Taper tip reshaft: Can 8i shaft sub for 9i?

I'm getting ready to reshaft my X20 Tours, which have a 0.355"  taper hosel. I'm swapping PX 5.0 Flighted (115 grams w/ med-firm tip) for NS Pro 8950 (97 grams with mid-soft tip). Taper-tip shafts come in sets with tips/raw lengths pre cut for each shaft - you order a W, 9i, 8i etc. shaft to match each iron you have.

(Normal taper procedure : Insert correct shaft into matching iron hosel as is, and butt-trim to length.)

For some reason, the NS Pro 9i R-flex shafts are backordered.

Question: Can I order two 8i shafts, and tip one of them 1/2" and put it into the 9i? I'm worried that, since it is a taper shaft, it might be too large to insert in the 0.355" taper hosel if it has been tipped.

So, can I tip and swap in the 8i shaft, or would it likely not fit into the 9i hosel?

You can, but you will effectively "softstep" the shaft by making it play weaker to flex than normal. Tipping anything greater than 1/4" on taper tip isn't really recommended and the fit may suffer failure as a result and the effect of the tipping will be negligible inside a taper hosel anyway. At the end of the day, taper tip shafts sold individually or in discrete sets are designed for one purpose - i.e. to fit the specific # iron in a progressive set. The difference between the PX5.0 and the NS Pro in R-flex is already big enough - softstepping it further makes it more like a chasm. For this reason, I always recommend buying and using the right shaft for the right application. Rather than being impatient and looking for a stop-gap solution to meet your needs (bodging a job maybe?), get the right shafts first.  Speaking of which, why the sudden leap from PX5.0 to NS Pro 970 Reg? Sounds more like an act of desperation rather than the result of a fitting.

Long story. I had tested X20 Tours back around 2008 with DG SL R300s, but had opted to go conservative and get standard X20s with Uniflex. Anyway, a couple of years later I got a good deal on the X20 Tours with the PX 5.0. Through bad advice - not getting a fitting - I was told the PX 5.0 flighted was an R.flex. Long story short - the 5.0 has an FCM of 5.5, compared to the SL R300 of 4.8. The advice-giver confused the PX flex with the Rifle (non-PX model) flex, which is FCM = 5.0. It worked for a couple of years, but I started having trouble with lost / inconsistent distance. (I'm 63 now).

Fortunately, I had a demonstrator 6i which matched my set, and I've  tried a couple of shafts in it. From launch monitor data, the local pro said my swing profile was in the 3B2M/3B2H Maltby shaft rating range. The KBS Tour 90 and the NS Pro 8950 fit this range. The NS Pro felt better than the KBS in similar clubs. In the demo 6i, the NS Pro 8950 goes higher and about 12 yards longer than my PX 6i. Distance is much more consistent - with less effort on the swing.

Also, I was thinking backwards on the substitution. Good catch by you - I didn't mean to softstep. I'll just wait until all eight correct taper shafts are available.