Yes, the topic has been addressed, and yes, combination locks are a bit off the mark of discussion for the general forums, but let me try and at least point you in the right direction.
Methods for opening combination locks vary almost as widely as do models of said locks. I suspect that the technique you are thinking about is called "manipulation" which is, essentialy, opening a lock without knowledge of the combination using only the user interface - the dial or wheels. (Is that an OK definition off the cuff?
).
You can't possibly embark on learning lock manipulation without having a complete understanding of the workings of the lock. Take some time to search this site and read all you can find. You might also check out the howstuffworks.com article on safe cracking. Safe combination locks work in a somewhat similar manner as dial combination locks.
You might benefit from knowing that there are no "pins" in a combination lock. It is made up of wheels that rotate. When all wheels are rotated to the correct position, the lock opens.
There are also other bypass methods for combination locks which you will discover if you search.
So, happy reading! And if you learn something along the way, come back and tell us about it so I know that the last 5 minutes of my life was well spent.
db
