What lock would you use?

[booyah]

So if you need to know the best locks, go where they are defeated right?

So, what reasonably inexpensive (preferably under $50) padlock would you use for a gym locker? Reason I ask is based on this post here

http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin ... ocker.html

A fellow who was licensed to carry a concealed handgun left it in his gym locker. Apparently the lock was shimmed, and his weapon stolen. Now I am in the process of getting such a permit myself, and I want to make sure I can properly secure my weapon when I am away from it (primarily at the gym).

I know a bit about lock picking, I can open any standard commercial padlock I've been handed pretty quickly, so I know how vulnerable most are, but I don't know enough about good locks.

Thoughts? I was reading around online and apparently the Diskus locks are good, would they fit a locker though? My primary concerns are shimming and basic picking as I dont expect a particularly directed attack on my locker.
I don't have the best local resources being in a fairly small town. Any help would be appreciated.

[thelockpickkid]

For the money use an Abus Diskus, it will fit the locker. Also for a little added protection put the lock on backwords with the keyway facing your locker, that way you can still lock and unlock with a key but it makes picking just slightly harder with the lock turned away. These are great locks for the money, and cannot be shimmed and picking them is harder than most regular padlocks.

[Solomon]

Good call, Kid. Those disc style padlocks can't be shimmed but be careful which one you get... while they're fiddly to pick, some of them are still picked very easily *cough* master no. 40 *cough*. Disc locks by abus or brinks are much better and if you have one of those on backwards like Kid just said, well... that gives me jitters just thinking about it.

If you want a regular style padlock, get something with a dual ball bearing locking mechanism, as they can't be shimmed. Interchangable cores are a telltale sign, every single IC padlock I've seen has had the ball bearing mechanism... you also have the added bonus of being able to bung a medeco core in there if you need proper pick resistance - which you won't, in all honesty, but it'd be cool.

[Squelchtone]

, and his weapon stolen. Now I am in the process of getting such a permit myself, and I want to make sure I can properly secure my weapon when I am away from it (primarily at the gym).

A gun is not a weapon, it is a firearm. Sticks, bats, pipes, rocks, knives, those are all weapons.

If you're getting a permit, and you support owning guns, don't let the anti gun vocabulary infiltrate your life. A gun is only a weapon if it is used to hurt someone, if you're just at the shooting range, you're not holding a weapon, you're holding a firearm. See what I mean?

On the topic of padlocks, an American Lock Series 50 would also be good for your application. Double ball heel and toe locking means it cannot be shimmed, and the spooled and serrated security pins inside the lock provide plenty of fristration to the casual picker.

Good luck,
Squelchtone
waiting on my LTC since July 28th.

[booyah]

A gun is not a weapon, it is a firearm. Sticks, bats, pipes, rocks, knives, those are all weapons.

If you're getting a permit, and you support owning guns, don't let the anti gun vocabulary infiltrate your life. A gun is only a weapon if it is used to hurt someone, if you're just at the shooting range, you're not holding a weapon, you're holding a firearm. See what I mean?

Knives arent weapons they are tools In this case since my intent is to carry the firearm with intent to defend myself, if needed by doing someone else harm, I qualify it as a weapon. Definitions don't really matter that much though

So where could the American Lock Series 50 be acquired and how much? I trust not my local Walmart or am I wrong on that? Also, whats an IC padlock?

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[Squelchtone]

yeah you're right, they're just words, but so many people out there demonize guns, it just makes me sick.

An IC core padlock or any IC core lock cylinder stands for Interchangeable Core, which by means of a special control key, you could swap out cores to a new key and rekey locks without actually taking them apart to change the pins to match a new key. Very popular with offices and retail stores, if a key is lost or employee fired, they can walk up to the door, insert control key, turn, remove the core, insert a new core, and sleep well knowing fired employee or who ever finds the lost key wont come back at 3am to rob the place.

I doubt you'd need an IC core padlock for the gym locker, and they used to sell the American Lock brand at Home Depot, but now you're better off visiting a local locksmith or ebay. Master Lock bought out American Lock a few years back, now all you see at Home Depot and Lowe's is Master. Don't get a Master for your locker, no matter how tough it looks..

An Abus Discus 24/70 would be good as already mentioned, An Abloy 330, but that's more like $70, maybe a Medeco, but we're talking $55 to $80 for those.

have a good one,
Squelchtone

[booyah]

Thanks for the info folks, I appreciate it all

[mh]

This lock also offer sufficient manipulation protection for gym lockers:
http://www.masterlock.com/apps/masterlo ... OUP_1500ID

However, note that the body is made from cast aluminum, so it doesn't offer much resistance against force / cutting / drilling. Depends on your application if you see this a a threat.

Cheers
mh

[lockinabox]

[/quote]
A gun is not a weapon, it is a firearm. Sticks, bats, pipes, rocks, knives, those are all weapons.

If you're getting a permit, and you support owning guns, don't let the anti gun vocabulary infiltrate your life. A gun is only a weapon if it is used to hurt someone, if you're just at the shooting range, you're not holding a weapon, you're holding a firearm. See what I mean?
[/quote]

I have to disagree with this. A gun is a weapon whether it is siting in a safe or being fired at a person in the same way that a screwdriver is a tool whether it is being used to turn a screw or sitting in my toolbox.
A gun, used in any of it's primary capacities, is and will always be a weapon. The designation "weapon" has nothing to do with harming people. It has to do with the classification of the object. A bat, a pipe, a screwdriver, all have other primary uses other than as a weapon. They can be used as a weapon, but that is not their primary use and therefore a bat is classified as a sporting good etc... A gun, on the other hand, is even more clear cut, it has no other primary use other than to be used as weapon. An object does not have to be in use to retain it's classification as a certain type of object. A plate does not suddenly become a "dish" only because I am currently using it to contain food.

