MB550 or NO BS K.O., which one?

help me decide, remember I am new to trapping, these will be for coyote and bobcat. I know the NOBS are coated which is a plus for me, but the MB might be more of a finally tuned trap.


thanks

I have used both . You will be happy with either assuming you have population and do the other things correct.

Bigfoottrapper . Do you trap around deer or cattle> Mb -550 will not hold a calve. A No BS extremme WILL hold a small to medium size donkey or cow. Know this for a fact

I have not seen a no bs but I really like my mb 550s os. I like them much better than my bridger #2 dogless.

Traps need to be treated every year even if they come coated. I know nothing about
NOBS traps. I use MB 550 offsets and wouldn't change.

I have used the NO BS traps. I like them . I have 150 plus of the MB 550s , I use them year round. They pop right off a deer or hogs foot. The NO BS extreme WILL hold a 120 lbs plus hog

I run both and I like both for different reasons, can’t go wrong either way IMO. But I do know a feller who has caught a calf in a 550, not sure it’s something that is likely to happen but it definitely happened for him atleast once

I had the opportunity to test them side by side. While the NOBS is a very robust trap, they seemed to be a fair amount slower than the MB. My #2 Bridger dogless that I laminated and put 4 music springs on are about the snappiest things I've seen. (at least for that size and class of trap).

May as well save money for baits and lures and buy the Duke 550's IMO.

I have 2 duke 550 you can have or trade for. I'm not a fan. No pan adjustment and soft dogs. 4 coiled one and it totally rounded of the nite latch with one snap.

I like both. They are both finely tuned traps. Both have their pros. If I was mainly targeting coyotes, I with do the no BS. Very stout and very heavy. For cats I like the MB550 because they are a lot lighter and I have to pack traps back pretty far. We also get a lot of grey fox where I cant trap and the cast iron jaws are a lot friendlier on a fox than the No BS. But you will not be disappointed with either trap. I see a lot of suggestions for other traps and they are great traps, but none of them will be close to these two. I'm slowly trading out and eventually all my traps will be these two traps.

Gray. The lack of pan adjustment would be the exact same on the MB 550's as you are stating you have with the Dukes. They are literally the same design minus the shape of the pan. One square 3/4 round. The adjustment comes from the dog side of the trap on either. Tension is controlled by putting a slight bend in the dog either up for more tension or down for less tension. Pan height is adjusted by bending the frame at the dog up or down like most other dogged traps. I have sold a few and run some Duke 550's and havent seen the issue with the edge of the dog rounding off in anything i have sold. I find them to be built quite well for the price compared to the other options you are looking at.

To directly answer your question though between the MB's and the no BS. I would go MB. Mostly for the reason that i have very little experience with the NO bs. The MB's are well built and last forever if taken care of. Some guys dislike the jaw spread a bit but the reputation of catching coyotes far exceeds those limitations in my opinion.

I’ve ran them both 50/50 over the last two seasons. They both have their benefits and downfalls. I have found the no bs to be tanks, heavy, and at times take more work to bed. The mb550 bed pretty well, hold up pretty well, but I’ve found myself preferring dogless (personal preference). I’ve also had to spend some time adjusting the mb550 after some froggy coyotes which is often thought of as impossible. It’s not, I’ve had to make a number of on the line adjustments this second season due to pan/dog issues.

As someone posted before me this year I ran two dozen bridger #2 dogless and I’ve finally found a trap that has everything I personally want. They bed like a dream, are fast and everything is buried deep like the no bs, and best of all their dogless. If you have to adjust them it’s simple.

Give a couple different ones a try until you find what suits your personal preferences would be my suggestion. I don’t have any experience with the duke 550 but I wouldn’t hesitate. I’ve tried a lot of different traps over the years and I think I’ve finally found one that meets all my needs and I’ll be 100% converted.

