Some of my old Victor 330's have pretty weak springs. I need to replace them so I thought this would be a good time to go through them all and get them ready for next time. I can order new springs but I like the strength of some of the other brands of springs and I like some other types of triggers. Do any of your have any recommendations for trigger and spring replacement? Can you buy those wire spring holders like Belilse makes or is it bet to make my own wire holders. Any thoughts?

When I need to replace a trigger I usually put a Terminator Trigger on them. Can adjust the tension easily and they have stainless wires that last forever.

If I needed to replace triggers and springs I would just buy new traps at that point. That is just me. Triggers are easy and cheap to replace, I just did some.

I don’t have any victor 330s, but I would think you could replace the wire like other brands very easily.


Drill out the rivet, replace wire, use a small bolt with lock nut. It’s important to get the right bends. I find a piece of metal that is the width of the old trigger’s bends, and I hammer the new bends into it.



Easier shown than explained. Let me know if you have any questions

Maybe different but I have vics that I bought in the 70's and compared to traps nowdays they are weak but the Beaver I have caught show no sign of struggle had a couple 50lbs last spring in channels they just floated back a little course that was with neck strikes so mabe just lucky

Same here. Only live catch I've ever gotten in a 330 was an otter in a fairly new Duke with much stronger springs than my Victors. But otters are a)super tough b)it caught him right across the front shoulders with one bar and the other closed out past his nose c) I could see his tracks coming upstream a couple hundred yards down in the snow in mid-50s, I don't think he had been in the trap 5 minutes when I got there. By the time I went back to the truck to get something to dispatch him and got back he was about succumbed.

A lot of beaver in those old, weak Victors don't even pull the stabilizing sticks staked through the springs.

I took the traps apart this weekend and bent the spring more open and put them back on. I have done this one other time. It must work for a while. They were pretty weak. I thought about welding some jaw extensions on so the jaws are closed. Have any of you ever done that?

Personally I wouldn't make the jaws come tight together. Leave that gap so when you catch a finger in it, you can get it out easier. In my opinion that little gap isn't going to affect anything on a beaver. I caught a spawning steelhead in a Victor 330 once and it held it just fine, so I don't think you have to worry about a beaver in them.

I have gotten a few beaver by the tail in belisle traps. I was looking at the canadian style body traps. I forget the name of one of them but they have an extra jaw welded on that strikes the animal. I might see if I can add another jaw to some and see if it works. I got a couple belisle springs and they do fit the conibear traps.

Make the move to the magnum jaw bend traps like Bridgers, Sauvegeau, Belisles even the Rudy’s good.

x2, I replaced the one spring in my old Vics and added the Bridger safeties from MTP.. I love my Bridger mags. Since I went with Bridger mags I don't have empty traps. The full jaw closure is a game changer for sure. Even with smaller BGs.

Already have them. I just have some old 330-2 traps I want to use. I got some new Belisle springs and they fit fine then I put Belisle triggers and dogs on them and it's a whole new trap now. I think I will weld on jaw extensions like the Sauvegeau traps have and see how that works. I like tinkering.
I got some barrel swivels from Newt Sterling. I put a 2'' loop of 1/8'' cable in one spring eye, then the swivel, then another 2'' loop and that makes it real easy to add an extension cable in the field. I can add one, two , or three if I don't have an anchor close by.

I might try some Bridgers this summer. I like the Belisle traps but $$$$$

I put the old spring hooks back on but added wire to them and wrapped it around the spring tight so they won't flop around now. - works like a Belisle now.

Bridger's are a good trap, but I don't like that magnum full jaw closure. Catch a thumb or two in it and it aint to good. Caught both thumbs in a Bridger magnum 120 that was attached head high to a tree for marten. That wasn't too fun to get out of. Never caught myself in a magnum 330 and don't ever want to. Personally I've got a couple Duke 330's that don't close tight but have good strong springs, and I've got some old square jaw Victor 330's, three of them that my dad bought When he was a kid, and he was born in '57 so probably around 1970. Those traps don't close the jaws tight and the Victors have "weak" springs, but I've never noticed any empty traps or misses because of it. As long as you keep the triggers tuned I'll go most all winter without a snapped empty trap. At least until spring melt floods a bunch of debris into them. I think the Bridgers are a better built trap and anything new I buy will probably be them (Belisle are no doubt better but their price is a lot steeper also) but I honestly see no difference in catch ratio between the magnum traps and traps as old or older than me built in the old style.

just 1 of 3 mods for body grips

in addition to adjusting dog notches and trigger yokes and adding xtra long triggers so ya can bell shape them.

What gauge wire is the best for safety mod.

I just used regular tie wire but it gets a little loose and must be tightened every once in a while

Thanks

I got some belisle springs from Scmitt and they fit the victor 330-2 just fine. Worked like a charm

don't forget this notch filing mod!

or tapping a nail/punch on both sides of the jaw to open the yoke so it strikes sooner...…...ya can also tap top with a hammer if bottom is in a vise.