Old Long Spring Users

Wondering how many out there use the older long springs on their lines. Stuff like old cast jaw traps, square riveted bases, etc. Using traps like that just gives me a sense of nostalgia I suppose. Many of those older long springs are still strong traps, and in many cases, a style of trap no longer made. An added bonus is, fewer trappers seem interested in using them, so they can be an inexpensive addition to a line.

My favorite older trap is the Victor 3N. I really like it with the PIT pan system installed on it, a crunch-proof added near the spring swivel, and I shorten the chain, unless cabling off to a clog or using a drag.

Recently, my attention has turned to the old Diamond #21's and #21 1/2's to use on the rat and mink line. I love the double jaw design of those little traps, and there's still plenty of users to be found at reasonable prices if you're looking.

I too like the nostalgia. Just classic and cool. I have several 3s and 4s. Im not a trap expert..some have cast jaws some dont. Some have square rivets. I find them easier to set.

I 've got a pile of them,probably my all time favorite is the No.4 modified.Thats laminated,base plated and offset with PIT pans.Love this trap in areas where incidentals like coon catches are minimal to non existant.Use quite a few No.3 sleepy creeks with no issues.I bought a bunch of No.3 Blake and Lambs that I'll use after their modify.I don't like the old longsprings out of the box.The pan set up is atrocious,jaws are too thin and sharp,and I like the chain swiveled off the bottom of the frame.These are the reasons I stayed away from them as predator traps but once I started modifying them they became a whole different animal.They bed like a dream up here in our sandy habitat.

We use lots of 3n and older vic longs

I use a lot of #2 longs and some #4 longs.
#2 longs have put a lot of different animals in the truck for us.
Most of mine were ones I bought used in 1980s and still serving us today OK.
Jim

don't laugh...but #2 longs still take a lot of coyotes for us each season...

I still use um, mostly the ones I started with when I was little, I like the jumps and #2 vics.
Colt

Back in the mid-eighties I got a hold of some Northwoods #2 dls and used them to trap about everything with fur.At every convention I look for these same brand of traps,take them home and modify them with the usual stuff.The adjustable pans are a real plus.Although the original dozen N.W.#2 dls are long gone these replacements will see some work in the 2018 season.

I like them too and have a few old Blake and Lambs that are still super strong. I like #44 DLS

i use 70-80 1 1/2's with the chain moved to the end opp. the spring for mink.flat out love em but i also like the old victor num.2 sq jaw coils.have about the same of them.

I use those 1 1/2 LS with a long chain for rats here. The weight helps to keep them down

I had a few B&L #44's, they were a little rough on me trying to set they were so stout. Same with the #3 Newhouse's.

I'm also a big 1 1/2 long fan for rats and mink, although I'm still trying for the mink in one. I ran several B&L's last season. Curious what advantage might exist with moving the chain "pcr"? I've bought traps rigged like that, but wasn't sure of the reasoning behind it.

Those older Victor #2 square jaw coils are an often over-looked trap that catches a lot of fur. Like using them at pocket sets on a drowner rig.

Yes, 3Ns for me also—use #2 BL also. All have Pits.

chain is moved for a better hold on incidental coon.

Ok. I guess I'm not seeing the advantage. Only caught a couple coons in 1.5 longs so far. Caught quite a few in #11 Sleepy Creeks, but they're center swiveled. I notice coons caught in the 3N's will have worked their foot over the side opposite the spring w/chain attachment. Just attributed that to the off-set. I'm sure there's some mechanical advantage idea behind moving the chain, I'm just not seeing it.

as the animal pulls away from the anchoring point,if the foot moves it goes toward the spring which is a way tighter grip than the old way where when they pull,it goes away from the spring and to the end of worst grip.

Makes perfect sense now. Thanks!

Besides the Diamond 1's and 1.5's, I like the older cast jaw 1.5 longs. The square rivet base and knowing that trap isn't made any more, is like continuing a tradition in a way.

It is nice to see guys getting the old traps out for exercise. With only those old traps, just how did they manage to catch anything? Ha.

