5/16-14 is the flat-faced version of the classic 5/16-inch, 14-threads-per-inch pin long associated with custom cue makers like Balabushka and Joss. Quarter King carries 16 products on this joint, priced from about $10 to about $1,530, mostly from Action, Balabushka and Joss.
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This is the same pin diameter and thread count used on the piloted version we also carry, but without the added alignment shoulder: the shaft and butt faces meet flush, with alignment coming purely from the thread fit. The 14-thread pitch is coarser and older than the more common 18-thread version, tracing back to the earliest custom cue makers who established it as a standard.
Balabushka is generally credited with popularizing the steel 5/16-14 joint when the company began building cues, and the pin's coarse thread and steel construction became closely tied to that early custom-cue era. Other makers, including Joss, later worked from the same nominal thread but cut it to their own tolerances rather than copying Balabushka's fit exactly. The flat-faced version we carry under this listing predates the piloted refinement some makers later added, so it represents the more original form of the pin as custom cue makers first built it, before alignment shoulders became a common addition to the design. Collectors of older custom cues often encounter this flat-faced version on earlier production runs before a maker introduced a piloted update to its lineup.
Steel joints in this family are generally associated with a stiffer hit that doesn't travel through the entire cue the way a wood-to-wood joint does, and the flat-faced version gives a slightly more direct connection than the piloted version since there's no shoulder mediating contact. Most of what we carry on this exact pin today leans toward joint protectors and legacy Balabushka pieces rather than a large current cue lineup, reflecting its status as a classic, largely custom-cue-era standard that collectors and traditionalists still seek out over a modern quick-release joint.
Action carries 7 of our 16 5/16-14 products, mostly joint protector sets, with Joss (4), Balabushka (3) and single listings from JFlowers and Quarter King Billiards, priced from about $10 to about $1,530. Cue highlights include the Balabushka GB02 Cue, in stock, and the Balabushka GB06 Cue and Balabushka GBT Era Cue, both currently out of stock, alongside joint protector sets sized to this pin, such as the Action JP3JP 3-N-1 Joint Protector Set. Shop by brand at Balabushka, Joss and JFlowers.
As with the piloted version, different custom makers have historically cut their own take on the 5/16-14 fit, so matching a shaft to the same maker is the safer route rather than assuming a universal fit. See the piloted alternative at 5/16-14 Piloted if you want the added alignment shoulder, or run a potential match through our shaft fit finder and the glossary.
A 5/16-inch pin cut with 14 threads per inch in its flat-faced form, without the alignment shoulder the piloted version adds. It has a long history with custom cue makers.
No. They share the 5/16-inch diameter but use different thread counts, 14 versus 18 threads per inch, and are not interchangeable.
Not reliably. Different custom makers have historically cut their own version of the fit, so matching by maker is safer than assuming a universal fit.
A small mix of Action joint protector sets alongside Balabushka, Joss and JFlowers cues, priced from about $10 to about $1,530.
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