drogueless DD, but too stable on descent

I modified my VB 38 into a DD setup. However, the fin can is pretty short and lightweight as compared to the rest of the rocket. As a result, when the fincan separates at the apogee event, the remainder of the rocket remains very stable and drops like a ballistic missile, making for a violent main deployment.

Short of redesigning this thing so that the two halves are more equal, what are my options? I am thinking about adding a tiny drogue chute near the big end, but I am afraid that might defeat the purpose of DD on such a small rocket. The total rocket weight is about 25 oz. See the attached pic showing where the fincan splits.

Thanks!

Have you considered a streamer??

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Try lengthening the shock line. It should get the upper section glide a bit instead of nosing straight down.

A drogue would work fine. All you need is something that has at least as much drag as the fins (not hard for a rocket this size).

For a 25oz rocket, I would use a drogue in the 8-12" range, or a largish streamer.

Yep, the payload goes ballistic, pulling the whole unit vertical. I have plenty of shock cord - about 20'. I will go with a small drogue (10") as planned. Thanks, guys.

The UKRA recommends (https://www.ukra.org.uk/faq/faq4_1_6.shtml) 50 fps as a reasonable descent rate from apogee to main deployment. There are a number of chute size calculators that can help you pick a drogue chute to set that descent rate...

This model is a bit smaller and lighter then my 5.3 pound (at burnout) XPRS project, a carbon fiber 54mm bird. It has about 24' of TK (no drogue) for the drogue harness. How can I ensure the payload tube wont come in ballistic? I know I can sim the lower section to see if it is still stable after seperation but I would assume the upper section would be unstable, as it has no fins.

What creates this ballistic flight path of an unstable upper section?