Does the Pilot on the shaft really help??

[bearsafety]

I have a Samsara and am wanting to buy a Predator shaft for it, but my cue has a piloted shaft which I can not find with predator. I heard i could get one made but I was told they still dont even touch the inside of the butt anyways. Does anyone know the importance of the pilot and if it does or doesnt make a difference if my cue has a hollow spot when screwed together (persay) ?

 

[ShootingArts]

threads don't locate a component

I have a Samsara and am wanting to buy a Predator shaft for it, but my cue has a piloted shaft which I can not find with predator. I heard i could get one made but I was told they still dont even touch the inside of the butt anyways. Does anyone know the importance of the pilot and if it does or doesnt make a difference if my cue has a hollow spot when screwed together (persay) ?

Threads aren't designed to locate a component laterally generally speaking. Radial or acme threads have more alignment value than standard threads but none are designed to precisely align two components. A pilot is designed to accurately and solidly align two components however the pilot is only as effective as the tolerances between the two parts. If the pilot is much smaller than the relief it goes into then it will serve no real purpose. If you have a shaft custom turned to a proper fit the pilot will work as it was designed to do. If you buy a shaft with an undersized pilot then the pilot amounts to little more than decoration.

Hu

 

[BigFish]

Predator does make piloted shafts - go to AZ Marketplace, i.e., Seyberts. They have them for $215.00.

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

Thank you Hu, and I was going to add that the only time you should worry about a pilot, is when you're flying in the airplane that he is in control of.

Otherwise, in most cases, don't worry about pilots.

 

[bearsafety]

Threads aren't designed to locate a component laterally generally speaking. Radial or acme threads have more alignment value than standard threads but none are designed to precisely align two components. A pilot is designed to accurately and solidly align two components however the pilot is only as effective as the tolerances between the two parts. If the pilot is much smaller than the relief it goes into then it will serve no real purpose. If you have a shaft custom turned to a proper fit the pilot will work as it was designed to do. If you buy a shaft with an undersized pilot then the pilot amounts to little more than decoration.

Hu

So does it take away from the hit of the cue if you put an unpiloted shaft onto a piloted butt?

 

[ShootingArts]

probably

So does it take away from the hit of the cue if you put an unpiloted shaft onto a piloted butt?

If you had a tight pilot to butt fit to begin with you will probably lose something going to a pilotless joint or a loose fitting pilot. How much you will lose and how sensitive you are to that loss are questions that can't be answered. If you usually tighten your cue together very firmly you may not notice any difference particularly if you finesse most shots. If you only tighten your cue together modestly tight and juice the cue ball a lot you are more likely to notice a difference. More likely to notice a difference if one half of your joint is wood faced or a softer material, less likely to notice with a steel on steel or very hard joint face. Size and type of pin matters too. A 5/16" pin has much more potential movement than a 3/8" pin.

Unfortunately when we talk about hit most things are subjective and it is very hard to guess if you would be happy with the change or not. Not trying to sell you on a different choice but I'd favor buying a blank from OB Cues and fitting it to exactly the size I want. If you have a quality local cuesmith buying a blank might be your best option. I don't know what Pedator offers in blanks if anything though.

Hu

 

[tank69]

I can't believe nobody has asked, buy why are you replacing the Samsara shaft? I have a Samsara and I just can't imagine using a predator shaft on it. I've tried Predator shafts, not for me, on other cues, but I just can't see how you can better the Samsara cue.

 

[TATE]

I have a Samsara and am wanting to buy a Predator shaft for it, but my cue has a piloted shaft which I can not find with predator. I heard i could get one made but I was told they still dont even touch the inside of the butt anyways. Does anyone know the importance of the pilot and if it does or doesnt make a difference if my cue has a hollow spot when screwed together (persay) ?

My suggestion is to have a Predator partial shaft fitted to your cue by a competent cue maker. They will turn a pilot on the shaft for you.

Why settle for an imperfect fit? I want a shaft to have the proper diameter at the joint, sit square to my joint, and thread nicely with no excess play. I have not bought an "off the shelf" shaft for quite a while. I order the partials and have them fitted to my cue. The cost is about the same or reasonably close and the shaft is perfect for my cue.

I personally don't think the pilot makes a bit of difference as far as the stiffness of the joint or feel.

Chris

 

[Thecoats]

If you have not already test driven a Predator or LD shaft that should probably be your first action and once you know if you like the hit of LD than you can have a shaft built to precisely fit your Samsara cue. If you have already test driven one and know you want then have one professionally built for your cue.

Just my .02 cents on the situation, good luck.

-don