Ye Olde Rocket Forum - View Single Post

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbzep

George, now that you mention it, I've seen B14 comparisons where the nozzles are not the same size and different core depth, with later production looking a lot like the B8. I believe the consensus was they quit drilling and started making something like the B8 before Estes ever released the B8 by name.

I purchased my first box of B14 motors from Centuri probably sometime in late 1976. By that time of course the Centuri motors were once again being made by Estes.

I was really looking forward to seeing the 'really deep' core on the motors. But, to my sad surprise when they came with my next order, they did not have any deeper of a core than my other motors in my meager stock at that time. I thought at the time that maybe there was a manufacturing defect in them, but they operated just fine in my Screaming Eagle.

In more recent times though, with various discussions about B14 motors and how they were made, I assumed they had just stopped coring them.

Several years ago I did get a number of boxes of very early 70s Centuri B14s and they DID have the deep core.

So yes, I think at some point in the 70s they just stopped drilling them, but never really announced a spec change on them.

Earl