distance, tapers down, then holds its narrow width again at the pouch.
The tapers I cut.
These are the taper profiles I work with, written as fork width to pouch width:
15-10, 18-10, 18-12, 20-12, 20-15, 22-14, 23-17, 25-20
As a rough guide, the narrower cuts suit lighter ammo - an 18-10/12 pairs well with 6-7mm steel - while 20-12/15 and wider are for the heavier 8mm to 9.5mm setups, and the widest cuts like 25-20 are for heavy 9.5mm shooting where you want the band doing more of the work.
If you want something that isn't on that list, I cut others to order with a tapered ruler. Just tell me the ammo you're shooting and how you like your draw, and I'll cut to suit.
Why that's better for target shooting.
Stress is spread evenly. Because the band isn't narrowing at the exact points where it's clamped and where it meets the pouch, the mechanical stress of the draw is distributed across the active section of the latex instead of concentrating at the ends. Concentrated stress is where bands fail, and where performance drifts as they age.
It stops the band twisting. This is the big one. A continuous taper can allow the latex to roll or twist slightly under tension. A Parallel-Ends cut holds alignment far more reliably because those straight sections resist rotation.
The pouch releases cleanly. Because the band isn't twisting, the pouch doesn't oscillate on release. Erratic pouch movement is a classic cause of the shot that felt good and went wide. A stable release means the ammo leaves the pouch without being flicked off-line.
Your shots repeat. Put those together and you get consistency - same release, same point of impact. That's what target shooting is. Not one amazing shot, but the same decent shot twenty times.
Is it faster?
Not necessarily - and I won't pretend it is. If raw speed is what you want, a steeper continuous taper will get you there. Parallel-Ends is a trade: a little less outright speed for a more stable, more repeatable release. For target work, that's the right trade.
Why I build them this way.
I shoot competitively. When I miss, I want to know it was my form, not my equipment. Parallel-Ends takes band twist and pouch oscillation out of the equation, so what's left is me and my release. That's a much easier thing to improve.
Parallel-Ends is my standard build for target work, and it's not an upgrade you pay extra for - if that's what you want, that's what you get. Tell me what you're shooting and I'll cut to suit.
If you're shooting target and want a set built around this taper, my precision band sets are the ones to look at.
