newbie picker needs help! :D

[ridinplugspinnaz]

It's been said before, but practice locks usually end up hindering, rather than helping, new users to pick locks. Gaining the ability to visualize what you're doing inside a lock when you're manipulating it is much more important than seeing it actually happen on a cutaway lock. If you think it'll help you understand the way a lock works more than online diagrams and animations will, then by all means go ahead. Otherwise, for most people it tends to be a waste of money. Why practice on something you can see in full view when you won't get that luxury when you're picking a real lock?

[gr00ve]

well i wanted to use it to practice and see what i am feeling... such as when i feel this click, is it setting or is it just jammed up. and especially when i move onto security pins, i want to see if im actually setting them or not

[Raymond]

Hey, Gr00ve, having fun yet?

Everyone is telling you the straight scoop. If you are not clear on what it feels/sounds like to "set" a pin, then take your lock apart and remove several pins. Work on the lock with just two pins in it and you will be sure to understand the feel. This training aid will work on learning to pick locks with security pins also. When you get very comfortable opening a lock with two pins add two more and force yourself to move higher on the skill ladder.

Cut apart locks are great to teach the basic mechanism of the lock with but are not that helpful to learn picking.

[Shib]

well i wanted to use it to practice and see what i am feeling... such as when i feel this click, is it setting or is it just jammed up. and especially when i move onto security pins, i want to see if im actually setting them or not

You can tell if the pins are setting by
- If you see the keyway move slightly
- When you release tension you can hear the pins drop back into place

Thats usually how I tell if the pins are set or not

[zeke79]

Stop picking that lock immediately. Being a best lock, that says to me that you are in a college dorm, apartment complex, etc which will employ a masterkey system. If you manage to pick the lock and rotate it 180 degrees, master pins can and will fall into the keyway which will possibly render your own key useless along with possibly rendering the masterkey useless. Situations such as these which you likely had no idea could happen are why we insist that you do not practice on locks that are not yours and not practice on locks that are in use. You are just asking for trouble messing with this or any lock that is in use.

I could be way off base here but my intuition tells me that you do not own this lock and it is not installed on your home (it may be on your apartment, etc as stated above) as I have not once witnessed a best lock installed in a homeOWNERS door. It is not your lock so please leave it alone and buy yourself a practice lock. I would recommend a master #3 or a kwikset deadbolt that is keyed on both sides as this way you get two locks for about the same price as a single cylinder kwikset deadbolt.

Read the sticky threads posted in each section of the forums. There is a wealth of knowledge there and it will teach you some do's and dont's plus alot of other valuable information.