The 2&3 Bridger dogless have been a godsend for me due to left arm issues from 2 choppers shot out from under my butt In Afganistan. I can set Bridger dogless with 2 feet and 1 hand. You have to admit that a well modded 2 or 3 is a pretty good toe pincher. And being on VA medical retirement, cost is a factor sometimes. Lucky that I have a nice shop to work. I can do my own mods.

Wouldn't it be super if there was a dogless version of the MB 550 available commercially.

I use the K9 Extreme's year round and really like them, it is the only trap that I use. I have and have used 550's and many other traps. THE reason I have settled on the K9's is that I have three to four dozen traps a year run over by land owners and assorted other people. It is a simple task to straighten a slightly bent Extreme frame when it bends if at all. I have lost exactly one to a bulldozer. Victory Montgomery #3, 4 coiled, offset is my favorite but even a Polaris Ranger will do a lot of damage to that trap. And as stated above the extreme will hold deer, hogs, donkeys, and calves.

550s every time!

Why would anyone want a trap that holds a deer? I’m thankful the 550’s haven’t...yet.

Thats a good question? I dont even want to think about = what would happen IF I caught a 25000 dollar deer in a High Fence !!!

I think they are saying that it will, not that they want to. If you arent trapping around cattle or farm deer then more holding power is king.

I have the extreme JRs which are more of a comparison to the 550. If you want a 550 size JRs it is, but the Extremes are more like a 650 size.

exactly. both will need tuning/adjusting. I like the dogless design of the Jr. I've used the MB's, and the Bridgers, also. I've settled on the K9 Jr's after 2 falls of flawless performance.

“I think they are saying that it will, not that they want to. If you arent trapping around cattle or farm deer then more holding power is king.“

I don’t trap around “farm deer” but I’d say 25% of my first night snaps are deer. I’d hate to have to release that many deer!! After the first couple of days they aren’t as bad.

A MB 550 will hold a coyote until it is dead.

After using mb550s for ten years I have never, not even once, had a coyote pull out of one. Two coiled offset. Holding power is important to a point. An mb 750 wolf has more holding power than a 550, but why use a 750 when a 550 holds 100% of the time? The only thing I wish mb would do different is make the 550 style in the 650 size. I’m torn on buying some duke 650s. They did steal the design, but mb doesn’t make the bigger size in the style I want. Do I buy them, or not, as a matter of principle? I don’t know.

I’d take the Jrs over a 550, easy to use screen on, little bigger. Still wish MB would make an “mb-600” like a 550 but dogless with a dogless setup like the No bs where the tab is on the bottom side of jaws not where the pan rests on top of jaw like bridger dogless.

no cattle close

Bob I feel the same way. If MB made a MB 600 like a over sized MB 550 = I would order 12 dz of them the next day! I can even get myself to try a Dirty Duke again. I had to use them as a teenager = and understand not having money. But all I hear about Duke 650s is about their cheapness, and I have seen WITH my own eyes, how some have been bent. How some pans are unlevel. How the pan tension is WAY to heavy. But I like the over all design. I just feel like personally = Duke is a rip off company. And I cant make myself go back to Dukes

the real Mb 550's all the time no question.

I would buy a dozen of both and trap with them.It depends on where and how you trap sometimes to decide which will work best for you.Are you going to be walking to any sets or setting just out of the truck?Are you using waxed dirt to bed your traps in?It will take more waxed dirt for the bigger trap.

Just hopping out of truck

Exactly steeltraps, if mb came out with them I would buy as many as my wife would let me lol. The 550s are outstanding traps, if only there were a bigger version made by mb. No need for extra holding power, the 550 holds like gorilla glue, but there are times when the larger kill zone would have nailed a coyote that the 550 missed by just an inch.

I own both but I haven't caught anything in either but I'd say the no bs trap is much better than the mb550 but you won't go wrong either way

New to trapping coyotes but the 13 so far have all been held well by my mb550’s. All deep pad catches so I assume they are plenty big enough trap for me. No damage to traps or dogs. Ready to go back in the ground.

