Ok , I'm new to beaver trapping but I'm enjoying the heck out of it . I only owned six 330s (BMI I believe) so I decided to try out Belisle . I ordered three 330s and they came the other day . First off one of the traps has the spring eye completely open . Second , the BMI 330s I own are over ten years old and have been stored with the springs compressed for that long . They are still a SOB to set by hand ! You really have to put the kung fu grip on them to do it ! lol . The Belisles are so easy to set by hand that I was VERY surprised . Third , when I tested them for trigger travel I set one and used a VERY SOFT 1X3 piece of pine trim to set it off . The trap jaws bent on the wood . This wood is so soft you can dent it with your fingers . I was able to bend the jaw back into shape . I have tested the BMIs with the same piece of wood and there was no bending . Having said all that I do like the size of the Belisles . They are true 10X10 traps . They also DO hold very well as I caught a 52 lb male beaver by the front left foot and the Belisle held him . I,m just scratching my head about the quality control , durability and are they worth the price difference ?

Belisle are the cheapest Canadian BG on the market,pricewise and steel quality.The design is very good.They are a good trap though for the price you get what you pay for.I prefer the ldl but I do use belisles also.Rudy and Sauvageau are very good traps also.

Interesting,and glad you wrote this.I've been hearing similar things and didn't know what to make of it because I'd always heard glowing reviews of Belisle's.Looking for body grippers this summer and always liked BMI's.I think I'll stick with them.

I've noticed that the jaws on Belisle 330s do bend....too easily.

For me the Belisles 330 is too strong, and they do bend. One of my Belisles spring eyes wasn't formed right, cant use the second notch on the dog. I like the Bridger 330 Mags myself. It's the full closure that kills with ample power. The Bridger 280's are sweet also. Both don't bend and are fully functional.

thanks a million guys I was just sbout to bite the bullet and get a couple dozen 330s! Guess I will try out a different brand! My dukes have served me well Its a shame they are so poorly assembled. because the springs are super strong! ive yet to try a bridger 330 but I absolutely hate their tiny spring eyed 155

Boco thanks for the heads up on the other brands . I was not aware of them . As to "you get what you pay for " they were the most expensive body grip trap I've come across . The other brands you mention I do not see advertised anywhere or talked about much . I also did not know that Belisles were considered "cheap" in Canada . I thought they were one of the higher end traps . I do like the design and the size of the trap and was impressed with its holding ability . Trappergbus , do you think the springs are too strong or the metal is weak ? I found the Belisles VERY easy to set by hand compared to the BMIs and I am not a big guy or particularly strong . Do the Bridger 330 mags close as tight as the Belisles or a better way to put it is would they hold a big beaver by the front foot ? I like this beaver trapping and I want to invest in some good equipment . I no longer have the disposable income i once had to experiment with a lot of equipment . A divorce changes your standard of living quick ! lol .

The more I trap the less of a fan of belisle traps I become. I would need to do a video to show you why I think the safeties are dangerous for under ice trapping. Also the design of the jaws is annoying and doesnt work well for baited sets.

I am a big sauvageau fan and always reach for them first.

That said, I use them for about everything else with great results. For everything other than a few of my common sets they work well for me.

The Bridgers 330s have full closure Jaws, and yes I've held them by the front foot. Had a Bridger 220 on a crossing log , evidently a big beaver climbed over and knocked the 220 over and got him by the back foot. He just swam around in circles, LOL.. I have killed more than a couple with the 220s too in tight spots. All the bridger BGs have full closure except for the 159.

The Belisles I have have very strong springs, and the jaws bend, couple wacks with a hammer takes care of that but I'd rather not. I think WCS has the Canadian brands.

The Belisles I bought a year ago had very strong springs. The BMI's I bought a year ago were some of the weakest 330's I've ever seen, old or new..

