diff --git a/arrow-ipc/src/reader.rs b/arrow-ipc/src/reader.rs
index 1f83200d65f8..237e5b304672 100644
--- a/arrow-ipc/src/reader.rs
+++ b/arrow-ipc/src/reader.rs
@@ -1010,8 +1010,8 @@ impl FileReaderBuilder {
 }
 
 /// Arrow File reader
-pub struct FileReader<R: Read + Seek> {
-    /// Buffered file reader that supports reading and seeking
+pub struct FileReader<R> {
+    /// File reader that supports reading and seeking
     reader: R,
 
     /// The decoder
@@ -1032,7 +1032,7 @@ pub struct FileReader<R: Read + Seek> {
     custom_metadata: HashMap<String, String>,
 }
 
-impl<R: Read + Seek> fmt::Debug for FileReader<R> {
+impl<R> fmt::Debug for FileReader<R> {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> Result<(), fmt::Error> {
         f.debug_struct("FileReader<R>")
             .field("decoder", &self.decoder)
@@ -1043,6 +1043,15 @@ impl<R: Read + Seek> fmt::Debug for FileReader<R> {
     }
 }
 
+impl<R: Read + Seek> FileReader<BufReader<R>> {
+    /// Try to create a new file reader with the reader wrapped in a BufReader.
+    ///
+    /// See [`FileReader::try_new`] for an unbuffered version.
+    pub fn try_new_buffered(reader: R, projection: Option<Vec<usize>>) -> Result<Self, ArrowError> {
+        Self::try_new(BufReader::new(reader), projection)
+    }
+}
+
 impl<R: Read + Seek> FileReader<R> {
     /// Try to create a new file reader
     ///
@@ -1129,7 +1138,7 @@ impl<R: Read + Seek> RecordBatchReader for FileReader<R> {
 }
 
 /// Arrow Stream reader
-pub struct StreamReader<R: Read> {
+pub struct StreamReader<R> {
     /// Stream reader
     reader: R,
 
@@ -1150,10 +1159,10 @@ pub struct StreamReader<R: Read> {
     projection: Option<(Vec<usize>, Schema)>,
 }
 
-impl<R: Read> fmt::Debug for StreamReader<R> {
+impl<R> fmt::Debug for StreamReader<R> {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::result::Result<(), fmt::Error> {
         f.debug_struct("StreamReader<R>")
-            .field("reader", &"BufReader<..>")
+            .field("reader", &"R")
             .field("schema", &self.schema)
             .field("dictionaries_by_id", &self.dictionaries_by_id)
             .field("finished", &self.finished)
@@ -1163,21 +1172,24 @@ impl<R: Read> fmt::Debug for StreamReader<R> {
 }
 
 impl<R: Read> StreamReader<BufReader<R>> {
-    /// Try to create a new stream reader with the reader wrapped in a BufReader
+    /// Try to create a new stream reader with the reader wrapped in a BufReader.
     ///
-    /// The first message in the stream is the schema, the reader will fail if it does not
-    /// encounter a schema.
-    /// To check if the reader is done, use `is_finished(self)`
-    pub fn try_new(reader: R, projection: Option<Vec<usize>>) -> Result<Self, ArrowError> {
-        Self::try_new_unbuffered(BufReader::new(reader), projection)
+    /// See [`StreamReader::try_new`] for an unbuffered version.
+    pub fn try_new_buffered(reader: R, projection: Option<Vec<usize>>) -> Result<Self, ArrowError> {
+        Self::try_new(BufReader::new(reader), projection)
     }
 }
 
 impl<R: Read> StreamReader<R> {
-    /// Try to create a new stream reader but do not wrap the reader in a BufReader.
+    /// Try to create a new stream reader.
     ///
-    /// Unless you need the StreamReader to be unbuffered you likely want to use `StreamReader::try_new` instead.
-    pub fn try_new_unbuffered(
+    /// The first message in the stream is the schema, the reader will fail if it does not
+    /// encounter a schema.
+    /// To check if the reader is done, use [`is_finished(self)`](StreamReader::is_finished).
+    ///
+    /// There is no internal buffering. If buffered reads are needed you likely want to use
+    /// [`StreamReader::try_new_buffered`] instead.
+    pub fn try_new(
         mut reader: R,
         projection: Option<Vec<usize>>,
     ) -> Result<StreamReader<R>, ArrowError> {
@@ -1224,6 +1236,15 @@ impl<R: Read> StreamReader<R> {
         })
     }
 
