Differences between DG and Rifle shafts

Thought this would help some of you guy's out there

Royal Precision Rifle
Along with the Dynamic Gold’s, this is the most popular high-end steel shaft for low-handicappers, but prices are higher for the Rifle – roughly 70% more than Dynamic Gold’s. This is a stepless shaft that derives its name from its internal rifling. This gives the outside a clean, smooth look. The difference in feel from the Dynamic’s is subtle, but most golfers can readily detect it. The construction of the Rifle dampens some of the vibration caused by impact. This gives it a smoother, sweeter feel that many appreciate. Others believe that the Dynamic’s are a touch more alive feeling and offer better feedback. As concerns feel at impact, the Rifle's are between the standard Dynamic Gold's and the DG Sensicore's on the crispness/softness scale. Those that prefer the Rifle's think it has a silkier feel that is more crisp than the softer Sensicore's.
Bend points get lower as flex increased. This makes regular flex shafts hit higher than stiff flex. Royal Precision’s patented frequency matching system helps insure shaft-to-shaft consistency throughout a set. (4.5 is regular, 5.5 to 6.0 are firm to stiff and 6.5 and up is X-stiff) Matched shaft sets can be purchased pre-tip trimmed to suit individual irons.
With their glossy, sword-like sheen and large, handsome shaft bands, the Rifle’s make any set look expensive and classy. In the past few years, the Royal Precision Rifle has grown in popularity both with the public and with professional tour players. Some golfers, including one of our senior testers, believe that the Rifle’s provide tighter dispersion patterns than do the True Temper shafts. For most, however, choosing the Rifles will simply be a matter of “acquired taste”. They are a sweeter feeling, more luxurious looking shaft than is the Dynamic Gold. Some will notice an improvement in their game by converting to these shafts, but most will not. Performance-wise, lower handicappers generally prefer these shafts more than do higher handicappers.

True Temper Dynamic
Do not be fooled by the low cost of this shaft. The Dynamic is good. It has long been the best selling shaft in golf. Not only is the Dynamic used frequently by custom clubmakers, it is the standard shaft choice for the majority of club manufacturers. Many proline clubs have shaft bands that use their own company brand names, but are, in reality, True Temper Dynamic’s – or slight variations of them. After decades of popularity, they remain the constant standard against which other steel shafts are compared.
It can generally be assumed that those with faster swing speeds will prefer the Dynamic to other comparative True Temper shafts such as the TT Lite and the Dynalite. But, the Dynamic’s have a wide appeal. With their high bend point, the Dynamic’s produce the lower, penetrating ball flight that most male golfers prefer. For low- to mid-handicap, male golfers aged 15 to 50, the Dynamic’s have traditionally been the number one choice. With relatively hefty weights, they are rugged, solid-feeling shafts.
I recommend that clubmakers buy a stockpile of the Dynamic’s and weight sort them. In combination with the tip trimming variations of the R/S combo flex, many levels of flex can be achieved. The only real downside of the Dynamic’s is their shaft bands. They make a set of irons look a bland and generic.

True Temper Dynamic Gold
While the standard Dynamic is the most popular shaft in golf, the Dynamic Gold is the dean of golf shafts. It has been the primary steel shaft on the various tours for decades. It has also been used in more high-end, OEM sets than has any other shaft.
Dynamic Gold’s are basically just standard Dynamic’s that have been sorted out by weight. The one’s in the close-to-127-gram range become Gold’s. Those that weigh more become standard Dynamic shafts. This provides more uniform performance throughout a set. The Gold’s are also broken down into individual flexes, or more precisely, into more precise sub-flexes. A clubmaker can chose between R300 and R200, or S300 and S400 in the Gold’s. The standard Dynamic’s are available in R/S combo flex. They are then trimmed to desired flexes. Another primary difference between Dynamic versions is the shaft band. The Gold and Black of the DG”s has it hands down over the banal bands of the Dynamic’s. Many pay extra for the Gold’s even though they know that weight-sorted Dynamic’s will perform in almost exactly the same manner.
In their Sensicore version, the Dynamic Gold’s compete with the Royal Precision Rifle’s for the premium, luxury market. We have found that DG’s with Sensicore make many blades a viable option for players who would not normally consider them. Basically, if you are a very low-handicapper and a consistent ball striker, you will not be tempted by the Sensicore version. Note: The Sensicore insert is added to a slightly lighter version of the normal DG’s. Without adjustments by True Temper, the Sensicore DG’s would be too heavy. Consequently, weight distribution and playing parameter’s are a tiny bit different.

True Temper Dynamic Gold Lite
This is a reduced weight version of the DG’s. The lighter weight can produce a faster swing speed, but it can also produce a stiffer, less solid feel at impact. I prefer this shaft in the Sensicore version. It has a less muted feel than the heavier, Dynamic Gold Sensicore version. This shaft makes a good selection for high-end custom sets.

True Temper Dynalite
This low bend point shaft has long been a standard choice for wedge assembly. We use it at GCR as our primary wedge shaft. It is designed to hit the ball a bit higher than it cousins, the Dynamic and XL Lite. The Dynalite and Dynalite Gold are also used quite frequently in iron set assembly. For some reason, they have not appealed to us in any application other then wedges. Most probably, it is due to the lighter weight and consequently less solid feel. But, the light weight and low bend point make it a good choice for better playing seniors. Swing speeds can increase slightly and the ball flies for more carry.

True Temper TT XL Lite
The XL Lite is probably the most friendly and likeable steel shaft in golf. It is also capable of very fine performance. The average golfer hits too high one week; too low the next. He is not sure just what kind of shaft that he needs. For him, the XL Lite is the advisable route to go. With its mid bend point and moderate flex, it suits most of the broad, middle spectrum of golfers. For general use among upper mid- to high-handicappers, this is a wise choice – more appropriate than the lower-hitting Dynamic’s. With the Sensicore option added, it’s a very sweet, plush-feeling shaft. The XL Lite is also a good option for senior men and women who are a little too strong for True Temper Release shafts. Additionally, with its sharp, green, black and silver shaft bands, this shaft makes a much dressier looking set of irons than do the Dynamic’s. Many clubmakers keep a supply of XL Lite’s on hand due to their wide appeal.

True Temper Release
Very popular with slow-swinging seniors and ladies, this low swingspeed shaft is available in Men’s and Ladies’ flexes. For older players of either sex, these are a very safe choice. They feel good; look good and swing very easily. Their weight is low for steel shafts and their bend point is high to get the ball airborne more readily. With the Sensicore option, they make for a smooth-feeling luxury set - a real benefit for those who want a comfortable set of shafts in their irons, but do not want to sacrifice control by switching to ultralite graphite.



Yes there other steel shafts out there, ie Nippon, TX-90, Black Gold etc but this list I believe represents what 85% of golfers have in there bag. Including all the Rifle options of course.
Royal Precision have recently been acquired by True Temper so it will be interesting to see how the Rifle line is managed in the future