Well I got all glazy eyed over the fact that I held that beaver by one foot and by the looks of the set area he did his best to change that . If I can find a trap that will do the same thing for a better price i'll buy them . I'm not looking to be cheap but I want value for my money . I'm going to order two of the Bridgers and test them . I am NOT a fan of Bridger body grips . I own five dozen 159s and they have almost a one inch gap with the springs fully open but I will listen to the people with experience and try them out . I will also order one Sauvageau just to satisfy my curiosity .

Seriously are the sauvageaus worth that much more? Im all about quality but there is a fine line between quality and raping people

WELL NEVERMIND I can already say they can not be worth 425 a dozen! That's ludicriss I can install kill bars on dukes and have a heck of a lot less invested!! lol if someone steals one they fall into felony theft category

YES.

My belisles have all bent on the jaws after a good hit on a bigger beaver. They do catch and hold even on limb catches though..

I got a few savageau before last season and again this season. I'll be hard pressed to buy another 330 size body gripper other than savageau again. Just my .02.

My Belisle 220’s are the stoutest 220 I have used by far. They are not bent. I don’t set them off with boards though. They are the meanest body grips I own. I like the BMI traps too. They do not have as strong of springs in the 220. Plenty strong though for Coon.

Fixable but at appx $30.00 per trap not right . Its like buying a spendy brand new car and finding a tire half off and having to fix it yourself . And the wood used to test trigger travel is the cheap garbage soft prepainted stuff sold at Lowes . It is VERY soft . I've used it to test and tune ALL my BG traps and NONE of my other traps have bent .

That's an easy fix. Just put it in a vice and twist. Any time people are involved mistakes happen. They just happened to miss one, you are the lottery winner.

I will gold . Its just irritating . But I really do like the Belisles . To fix the bent jaw I just stood on it and that worked well

Dang that’s wide open alright. Surprised someone didn’t catch that. What supplier?

I'd rather not say who the supplier was Aix because they have been excellent so far with customer service , prompt orders and questions answered . Also the defect was hard to see at first with the springs open . I didn't notice it until after degreasing , washing and then finally setting it

This is what impressed me . I'm not sure this would happen with other BGs especially if the catch was on the dog side instead of the trigger side

MTP has the Bridger 330 Magnums for $19.75 each , $77.00 for a four pack or $224.00 a dozen . Hard not to get some to try . I ordered the four pack .

Does Bridger still use the flat safety that swings freely? I bought a few Bridger 220 and 330 magnums several years ago. Like all free swinging safeties, they're terrible about catching everything within reach. The Belisle safeties aren't as bad about it, still catch but not like the free swingers. The spring eye also constantly goes around the corner of the jaws on the Bridgers I bought. I've had to beat it back across with an axe. Maybe something has changed since then?

I like that the spring eye can't go around the jaw corner, and I like the immobile safeties of the Belisle. But the trigger wire is too soft, and the jaws do bend on occasion. I carry wire coat hanger to replace the trigger, and I keep an eye on the jaws. But I love the trap. I've had them hold beaver by the front feet, back feet, and tails. I also like, at least on the ones I bought, maybe I got traps made on a Wednesday instead of a Monday or Friday, the attention to detail on the jaw pivot welds. They're clean and rounded, the spring eyes don't catch on them when I'm setting them on a log or stick, unlike the other brands I own where the ends of the bar stock aren't rounded and the spring eye catches on them just about every time. I can work around it, but much easier on the Belisles I own.

I'd like to try BMI, may get a few next batch.

I tack weld closed the spring eyes on my Belisles. Doing so keeps them from getting tweaked open.

The only time I get a bent jaw is when it dry fires on a stick. Considering their spring power, I’m not surprised that this happens.

Mud, could you tell us where you aqquired the Savageau's, or who might sell them in the States?

The snare shop no longer appears to sell 330 size body grip traps?

Snare shop when I ordered some snare parts.

Wy wolfer , they dont call them 330. GO by the trap dimensions.

https://www.snareshop.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SA2001-12F