+    /// Deprecated, use [`StreamReader::try_new`] instead.
+    #[deprecated(since = "53.0.0", note = "use `try_new` instead")]
+    pub fn try_new_unbuffered(
+        reader: R,
+        projection: Option<Vec<usize>>,
+    ) -> Result<Self, ArrowError> {
+        Self::try_new(reader, projection)
+    }
+
     /// Return the schema of the stream
     pub fn schema(&self) -> SchemaRef {
         self.schema.clone()
diff --git a/arrow-ipc/src/writer.rs b/arrow-ipc/src/writer.rs
index 5a8adb31b038..de40008a41f4 100644
--- a/arrow-ipc/src/writer.rs
+++ b/arrow-ipc/src/writer.rs
@@ -821,9 +821,9 @@ impl DictionaryTracker {
 }
 
 /// Writer for an IPC file
-pub struct FileWriter<W: Write> {
+pub struct FileWriter<W> {
     /// The object to write to
-    writer: BufWriter<W>,
+    writer: W,
     /// IPC write options
     write_options: IpcWriteOptions,
     /// A reference to the schema, used in validating record batches
@@ -844,6 +844,15 @@ pub struct FileWriter<W: Write> {
     data_gen: IpcDataGenerator,
 }
 
+impl<W: Write> FileWriter<BufWriter<W>> {
+    /// Try to create a new file writer with the writer wrapped in a BufWriter.
+    ///
+    /// See [`FileWriter::try_new`] for an unbuffered version.
+    pub fn try_new_buffered(writer: W, schema: &Schema) -> Result<Self, ArrowError> {
+        Self::try_new(BufWriter::new(writer), schema)
+    }
+}
+
 impl<W: Write> FileWriter<W> {
     /// Try to create a new writer, with the schema written as part of the header
     pub fn try_new(writer: W, schema: &Schema) -> Result<Self, ArrowError> {
@@ -853,12 +862,11 @@ impl<W: Write> FileWriter<W> {
 
     /// Try to create a new writer with IpcWriteOptions
     pub fn try_new_with_options(
-        writer: W,
+        mut writer: W,
         schema: &Schema,
         write_options: IpcWriteOptions,
     ) -> Result<Self, ArrowError> {
         let data_gen = IpcDataGenerator::default();
-        let mut writer = BufWriter::new(writer);
         // write magic to header aligned on alignment boundary
         let pad_len = pad_to_alignment(write_options.alignment, super::ARROW_MAGIC.len());
         let header_size = super::ARROW_MAGIC.len() + pad_len;
@@ -972,14 +980,14 @@ impl<W: Write> FileWriter<W> {
 
     /// Gets a reference to the underlying writer.
     pub fn get_ref(&self) -> &W {
-        self.writer.get_ref()
+        &self.writer
     }
 
     /// Gets a mutable reference to the underlying writer.
     ///
     /// It is inadvisable to directly write to the underlying writer.
     pub fn get_mut(&mut self) -> &mut W {
-        self.writer.get_mut()
+        &mut self.writer
     }
 