I've never held a deer in a 550 or a 650. I've had deer snap them many times.

Deer snapped traps are common around here and I ain't touching a trap that is known to hold hoofed animals. That's just asking for trouble. There is such a thing as overkill in a coyote trap in my opinion.

I’ve held deer in Bridger #3 full mods before. Held an antelope in a 650 once too. Not a fan of 4 coiling

Jr.s for me, I like dogless and square jaw. I had to bring the pan tension down a little, but that was it. They are awesomely built traps

Ive used both the MB and The Extremes and Juniors. Sold the KO's after it held a prime breeder doe that got killed by 2 coyotes in the trap. Luckily they both came back. MB is working on a bigger version and it will be dogless. In the last 10 years of using MB550s for yotes Ive had 1 loss before I went 4 coiled. But the conditions here warrant that here. I did have one dog bent last week by a rather ambitious yote LOL.. Like I always advise get the best trap for the job you can afford, your only as good as your tools!!

Merry Christmas Trappers

Any more details on the bigger dogless MB? Sounds like the trap I’ve been wanting for awhile. Thanks.

Same frame as the 550 , wider jaw surface, Bridger dogless system. 6 7/16th outside, 5 7/16th inside. Lots of trash gap. 3/16th offsets. Release date this coming summer. I've been testing for 2 seasons, so far so good..

Sweet!

Gbus ? Bridger Dogless System? Does that mean it has ajustable nut like Bridger #3s? Does pan sit below jaws? How Much?

Thanks for info, please beg them to make the dogless system with the tab on the bottom of the jaw(like no bs, Jake, kB 5.5)instead of where it sits on top of the jaw like the bridger dogless.

I really like my Extreme Jrs, but I am still trying to get some consistent pan tension. I reset the same trap after a catch and once the wax is worn off, pan tension has been very high. I've been using bowstring wax, but still find a lot of variance. I know relatively high pan tension is a good thing, but it seems like some of these are through the roof. That doesn't bother me too much if the coyote steps on the end of the pan, but I want it to fire when they step on the portion of the pan closest to the nightlatch as well. I find myself doing more filing and waxing than I prefer.

To your original question. For someone just starting out, between the two, I would recommend the MBs.

Guess I'll be prepping new traps this coming summer if that's the case!

NO BS

Definitely NO bs

This^^^^

I'm voting for the NO BS just because I like dogless traps, any dogless trap. I have a dozen of the big ones and a half dozen of the jrs. Like said previously the big ones will hold deer, I got pics to prove it. I still run them though because they are a great trap, and haven't run a dog on trap in about 6 years.

Initial observations of a total rookie coyote trapper---I own a dozen 550's, they are very easy to bed. I also own a dozen extremes; they are impossible for me to set with feet, need to buy a setter. I am not impressed by that extra weight so I am torn if I will be keeping them. I bought them for deep snow trapping up here which typically involves humping everything to the trap site. Not sure if I want to deal with a setter. Still evaluating that concept.

However, I love how flat the pan is and how large it is. I think it could be overkill for the average coyote but K.O. is the pro and I am not. If we ever get a wolf season here in MN I would just use an extreme.

Given the choice between the 2, Extremes all the way. I love a dogless design, the way the pan sits low and the pan size. Currently have 4 dozen, with a close second is a 4 coiled #3 Bridger dogless offset. I have a lot of faith in both traps.

I own both, haven't set the KO in the field yet, but from my observations:

The MB is more of a Jaguar (luxury, pain in the butt to work on) the KO is a Toyota (not pretty, but it runs forever).

I love the MB for a step down dirt hole, because of the shape. That being said, I like the KO design with respect to springs (seems less apt to bind, and they're much easier to adjust pan tension), and it would be my choice for a flat set, if I didn't have a Jake.

Different tools for different jobs.