I never saw that #1 dukes were "to strong". Strong yes, but I use them for rats and mink without any problem at all.

I took duke 1.5 pans, trimmed the lever side a touch with tin snips and you have a nice big pan on then.

I do tend to think that some #1 coilsprings tend to have more spring strength than they really need for the animals that are usually targeted with them. I've put my hand in both Bridger & Duke #1's, and subjectively, to me, they grip more tightly than a 1.5 coilspring does. Given that that coons tend to be the largest animal commonly targeted with #1 coils I'm not sure why that's the case. I do think either laminations or a bit less spring strength wouldn't hurt either Duke or Bridger #1 coils.

I'm no trap guru, but can't you cut a coil off the spring to "weaken" it?

Less coils usually means stronger.

No you can't, you need both ends of the trap spring to mount the springs.



Less holding power with a spring only on one side to hold the animal. A #11 is more comparable to a #1 coil, but they may just hold even better.

Here's an example or taking away a coil....

Say each coil deflects 1 degree for every ten pound of pressure. If you have 2 coils with ten lbs applied, you'll get 2 degrees of deflection, 3 degrees for three coils, ect.

Once again, it reads like you started a post with no actual experience using them. I've caught 100s of coon in them and #11s. My go to traps in shallow water coon trapping. These horror stories you speak of by other trappers. Good first hand knowledge.

Carroll Black had some #1NW that he four-coiled at a convention in the 80s and very few people could set them, mostly because of the short levers. He claimed he never lost a coon in one.

That was the thing with CDR's, they were/are very strong but thos small wire levers made them hard to get hold of. I could set them over my knee but nver would, especially out in the water.. I knew if I got one of them on me I was screwed. I have a few mb750's just as strong as CDR's but I could set them fine because of the bigger levers..