# are bridger's good to go stock



## jfgb1979 (Feb 16, 2007)

do bridgers need to be mod or are they good stock,the way i see it dukes need mod, what about bridger?


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## smitty223 (Mar 31, 2006)

I'll begin by saying I don't use any "high-end" (cost-wise) traps. Some of the Jake, Coyote Cuffs, MB's, CDR's, etc. might be extremely different than those I'm more familiar with.

With that said, and perhaps some "exceptions" made, I don't believe many traps are "good to go" out of the box. At a "minimum", here's what I believe they need.

1-Nearly all manufacturers use improperly-sized holes in the panshank & panposts for the brass panbolt used. By redrilling them with a 3/16" bit & installing a new #10 panbolt, washer, and nut, you remedy alot of "pan creep" (which it the amount of distence the pan needs to drop before the trap fires. Be sure to deburr them with a file after drilling before reassembling the panbolt.

2- Most panposts are wider than the thickness of the panshank. When the panbolt is tightened, the panposts pull together at the top, and pinch the panshank, like this pinched at the top ....... / \ ....you want them like this l l . This requires adding the washer between the panshank, and the inside of the panpost. You want the panbolt to act as a bearing of sorts, and operate smoothly throughout it's range of motion.

3- Crimp the eye of the dog closed some with pliers. With the eye too large, when the pan is depressed, it can actually "drag" the dog along with it, again, adding to "pan creep". Crimping it will help eliminate this. While on the dog, file the end square, and file the top of the dog flat, to remove any burrs. When parts are stamped, a certain amoint if burr is the result of clearences required for the punch to stamp the metal through the die.

4- Most pan notches are too long. You can either shorten the notch by filing a portion of the top "tang" of the notch away, or nitelatch them. Whichever you choose, be sure not to leave burrs.

5- Level the pan with the top of the jaws. If the pan sets too high, GENTLY & SLIGHTLY bend the end of the crossframe (where the dog is attached) TOWARDS the pan, this will lower the pan. If the pan sets too low, bend it AWAY from the pan. Work in very small increments, as a little goes a long way.

6- Level the jaws. Sometimes the "loose" jaw sets higher than the "fixed" jaw. It's simply a matter of sticking a screwdriver in the lever & GENTLY twisting it so the loose jaw will lay lower, to match the fixed jaw. You want both jaws AND the pan to all be on the same plane.

7- You need to set pan tension accordingly for the trap you're working on, as well as for the furbearer you intend to target with it. This will assist in avoiding "toe catches" as well as non-target animals. Setting pan tension is done very last, aftr your traps are waxed. Wax is basically a lubricant, and will speed your traps up.

Now, are these modifications? Not really, they are simple adjustments (also called trap tuning) need to be done. You want your trap to fire crisply, like the trigger of a good gun. Without these adjustments, a fully-modified trap still lacks it's full-potential.

Modifications like baseplating, jaw laminations, 4-coiling, etc. should be used as they are needed. What I mean is don't do them simply because Joe Trapper does.

Bridgers are alot heavier built than some of the other traps. I have used #2 & #3 Bridgers without baseplates, laminations, and 4-coiling with no problems, but still modified them in the off-season.

Smitty


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## smitty223 (Mar 31, 2006)

I failed to mention, most traps, Bridgers included, can benefit from Crunch Proof swivels, in addition to adding an additional swivel (or 2) into the chain.

I save the stock Bridger swivels for my smaller traps & use them for drowner locks.

Smitty


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