with all this chat about conis bending in the jaws can they be beefed up? like say a base plate on a foot hold? My thoughts are a flat 1'2x 3/8' piece of bar stock spot welded on the back side of the jaws Im certaian kill bars would also do the trick! I've just never seen were any thing like that has been done or considered. And I will guess the metal will just get crappyier in the future

They were made commercially as Bulldogs. I have not seen them for sale for a few years So some of us modification guys offer that service too. Quarter inch round rod is what most use. It is what I use for raccoon or opossum dispatch within city limits when I cannot fire a gun. It is on an MB bracket at the end of an ax handle. Some guys use a painters pole

I have heard about the bull dogs in older posts. But ive never actually saw one! I'm pretty handy with a welder! And I can see it beefing up a coni to last a long time! It bugs me to see were a animal had to suffer in a coni! I like those clean fast kills! The kind were the trap hasn't moved only to fire! IMHO modifying traps is a investment towards their future use! And cant see were as it will hurt there value. Maybe to a collector but I am a realist our metal isn't no were the quality it used to be.

Agreed!...very true Tony

I was thinking about getting some of those MB brackets for next year but have read mixed reviews on certain traps fitting good. Just curious have you used these with Duke 220s?

Kill bars with supports = rigid

I've always liked the looks of kill bars! On the mb i216 they work flawless! Have yet to have a criter even move them at all! That gives me a cool project for the few dukes I have but my main concern was the new belise I just purchased. Saw a couple of reviews saying they bend on catchs! that's unsatisfactory in my book! I prefer my catchs to be bobble heads

Could you guys please explain kill bars for me? I'm wanting to make a 220 dispatch pole for next season for certain places where I need to keep noise down. Most of mine are dukes and I think I have some older BMI's

Sorry.....dont mean to hijack your thread Tony F

Here's my dispatch pole...an old broken axe handle cut off...NOTE the shiny welds where the kill bar is attached using 2 supports as Nightstalker mentioned.
It is basically attaching a second jaw about 1/2" from the original.

I connect the trap with a wire so when it flops off the MB bracket I can still control it somewhat.

Thanks that helps

Does minnesota brand still make the MB 160? It is not on their website.

They quite producing the MB 160 couple years ago, Talk to Jeff to see if they still have some.