He's just showing his current cue craft is what I think. I don't blame him for feeling proud. Aaron is a talented and solid gentleman who has kept his head down while striving toward the top echelon of USA cuemakers.
You could try some vasaline on the threads to see if that will provide ease. Otherwise running a 3/8-11 tap will get the job done. Pete made excellent cues for many years. I loved his shaft taper. I stopped selling them as a dealer about 2 years ago.