Joint Pins and Weight Bolts Question

[Zphix]

Sup fellas, I'm looking to do a few things now. Eventually I want to trade up and get a better cue than I have now but that's for a year or two down the road. At the moment I'm really looking to buy a new shaft (smaller diameter), and drop the weight on mine. So, here are my two questions:

1) My cue is an HXT 30 with a 5/16 x 18 joint and my butt joint/shaft joint is piloted so there is a protrusion from the shaft, and a ring indent in the butt. If I buy a new shaft without that protrusion will that cause, or could it cause any damage to the cue joint or pin?

Would putting on a flat faced joint do anything harmful?

2) If I take the 2.5 oz weight bolt out of my cue and leave it out would that cause any damage to the cue, or could it cause any damage to the cue?

Thanks for the info and help everybody =)

-Richard

 

[ideologist]

Flatfaced shafts will work fine

Removing the bolt will be fine, but 2.5oz is a big drop. You can order different weight bolts for a few bucks. Hardware store may have some the waded rod in that pitch.

 

[Solomon]

1) You won't do any damage to the cue with a flat faced shaft.
2) You won't cause any damage by taking out the weight bolt (however, you might not like the way that it plays without a weight bolt).

 

[Solomon]

If you want to lighten the cue without buying a new weight bolt, you can take a dremel or a hacksaw and remove an inch or so of the current weight bolt and reinsert it in the cue.

 

[Zphix]

Thanks for the speedy responses fellas =)

I tried three different things out last night:
My cue originally came with a 2.5 oz weight bolt and was an 18.5 oz, I played without the bolt at all (at 16 oz), played with the 1.5 oz weight bolt from my break cue (17 oz), then played with a cut down weight bolt (16.64 oz), and I gotta say that playing with no weight bolt was the best.

It's very slight but the weight difference is noticeable when I'm stroking. Without it, I feel like I'm only moving my hand.