Can't find any answers in my references so I'll throw it out here - is there a date range or standard for wire chain rings vs cast rings on Newhouse's? I picked up several #3 DLS's that have one or the other - all are OC traps, the pat date pans with the "made in USA" spring stamps have the cast rings and some of the traps with no pat dates and the NY spring stamps have the 2 1/2" wire rings but not all of them, a couple of those have cast rings too. None of the chain rigs appear to have been rebuilt and the jaw post nuts don't look to have ever been moved. Are both rings correct?

Both can be correct. Oneida Community patented the machine to make the wire chain rings, 20 June 1893. The wire rings were used on the smaller size traps (#0 - #2) and on #3 and #4 size traps for a period, before going back to the cast ring on the #3 and #4 size traps. The wire ring was also used on the #4 1/2 Newhouse Wolf Trap, on the 4 prong drag.

That's what I was looking for, it was just my #3's where I was finding the combination. Good info, thanks Dean.