Tips for feeling back pins without upsetting front pins?

[ww85]

I'm wondering if anyone can offer any advice for proper SPP with five and six pins. When I pick a cylinder keyed for three pins, there's nothing to it. I don't just mean it's quick or easy, I can feel out each pin individually, know which are set and which is binding, and pick it properly. I can see the whole lock in my mind and know exactly what's going on. It's a good feeling.

When I try five pin locks, though, any time I go to manipulate the back pins I seem to do a serious number on the front pins. Sometimes this works out to my advantage like when I set pin 5 then 4 and suddenly the lock opens since I inadvertently set 1-3 in the process. Other times its detrimental, I can overlift a front pin with a serrated key pin (Evil American locks) which then false sets high.

In any case, it destroys my mental picture of the lock since the front pins end up being a muddled grey area which I have to check later and hope I didn't false-set too high...

I'm using a pretty short hook, but the set of picks I got is pretty basic so it's my only real option for SPP and moreover, I've heard that larger hooks don't necessarily help since you end up disrupting the front pins when you insert and remove it (provided the keyway isn't huge).

It's especially a problem when it's a very shallow back pin behind a deep front pin...

Thanks for any tips.

[WolfSpring]

American 5200's are my babies, I love them, but they dont' love me back, everyone is different. Are you using top keyway? If not get a tension wrench and make a smaller bent one that jut fits into the top of the key way, you can even bend the other side of a normal T-wrench. Mine is 1/4 inch bend and i filed it down to 1/8 inch wide so the handle rides along the body of the lock and i only put one finger on it. I always start from the back and work forward then after stetting pin 1 i usually have a false set on 3 or 4 and go back to it. It takes patience, practice and experience. If you are already top keyway and still not having any luck try losening up your tension a lot and only push on the pins, not set them until you get used to the feel of the hook on each location. I only ever use a short hook to pick them and I have picked a ton of American locks, it's mostly what I have access to.

hope that helps a little.