I have some old #3 double long springs that I want to get back in the field. I would like to use them for coyotes because of nostalgia and a change of pace.

I need to file the dog and the pan to make a crisp trigger. What else do you recommend to beef up these traps? What about bending up the jaw tips instead of bubble welding them? I am a lousy welder so I would prefer to modify them without welding. What is the best method to base plate them? Of course I will replace the chain and add swivels.

Back when I was a kid, I made some double long spring traps with #1 and #1-1/2 parts. They worked ok, but didn’t look correct because they had the different jaw radius.

I have a few old Newhouse #4 and some others with teeth hanging by the cabin door. They make a great doorbell, just rattle the chain and I hear and come scrambling to see who I caught. Of course they are not set. But it seems appropriate as a year round trapper to have traps hanging beside the cabin door

i will cough up for a couple dozen choice 3N's for my canine line before long.

They're out there. I picked up about 2dz at our state rondy last weekend.

I like my 3n's! Especially the ones with yotes attached to them !
This year I have a couple of really nice 4n's with pit Pans that are going to look good with cats in them.
The race is on Cliff. Lol
Again thanks for the 4n's Cliff !

I have a couple dozen 3ns that I bought on here that came out of Wyoming that were a little weaker than I liked when they arrived. I tinkered with them by adding riveted 1.5 longspring springs on each side, these are users not collectors, and a good PIT pan. I then set them to three pound pressure using Hal’s tool. They suit me fine and bed great. They’ll be good for someone years after I’m gone.

Those are actually Victor #4 Cast Jaws (closed-jaw) with a modified PIT system attached. They have the square rivet base. I have six that I did up for myself, so odds are in MY favor Pistol! I really do like the trap though. SS dog, 3" round pan, just seems to scream "step here" as a cat trap. Would like to find a few true 4N's and put PITS on them. The base and cross-piece is already heavy on the 4N, and I like the off-set.

I have a few 3N's with helper springs. Those helpers bring a trap back to life. Drilling and using a rivet makes for a nice clean look too. I just have mine wired in.

I have some #3 Victors and Newhouse also some government traps I was told some where.I use them once i a great while. Just like the Jumps I have also. I am not a collector, I got them to use and when I run low on the coils then I will take them out and make sure where I set them that they will not be lifted.That is by some 2 leg animals.

I bought a dozen last month for $50 and hope to catch a few cats with them this season

I put PIT pans on three 3N's yesterday. They just transform that trap in my opinion. I still like the nostalgia of the original, but the PITs function better. I also added a crunch-proof near the spring swivel, and shortened the chain. I don't always shorten the chain, but I do add swivels. I've had coons tie that long chain in knots.

Make them good as new. A #3 DLS is my go to coyote trap. New springs from Sterling Fur Company and dogless conversions. Need nothing more for coyotes.

Is the dogless conversion something you do yourself, or is a kit of some kind from Sterling? If you can post a pic of one, I'd like to see it. Seen some pretty interesting and very nice conversions that a few on this site have done.

Dogless conversions are not too difficult, but they are time consuming, and you need access to the right equipment. (Welder/Mill)

Very nice rednecktrapper! I've seen some of your work on this site before. Plus I've checked out your site. You do some nice work. Thanks for sharing!

I'm a big fan of the 3N, 4N, and old cast jaw #4 Victors. I just think they do what I want. I also use 550's, and it's like a coil-spring 3N, in my opinion, jaw-wise.

I tried the #3 Victors and B&L's closed jaw, but I didn't like how the jaws were, even filed smooth. I've got some that I've had laminated, gonna try both inner and outer to see which I might prefer. I like the dog-less concept, wondering where the pan pivots on those you pictured rednecktrapper? I've got PIT pans on most of the ones I've got laminated.

This might interest you; https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/6145202/Re:_Dog_vs_Dogless#Post6145202

Yesterday I was going through a bunch of #48 Newhouses that I use for beaver and otter trapping and found that I had a #4 B&L long spring that I remember buying in 1976. I still use that trap, springs are as strong as ever.

