If you've played golf for a while, you remember the name: Rifle. Known for their unique, stepless design and buttery feel, Rifle shafts had a cult-like following on professional tours and among discerning amateurs. Then, almost overnight, they seemed to vanish from pro shop walls. This article will explain exactly what happened to the original Rifle shafts, where that technology went, and most importantly, how you can find a modern equivalent that captures that same fantastic performance you remember.
To understand why so many people still ask about them, you have to know what made Rifle shafts special in the first place. Back in the day, Fostoria, Ohio-based manufacturer Royal Precision changed the game with its innovative approach to shaft design. They weren't just another steel shaft, they were a completely different animal.
The most visually striking feature was the stepless design. Most steel iron shafts have visible "steps" or ridges where the shaft diameter changes as it tapers from the grip to the head. Rifle shafts were smooth from top to bottom. This wasn't just for looks, it created a a different way for the shaft to transfer energy and contributed to its unique feedback.
But the real secret sauce was Frequency Matching (FM). Instead of just relying on traditional flex labels like R, S, and X, Royal Precision measured the CPM (cycles per minute) or frequency of each shaft to ensure incredible consistency throughout a set. A club builder could build a set where every single iron, from the 3-iron to the pitching wedge, had a perfectly progressive stiffness. For a feel-oriented player, having a 5-iron that felt and loaded just like their 8-iron, only heavier, was a huge advantage.
The standard "Rifle" scale had its own language. A 5.5 shaft, for example, was roughly equivalent to a "Stiff" flex, while a 6.0 was a bit firmer, and a 6.5 was verging on X-Stiff. Players knew if they were a "6.0 player," they could get that precise flex in any set they wanted.
Talk to anyone who played old-school Rifles, and they'll likely mention the "kick." The design featured a softer butt and mid-section with a very firm tip section. This created a profile that felt incredibly smooth on the downswing but delivered a powerful, stable "kick" through impact without feeling boardy or harsh. It gave players a sense of लाग्यो (pronounced "lah-gyo" in Nepali, meaning felt a connection or hit it pure) that the ball was compressing on the face while also launching on a strong, penetrating trajectory.
Elite players like Tiger Woods (in his early days), Phil Mickelson, and countless others trusted Rifle shafts because they offered an unparalleled combination of feel, consistency, and tour-proven performance. They were, for a time, a standard for high-performance iron play.
So, where did they go? The answer is a classic business story of consolidation within the golf industry. The brand didn't fail or go out of business due to a lack of quality, it was simply absorbed by its biggest competitor.
In 2006, the golf equipment landscape shifted significantly when True Temper Sports acquired Royal Precision. True Temper, the powerhouse behind the legendary Dynamic Gold shaft, saw an opportunity to bring Royal Precision’s innovative technology and loyal following under its umbrella.
Rather than continue to run two competing flagship steel shaft brands (Dynamic Gold and Rifle), True Temper made a strategic decision. They kept the incredibly popular and well-established Dynamic Gold line as their traditional stepped-shaft offering. They then took the underlying technology and patents from the Rifle brand to create a new, modern stepless product line. In one move, the "Rifle" name as an independent brand disappeared from the consumer market, leaving many of its biggest fans confused.
The technology behind Rifle shafts didn't disappear - it evolved. True Temper repurposed the stepless engineering and the concept of a distinct feel profile into what we now know as the Project X brand.
Yes and no. The new Project X shafts became True Temper's premium stepless offering, directly carrying on the lineage of Rifle. In the beginning, the branding was even linked, sometimes marketed as "Rifle Project X." The connection was clear: this was the next generation of that stepless design philosophy. The legendary club fitter Tom Wishon once noted that the original Project X shafts were very similar, if not identical, to the late-model Rifle "Tour Flighted" designs.
However, True Temper didn't just re-badge the old shafts. They invested heavily in R&D to refine the profiles and cater to the changing demands of the modern, more powerful golfer. Over time, the performance characteristics of Project X began to diverge from the original Rifle feel.
If you pick up a set with original Rifles and another with modern Project X shafts, you'll feel a clear difference. Here's a breakdown:
Essentially, while Project X is the direct descendant, it's like comparing a classic sports car to its modern counterpart. They share some DNA, but the new version is engineered for a different type of performance - harsher, faster, and more rigid - to handle the power of today's golfers.
"I loved my Rifle 6.0s. What should I play now?" As a coach, I get this question all the time. The answer depends on what you loved about them. Was it the stepless look, the smooth feel, or the performance? Here are my top recommendations.
If you're dead-set on staying within the brand lineage, the Project X IO is your best bet. True Temper designed the IO to be a more accessible Project X. The "Individually Optimized" name means the flight and feel are slightly modified for each shaft in the set (e.g., the long iron shafts are a bit easier to launch). More importantly, it features softer mid and butt sections compared to the standard Project X, bringing it a step closer to that classic, smoother Rifle sensation without feeling flimsy.
This is probably the closest modern equivalent in terms of *feel*. It's not a coincidence. The 'KB' in KBS stands for Kim Braly, a legendary shaft designer who was a key figure at Royal Precision during the Rifle era. After leaving, he founded KBS and poured his design philosophies into his own shafts.
The KBS Tour C-Taper shaft, in particular, is widely regarded as the spiritual successor to the original Rifle. It features a similar profile: relatively flexible in the mid-section with a very stiff tip. Many veteran players and club fitters find that it delivers that same recognizable smooth loading with a powerful transfer of energy at impact. It feels stable without being boardy - a description often used for the old Rifles.
The story of Rifle golf shafts is one of evolution. While the original company and brand named were absorbed by True Temper, their defining stepless technology became the foundation for the powerhouse Project X line. And most importantly, its performance-defining DNA lives on in designs across the industry, particularly in the shafts designed by its original creator, Kim Braly.
Navigating the sheer volume of modern golf shaft options can be confusing, especially when trying to replace an old favorite. If you're pondering whether the KBS Tour's kick is right for your swing or if the Project X IO is a better fit, that's where personalized advice can make all the difference. Our goal with Caddie AI is to give you that expert guidance instantly. You can describe your old shafts, your ball flight, and what you’re looking for in a new set, and our AI golf coach will analyze that information to give you a clear, simple recommendation, taking the guesswork out of your next equipment decision.
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