     /// Flush the underlying writer.
@@ -990,16 +998,20 @@ impl<W: Write> FileWriter<W> {
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    /// Unwraps the BufWriter housed in FileWriter.writer, returning the underlying
-    /// writer
+    /// Unwraps the the underlying writer.
+    ///
+    /// The writer is flushed and the FileWriter is finished before returning.
     ///
-    /// The buffer is flushed and the FileWriter is finished before returning the
-    /// writer.
+    /// # Errors
+    ///
+    /// An ['Err'](Result::Err) may be returned if an error occurs while finishing the StreamWriter
+    /// or while flushing the writer.
     pub fn into_inner(mut self) -> Result<W, ArrowError> {
         if !self.finished {
+            // `finish` flushes the writer.
             self.finish()?;
         }
-        self.writer.into_inner().map_err(ArrowError::from)
+        Ok(self.writer)
     }
 }
 
@@ -1014,9 +1026,9 @@ impl<W: Write> RecordBatchWriter for FileWriter<W> {
 }
 
 /// Writer for an IPC stream
-pub struct StreamWriter<W: Write> {
+pub struct StreamWriter<W> {
     /// The object to write to
-    writer: BufWriter<W>,
+    writer: W,
     /// IPC write options
     write_options: IpcWriteOptions,
     /// Whether the writer footer has been written, and the writer is finished
@@ -1027,6 +1039,15 @@ pub struct StreamWriter<W: Write> {
     data_gen: IpcDataGenerator,
 }
 
+impl<W: Write> StreamWriter<BufWriter<W>> {
+    /// Try to create a new stream writer with the writer wrapped in a BufWriter.
+    ///
+    /// See [`StreamWriter::try_new`] for an unbuffered version.
+    pub fn try_new_buffered(writer: W, schema: &Schema) -> Result<Self, ArrowError> {
+        Self::try_new(BufWriter::new(writer), schema)
+    }
+}
+
 impl<W: Write> StreamWriter<W> {
     /// Try to create a new writer, with the schema written as part of the header
     pub fn try_new(writer: W, schema: &Schema) -> Result<Self, ArrowError> {
@@ -1035,12 +1056,11 @@ impl<W: Write> StreamWriter<W> {
     }
 
     pub fn try_new_with_options(
-        writer: W,
+        mut writer: W,
         schema: &Schema,
         write_options: IpcWriteOptions,
     ) -> Result<Self, ArrowError> {
         let data_gen = IpcDataGenerator::default();
-        let mut writer = BufWriter::new(writer);
         // write the schema, set the written bytes to the schema
         let encoded_message = data_gen.schema_to_bytes(schema, &write_options);
         write_message(&mut writer, encoded_message, &write_options)?;
@@ -1095,14 +1115,14 @@ impl<W: Write> StreamWriter<W> {
 
     /// Gets a reference to the underlying writer.
     pub fn get_ref(&self) -> &W {
-        self.writer.get_ref()
+        &self.writer
     }
 
     /// Gets a mutable reference to the underlying writer.
     ///
     /// It is inadvisable to directly write to the underlying writer.
     pub fn get_mut(&mut self) -> &mut W {
-        self.writer.get_mut()
+        &mut self.writer
     }
 
     /// Flush the underlying writer.
@@ -1113,16 +1133,14 @@ impl<W: Write> StreamWriter<W> {
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    /// Unwraps the BufWriter housed in StreamWriter.writer, returning the underlying
-    /// writer
+    /// Unwraps the the underlying writer.
     ///
-    /// The buffer is flushed and the StreamWriter is finished before returning the
-    /// writer.
+    /// The writer is flushed and the StreamWriter is finished before returning.
     ///
     /// # Errors
     ///
-    /// An ['Err'] may be returned if an error occurs while finishing the StreamWriter
-    /// or while flushing the buffer.
+    /// An ['Err'](Result::Err) may be returned if an error occurs while finishing the StreamWriter
+    /// or while flushing the writer.
     ///
     /// # Example
     ///
@@ -1154,9 +1172,10 @@ impl<W: Write> StreamWriter<W> {
     /// ```
     pub fn into_inner(mut self) -> Result<W, ArrowError> {
         if !self.finished {
+            // `finish` flushes.
             self.finish()?;
         }
-        self.writer.into_inner().map_err(ArrowError::from)
+        Ok(self.writer)
     }
 }