My Son In Iraq Needs A Picking Tool

by **golfer15** » 8 Dec 2004 21:50

About a week ago my son sent me a letter. Explaining how his squad, and himself could benefit from using some lock picks. He sometimes goes on night raids, so he needs something fast and reliable that will open doors, locks etcâ€¦ very fast. I have done a little research about the basics of lock picking. And have concluded that getting picks for him would be too time consuming for him (learning how to lock pick), and take too much time in battle. What I was thinking of getting him was an Electric Pick, or a Flip-It Tool (Plug Spinner), or a LockAid Pick Gun. This is where I need some advice which one should I buy for him.

Thank You, for your comments
Mark

by **Mr Ules** » 8 Dec 2004 21:58

If you need something quick then I would suggest the pick gun. I hear that it's pretty good. But if you're ever planning on getting info, before you post search using the search button near the top of the screeen. If you did without results then you didn't look hard enough because I recently had this discussion with one of the moderators on this site.

by **squeak** » 8 Dec 2004 22:00

Doesn't the goverment provide everything for our troops?
Not only we have to rish our lives there but we have to provide tools from our own pocket money??!?!

Just blow off the door.

by **Mr Ules** » 8 Dec 2004 22:01

The topic is under FAQ's general information ( it's the first area for topics on this site) The topic name is "stopped at customs" Read the last few pages because that's where the conversation took place.
Hopefully this information has helped you.

by **CaptHook** » 8 Dec 2004 22:02

Given the info you supplied, go for the manual pick gun. It will take some practice, but should be able to get it. The electric is no good because of battery time (not being able to recharge/replace batteries if hes out for a long time) and the flipit doesnt pick locks.
Buy him the lockaid pickgun, and a book on how to use it. And tell him thank you for being over there.
Chuck

by **golfer15** » 8 Dec 2004 22:19

I was just on http://www.lockpickersmall.com/ and saw two manual lock picking guns. The HPC Pistol Pick and the Lockaid Pick Gun, are they the same or is one better than the other? Thanks Again

by **Mr Ules** » 8 Dec 2004 22:23

Perhaps you should pm Romstar ( the moderator ) and give him your rough location. It doesn't have to be specific. This is so that he can advise you on whether you can purchase lockpicking tools. I found out that I can. But if you don't want to give your location you'll have to research the local laws yourself.

by **SFGOON** » 8 Dec 2004 22:31

Unless your son is in CMF 18 (Special Forces) and conducting covert reconnisance missions, lockpicks will be of nil use to him. They are too slow for raids and will put him in more danger than neccessary. This goes for the Lockaid and any sort of loud, conspicious electric device. That being said, get them for him anyway. I reccomend the peterson brand with the rubber handles and feel they are well suited to military use. If you would like, feel free to send me a PM and I will give you my AKO ID, you can forward it to your son, and he can ask me whatever questions he wants.

As for the Government providing all the tools for the soldiers, this is not the case. Recently there's been an upward spike in firms (i.e. blackhawk et all) that manufacture gear that's better than what the government issues. All soldiers, seeing a thing that is shiny, (including myself,) want it. Problem is a lot of it is untested and may fail right when you need to do, say, a hasty reload. The Army will not buy these items for this reason. When it comes to good food, shelter, recreation, housing, family support, community and equipment, the Army provides all that is needed. Woe to the officer who does not.

I have my baby sister serving in Iraq right now. She is having a blast and is a hell of a shooter but that doesn't stop me from worrying. Your son sounds like a good troop, thnking about his squad and his mission. Best of all to both of you.

by **Romstar** » 8 Dec 2004 22:32

Oh, don't make me out to be the site lawyer. <G> :wink:

I'm definately not qualified for that. Anyway, my speciality if you want to call it that is Canadian Law. I have to be familiar with US law for various reasons, but it changes from state to state and in some cases county to county.

I think (and this is pretty vague) that Washington STATE it's perfectly legal to buy lock picking tools. Washington DC on the other hand isn't. Go figure.