Now maybe one could use their guns for transporting live saving medicine in the barrel, but uses of an object that are abstract and do not adhere with their primary function, does not allow a reasonable person, society, or culture, to reclassify that item based on it's limited and esoteric use. If that were the case, I could wear my dining room table as a hat and then we would have to reclassify dining room tables as articles of clothing rather than furniture.

I love my guns almost as much as I love my locks, but they are weapons without any qualification. Stating that a gun is not a weapon will not further the cause for gun rights anymore than saying that C4 should not be classified as an explosive because it is currently in a container without a detonator (or some other catalyst for an explosion)

[minktheshrink]

Disc locks by abus or brinks are much better and if you have one of those on backwards like Kid just said, well... that gives me jitters just thinking about it.

I have bought 4 Diskus locks. 3 online and one at a local store(fortress). Brinks, Abus, Chateau, and Fortress. I have to say out of them all Abus is the best. I've been picking locks for about a year and a half and I opened them all in a day other than the Abus. I would say get an Abus Buffo 28/70 on eBay. I bought mine for like $7 total. Great lock and its reliable plus its impossible to shim.

Like most of the guys have been saying get a lock with the double ball bearing locking mechanism. Those dont shim. As far as something cheap that Abus is probably your best bet. Out of the locks I have I recommend Abus

[femurat]

For your locker every padlock who deserves this name is enough, and you already got good suggestions.

But keep in mind that it's not impossible to hide a bolt cutter or a pry bar in a gym bag, so NEVER leave values, guns, credit cards or important documents in your locker. These are made to keep your clothes while you're in the swimming pool, these are not safes. Ask the gym desk if they have a safe place to leave important things.

Cheers

[Jaakko]

I would go for an Abloy padlock, like PL 231 or PL330 (if the shackle fits). Fits the bill and generally can't be picked.

[poor paperclip picker]

A gun is not a weapon, it is a firearm. Sticks, bats, pipes, rocks, knives, those are all weapons.

If you're getting a permit, and you support owning guns, don't let the anti gun vocabulary infiltrate your life. A gun is only a weapon if it is used to hurt someone, if you're just at the shooting range, you're not holding a weapon, you're holding a firearm. See what I mean?
[/quote]

I have to disagree with this. A gun is a weapon whether it is siting in a safe or being fired at a person in the same way that a screwdriver is a tool whether it is being used to turn a screw or sitting in my toolbox.
A gun, used in any of it's primary capacities, is and will always be a weapon. The designation "weapon" has nothing to do with harming people. It has to do with the classification of the object. A bat, a pipe, a screwdriver, all have other primary uses other than as a weapon. They can be used as a weapon, but that is not their primary use and therefore a bat is classified as a sporting good etc... A gun, on the other hand, is even more clear cut, it has no other primary use other than to be used as weapon. An object does not have to be in use to retain it's classification as a certain type of object. A plate does not suddenly become a "dish" only because I am currently using it to contain food.

Now maybe one could use their guns for transporting live saving medicine in the barrel, but uses of an object that are abstract and do not adhere with their primary function, does not allow a reasonable person, society, or culture, to reclassify that item based on it's limited and esoteric use. If that were the case, I could wear my dining room table as a hat and then we would have to reclassify dining room tables as articles of clothing rather than furniture.

I love my guns almost as much as I love my locks, but they are weapons without any qualification. Stating that a gun is not a weapon will not further the cause for gun rights anymore than saying that C4 should not be classified as an explosive because it is currently in a container without a detonator (or some other catalyst for an explosion) [/quote]

Not to start an argument, but what about shotguns made for skeet, that could be considered a sporting good also. I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder. Or breaching rounds for shotguns, not a weapon, but a tool.

Anyway about the lock, does the gym supply locks so they can have access when they need it, or do you need to be present for them to open it. Either way I would agree with people and say abloy. I would be pretty ticked off if someone stole my gun.

[Squelchtone]

I wanted to comment on the gun as a weapon sub-thread here. The reason I said anything at all was because of the things our instructor said at the concealed carry course that I had to take as a state law in Massachusetts. He was an instructor at the Smith & Wesson Academy in Springfield, so I trust his word as well as his opinions on the subject.

One better example, other than gun being a firearm vs a weapon was when he talked about AR style rifles, such as the AR-15 (what most people would call an M16, if you didn't know any better) He said never call it an "assault rifle", it is first and foremost a "sporting rifle" and to me that is completely valid because when I'm shooting down range at a paper target to see how good I am, I am not assaulting the target, I am participating in a sport. Opinions may vary, but I'm gonna stand by that opinion.

And I wish Abloy made something in between the pl321 and pl330, the pl321 shackle is small compared to a Master No.3 padlock, and the pl330 is about $79, nobody wants to spend that on a small padlock unless you're really hardcore.

goodnight all
Squelchtone

[LocksmithArmy]

A gun is not a weapon, it is a firearm. Sticks, bats, pipes, rocks, knives, those are all weapons.

I dont know about all this...

In the army we are taught our gun is our weapon... if we call it anything else in basic we get in trouble. its not a gun, or a firearm... is occasionally a rifle...

I think a weapon is anything tha can hurt someone... or anything you can use to defend yourself...

firearm and blade are caagories of weapons...

but thats off topic lol