Anyone else having problems with new Belisle 330's? The older ones we have we never had an issue with animals not dead right away, and never really had pullouts. These newer traps are different, and we are having problems. We have a few of them that have bent open a bit, that never happened with the older ones. Did they switch to Chinese steel or what?

I've also noticed the jaws bent after a catch a few times this winter. I caught a black wolf in a 330 belisle back in January right behind the head. It killed it virtually instantly, but when I pulled the trap off the wolf there's at least a 1" gap between the jaws on that side of the trap now. Had jaws bend on a wolverine last winter as well. So was wondering if this is normal. I just pressed the jaws back to where they meet tight again.
Mike

Belisle has always had a soft steel for jaws.They are the most inexpensive Canadian bodgrip,you get what you pay for.They are lighter and cheaper than the LDL or Sauvageau,so some trappers are OK with whacking the jaws back straight with an axe once in a while.Also some guys like the stiff spring hooks.
I use them along with the ldl.

I like them, but they do bend a little. Me and my partner had one bend a little on the last wolverine.

Bought a Sauvageau 220 to fool around with this year, caught two marten it, good trap. Because of the double jaws the dog can't spin all the way around the jaw which can be a little aggravating when setting them. If the dog is below the opposite jaw when you compress the springs with the jaws, you have to let the jaws open a bit to get the dog above the opposite jaw, you can't simply spin it around on the jaw it's on due to the double jaw.

Same with the LDL mag cracker.

I have always liked them as well, and they have always done well for us, the last 18 we bought this past fall though, are different, they don't have the same strength in the jaws or the springs.

Well, since the Belisle 330 trap is made for muskrat, beaver, and lynx I’d say the trap and steel used is plenty strong and fine.

.

lol If you use a 330 Belisle for muskrat you must be a master at sewing

LOL yep my thoughts exactly.

Jurassic just so you know, we use them for wolverines and have caught many, without issue, until this new batch of 18 traps. purchased this fall.

And while you can catch lynx in a 330, it is certainly not how we target lynx, I guess maybe that is what the Canadian BMP's tell you the 330 is for?

Caught dozens of rats in both belisles 330s and the bigger 11" sauvageaus. Crossovers and in beaver channels under ice. Most of the time they get them right behind, or on the head, or by the tail. Skin is never torn because of the lack of dog, however where the trap hits all that is left is the skin which changes how you skin the head. Need to kind of push the head out from the fur side.

If the skin is tearing, I would suggest compressing the springs before you try and remove a critter from the trap.

Also, never had an issue with the belisles bending on critters. Only if the trap is set off on a good sized stick will they bend, but no issue to bend them back. If they are bending on critters, I would say thats an issue, since they are designed to be used on critters, not sticks. This is the same with all belisle traps. Set off a 120, 160, or 280 on a stick and you get about 1/2" bend

No experience with current belisle 330s. Havent bought one in a few years. I reach for the sauvageau traps first though, as they are just a better trap. I have new sauvageau 2001-11 traps, and also some really old ones that my head trapper used for years before i took over the line. They are every bit as good as the new sauvageaus and they are 25 years old or more!

No experience with LDL.

And I would suggest you read his post where he said IT’S MADE for muskrat. There’s a huge difference between catching incidental muskrats in a 330 vs targeting muskrats in them. I can assure you if I caught 500 rats using only belisle 330 there would be one heck of a mess. That’s why I use 1.5 coil and 110 Conibear.

Regarding your original post fisherman you are correct. The 330 Belisles I bought last fall are made with crap steal. Have to pound straight after every beaver

Not well suited for them but ill take a rat in one over an empty trap. Its why incidentals are wonderful. While not the right trap ive never had the hide torn on a rat and a good percentage are held by the tail.

http://belisletrap.com/en/shop/beaver/330-super-x-2/

Also. You had better tell belisle they are not made for muskrat. Apparently they dont know

Goofy! A kid puts muskrat traps on his Christmas list. Dad doesn't trap but he discovers 330 belisle is listed as a muskrat trap. Kinda spendy….but the kid gets a couple 330 belisles under the tree for muskrats. Goofy!

Maybe they got big rats in Quebeck

stupid question can conis be laminated to strengthen the jaws kind on like base plating a foothold? I've considred adding kill bars to dukes to make them a 100% close trap! lol. I know mags are supposed to be full close I guess in a perfect world they can and do! My new dukes still have the strongest springs of any coni straight from the box. lol No im not a big duke fan but its bad that they are holding up against some of the best. For the price I can completely gutt them and have a killer trap for a fraction of the price of sauvageua

Fishermann222 I caught a fox in one of my wolverine sets this year right behind the ears, and when I showed up it was on its feet fighting the trap. It was one of the brand new belisle I bought last year. Something was wrong wit the trap. It just seemed weak.

Doesn’t matter what you use a Belisle 330 for. The trap manufacturer makes this trap for muskrat, beaver, and lynx.
If you want to use it for wolverines and wolves and not muskrats that’s your choice.

Imagine taking your bass fishing boat and gear to the ocean to fish for tuna, then complain about your line and rod snapping, boat capsizing, and you almost drowning. Then blame it on the quality of the gear you were using.

Huh, if they are making the 330's for rats, what the (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) are the smaller traps for? Just curious...

Apparently there are a lot of words unacceptable on here. LOL

Jurassic, what is your experience catching wolves and wolverines, just curious.

Fish to heck with those Wolverines! Don't you know your suppose to start targeting Muskrats!! Read between the lines.
I am once at a loss for words!!