Converted about 2 dozen 3Ns and another dozen #3 Victors to PITS pans for yotes and cats the ground here is often so hard that the MJs are the 1st choice but on badger holes and mounds where they have loosened the dirt the long springs work fine and that frees up the MJs for the tougher ground sets.

Ideally you want the pan post on the outside of the jaw.

I have a dozen of mixed 3 and 4 Long spring B&L and Victor . The pans need some work , but still strong springs.

Anyone use the #1 B&L stoploss type trap? I have a few but I don't know what the pin on the chain is for. I set the traps to test them, and they set fine with the wire bail held in place with the jaws. I'm picture literate, so if you have a pic, that'd be great.

Thanks tjm! Appreciate the link. I've looked at nightstalker's site, he does some very nice work.

used for??

Joe I haven't used most of those you listed. I like the double jaw Sleepy Creek #11's I have, which are a new trap. The same double jaw style is on several of the Diamond Brand #1 and #1.5's in long spring and coil. That's ultimately why I like the older Diamond traps. I think with a trap that small, with a jaw face as thin as they are, the double jaw just helps a lot to prevent twist-offs and chewing. So, I think it'd look for a double jaw in whichever you choose. Just my two cents.

i know it's not on your list but i'd like used 1 blake and lambs for that.so many small footholds around here i've never sampled any new ones.

So a couple pics and some explanation. The longspring with cable on chain is a #0 I have had on the wall for 30 years. I know that because it still had my address name tag from the other house. I have rigged a half dozen like that for sets in a cattail marsh, that basically you just keep pushing the stake down. I retired last year and trapped more than I was willing to put the effort into for decades. The old stoploss was from a dozen I bought in the early 80's from a guy, and only used the one. Every other stoploss I owned had longer chain, and I wanted a short chained rig in a small road culvert near my house. That trap has caught muskrats, mink, and coon with the slide on the rod hiding them all. A 3 foot rebar stake in the round on end has kept the whole works in my possesion for these ten or twelve years I have done this. Cfowler asked about the rod on end of #1 B&L Stoploss and the one pic shows what I do, don't bury it into the trap, I use it to help loose jaw sit flat, takes the pressure off. joepennanti wants to trap weasels, the American Trapper from May-June article about BMP traps said 1 1/2 Long spring passes for weasel killer trap. I would not use the #0, from what I have read the marten trappers liked them because they were lighter by the dozen when they ran traps with snow shoes in the old days.

Cool stuff Fishdog! Is the drowner lock made from half a long-spring spring?

Warm windy day. Good day for dying and waxing traps if ya have the time. I got a few that needs done, but just been too busy today.

victor 1.5 are great coon traps IMO I pick them up every chance I get found a bunch at antiques shops cheap like $4 per

Haven't used them for coon specifically, but manage to pick up a few in them myself. I like the older cast jaw victors in 1.5 long. Gonna try a few #1 cast jaws for a mink this season.

Just got my #3s back from my welder buddy. Im really looking forward to seeing how they do this year.

Are the new Blake & Lamb #11s good they look better than the new victors

Nice work your buddy did Rattrapper88. Cats or yotes step on the pans, and they ought to be yours. Nice traps.

I don't know about the new B&L #11's motrapping. Have some Victor double jaws I bought new a couple years ago. They're good traps I think. I've caught coon, mink, rats, and otter in them.

Thanks for sharing the link. I found it interesting. Not convincing, except with those two particular Bridger traps. Jaw weight, spring strength, eye-opening size, there are several variables that come into play with the mechanics of the long-spring trap. I have no clue whether over-all coils are faster or not. Don't think it really matters to me, long as I'm not looking at sprung traps. It was an interesting analysis though.

those are going to be awsome!

Do you like that twisted chain better than machine chain

lol I asked Kendal when he was going to offer a dogless kit for the old longs.im not going to hold my breath. I don't believe he was amused by the idea!