Anyway, The HPC and The Majestic are both high quality pick guns. If you are going to be sending this out to your son, be darned sure to buy some extra tension wrenches and especially some extra pick blades for the gun.

Good luck,
Romstar

by **poisoned** » 9 Dec 2004 2:29

Does anyone actually know what type of locks they use in Iraq? :wink:

Anyways I was thinking that a plug puller/killer (what was it called) could be fast..

by **Romstar** » 9 Dec 2004 4:31

poisoned wrote:Does anyone actually know what type of locks they use in Iraq?
Anyways I was thinking that a plug puller/killer (what was it called) could be fast..

The most common tool used for plug pulling is a body shop "slam" hammer.

It's a long steel rod with a screw on one end, a heavy cast iron weight in the middle, and a handle on the other end.

Put the screw as far into the plug as possible, then move the weight to the screw end of the rod. Hold tight onto the handle, and really yank back on the weight. In a lot of cases, it yanks the plug right out of the lock.

In other cases, you get a stripped screw. It's not terribly effective on high security locks.

Romstar

by **PickPick** » 9 Dec 2004 8:46

When doing raids you probably don't want to be in front of the door more than absolutely necessary, because it offers even less bullet resistance than the surrounding walls. In these cases it's usually best to go in with a flash, demonstrating force from the start on and delivering a nice surprise.
That means battering rams, explosve entry, flash bangs and so on. Battering rams are easily improvised, a nice video can be seen here:
http://www.thebroken.org/
It's the second video. And you wouldn't even need such a big pipe, a shorter one with ~20 kg should be sufficient for most doors. As for explosive entry, I can't offer a lot of advice on that but it's definitely effective and they should at least be able to get explosives in Iraq. Shotguns can be effective breaching tools, too but it's important to maintain the proper distance between muzzle and target and if not using special ammo there's danger of ricochet.

by **Varjeal** » 9 Dec 2004 12:50

Hmmm...I guess I'll throw in my two bits as well here.

I'd first suggest finding out what type of locks he's running into over there, and if any members are reading this and are from that area of the world your contribution would be appreciated.

Assuming they use pin-tumbler lock mechanisms, and no damage is wanted to the door or frame, I'd definitely go for one of the Lock-Aid manual pick guns. He'll most likely want to wrap the handle with some type of sticky material to avoid "sweaty hands" and especially daytime heat. I also agree with Rommie on the extra blades and tension tools. In a hurry, these can be broken and/or lost easily, so get 'em a good bunch.

...and just to express my displeasure at how poorly our Armed forces are treated (inlcuding paid and equipped) I'll add this:

From what I've been told (and it may not be true but wouldn't suprise me if it was) West Edmonton Mall has more submarines than our military. AND they don't leak.

Best of luck to your son and I pray for a successful tour and safe return home.

by **captainsawdust** » 9 Dec 2004 13:27

Without being Stupid or sounding Stupid

get him to raido for the A10 unit

I done some work on RAF Alconbury in the Uk where they were based

A10 tankbusters can open tanks as well as doors

by **MrB** » 9 Dec 2004 13:54

Just a thought to mention here.

It might be true that forcible entry is the fastest and most effective way to get in under potentially dangerous conditions, but battering rams and explosives are somewhat damaging to the structure (to say the least).

Now in most cases, the properties to be entered are someone's home, and very possibly the owners are innocent non-combatants (the soldiers don't know that in advance).

In such a case, blowing up the door to get in is not very friendly. How would you feel if someone smashed down your front door on a raid while trying to find out if your home had dangerous occupants? And then they said, sorry, everything's fine, our mistake? (OK, the likes of the FBI and DEA probably do break down doors on raids, but let's not go there. One hopes they followed due process and had probable cause.)

So I commend the idea of trying to use non-destructive entry where it makes sense. Heavens, the military has enough options for destroying things. But sometimes there might be a better way...

My Son In Iraq Needs A Picking Tool

My Son In Iraq Needs A Picking Tool

Who is online