The odd incidental catch is always going to happen, it is in the nature of are business, with the magnum style 3rd generation rotating jaw traps it happens more often simple because the traps are tighter closing, with less change of a pull-out.
Bent jaws happen but if it is a major issue I would contact the manufacturer and enquirer. They may have had a bad batch of steel. A lot more of that nowadays with cheap off-shore importing.

http://belisletrap.com/en/

I usually catch one wolf a year and never tried catching a wolverine since there’s no season for them where I trap.
If I did have a wolverine season and a population of them I would use a belisle 330 to try catching one, but I definitely would not complain about the jaws bending if they did.

I’ve used a butter knife as a screw driver before, but I didn’t ever complained about the efficiency or quality of it.

Voles and shrews.

Even if the older model jaws did not bend and the newer ones might be junky? You would still not wonder if something had changed?

I would still complain if they are bending when they didn't in the past since that seems to be giving wolverines the wiggle room to pull free from the traps without killing it.

Just like the fox I caught that I mentioned earlier. It should have died almost immediately, but didn't, probably because the jaws bent around its head.

I saw a video from a buddy this year of a wolverine caught perfectly with a belisle they bought last year. Rather than quickly killing the wolverine it fought the trap and eventually twisted free. If the metal is also softer you have to wonder if the springs are weaker now. Something is not right.

I guess the belisle 330 is a muskrat trap nowadays. They should have told us! How dare they!

The jaws always bent on the belisles.I used about 3 dozen of them doing nuisance work on the railway.After a month or so and a couple hundred beaver, the jaws were all bent enough to require on the job repairs with a spike maul.

Can’t fix stupid!

The consensus is….you're right!

I agree with Boco the Belisle 330s have always been weak. I've caught a lot of wolverine in them and they almost always need to be straightened. At least they don't break like the Saveguea though.

You need to get out more often Dave, Belisle has a long history of broken springs, deflective triggers and traps not bend properly. When you buy a new box of Belisle traps it has a warranty slip inside telling you 1 year or no warranty if abused,

Get out where Jim?? Ontario maybe??? Not interested. I've never had a Belisle break a spring ever...or a frame for that matter, and I bet I've used them as long as you have, maybe longer. Bent jaws are common on the 330s but would rather see that than have them break like the Savegueas have been doing.

Jim's a die hard sauvageau guy,lol.I have never had a broken spring on a belisle,but had a couple broken springs on a couple 280 ldl's set under ice one time only about 10 years ago.When I pulled the traps both springs were broke on each of 2 traps right at the jaw eye bend.Guy gave me 2 new traps.I heard Belisle,Sauvageau and LDL all use the same spring steel,but form them to their own standards.

I have a lot of traps, not just Sauvageau, I do like them for beaver trapping. But unlike you Dave I am not a dog with a bone.
My 220 are Belisle
My 160 are Belisle
Most of my marten traps are Sauvageau
Most of my beaver traps are Sauvageau
Have some coil springs Dukes for muskrats
I always find it interesting how you take a thread about Belisle and knock Sauvageau!!
I like to use traps that work.
Not a fan of the LDL but the guys like them, so it is what it is.
Your starting to remind of Dirt lol.

I really don't care who I remind you of Jim. All I did was agree with Boco. I like Saveguea traps for the most part, especially the bigger ones, but don't like it when they break for no reason and I've had more Saveguea traps break than any other brand,all marten traps in my case but I know of at least one that broke on a wolverine this year,right at the hinge just like mine have. You need to get out on the trapline more instead of spending so much time in Toronto..

I did that Dave, bought a new machine 2018 Skandic WT 900 thanks for the concern, I do my best to avoid Toronto, but a man gotta do what a man gotta do.

P.S. Dave it's spelled Sauvageau

I bought one 330 belisle from my cousin, worked great for beaver, it bent though on the jaw this year on the last beaver. Had a pull out from the same trap

Never lost a critter in a belisle. Had a few bent over the last twenty five years. I'd contact the manufacturer and let them know.

voles and red squirrels

Yes Belisle 330's trap are easy bend jaw after catch, and is not only recently, that's always do!! If is not the steel problem maybe is the design of the trap,without not gap between close single jaw is not a good idea... Sauvageau, LDL can absorb the shock with renforced jaw.I talk with traps maker and today is hard to not get steel from China only big mgf like boat or airplan and big contruction project like bridge.... can get the specific steel and where from it, but they paid for it at the end, trap industry is not airplan industry, most of trappers want paid cheaper as possible.

Very true...cheap Chinese steel has been an issue for years now in all sorts of machinery. The steel in the Belisle traps seem to be softer than than the steel Sauvageau uses. That is likely the reason Sauvageau traps dont bend as easily and are more prone to breaking. Temper plays a role as well, but thats mostly in the springs. I know some aftermarket snow machine springs on the market now are pure junk because of the cheap Chinese steel and improper tempering.

Oh yeah. I use 330 for lynx and muskrat all the time. WITH a whole grouse wing as an attractor. Couldn't decide if I should use the tip or the middle so I used the whole thing.:)

So the question also leads to the thoughts with a feisty otter and his ability to bend and get free? Let alone a beaver.

Superior traps are made of inferior steel?

You're going to get your hands slapped for that comment

Look at the bends on the corners of the Belisle traps. It takes a malleable steel to make those 180* bends, especially back to back.

A few wacks with a hammer, or putting it in a vice takes care of 99% of the bending in my experience. The logs the size of your forearm are the worst on them!

its kinda entertaining watching the newfies and frenchies fight....