Master M5 Magnum lock

[jphysc1]

Hi there,

I am having SO much trouble picking the Master M5 Magnum lock-i've picked some other Masters with ease but this one is giving me the hardest time! If there is anyone with any advice on how to pick this type of lock it would be VERY welcome!

I feel like no matter how much tension (or little) I use its not the right amount and the pins aren't setting...

Help please!!

[unlisted]

Photos of the lock giving you some trouble?

Also a photo of the key will help, we can tell you if its a pin issue, or something else.

[Eyes_Only]

Is this what you're talking about, http://www.acehardware.com/largeImage/i ... 4267dt.jpg the newer ones they released recently with the hex shaped shackle?

I haven't tried it yet but I'm betting this is just a beefed up version of the Master 1, 3 and 5? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

If I have trouble picking a lock, especially with such annoying little buggers like a padlock I squirt a little bit of lubricant into the keyway and run a blank key (or maybe even a cut key) in there a few times to help distribute the lube. That may help the pins to move more smoothly and let you identify when each pin stack has set at the shearline more easily.

[femurat]

You're right Eyes_Only, it's just a bigger M5.

Hi jphysc1, in my post here you can find how I became confident with this lock.

Cheers

[raimundo]

reading femurats link it seems that the problem is the shackle spring is strong, you can put rubber bands around the lock pressing the shackle down, but not so many as to press it down hard enough to cause the same problem by binding the locking dogs from the opposite direction, you only need enough to lessen the pressure on that shackle.
you can put the bands on the shackle around the edges of the lock or just put them accross the shackle and move them out of the way of the keyway on the bottom.

Ray

[pjzstones]

I haven't tried it yet but I'm betting this is just a beefed up version of the Master 1, 3 and 5? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

i have a m15. they sort of seem like a beefed up version. there's a couple odd things about them. they appear to be laminated but they're not. they have rivets that hold the lock together but there's a steel plate that wraps around the middle of the body with impressions on it instead of stacks of plates. it's also loose and you can rattle it. the bottom plate that keeps the plug in is super thin. it look's like you'd be able to jam a flat scew-driver in and pry the plug out easily. the tension on the plug seems similar to a proseries which are a lot easier to pick when the shackle is released. so far this lock has given me a lot of trouble. i plan on dismantling it and seeing what this lock is made of but i'm yet to pick it even once.

[jphysc1]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the quick responses....

Eyes_Only: That is exactly the lock that is giving trouble -- I've picked the 5 easily so I'm not really sure why I am having so much difficulty on this one, that is the most frustrating part of this! I will try lubing the inside...

Femurat- Yea, I actually read your post before I posted myself and tried alternating tension but it wasn't working.


I just feel like I need to use so much tension for this lock because of the resistance....this is maddening!! If I can figure it out once I'll be able to replicate that.... grrrrr!!!

[pjzstones]

after further examination it is laminated. there's just a steel plate around it.

[pjzstones]

i got mine i don't know why it gave me so much trouble. it took medium to heavy tension, the binding and bitting were a bit wierd but other than that just another masterlock.

[Lauren]

These locks have only one thing going for them, and that's the octangle hasp, which is designed to lower the psi against bolt cutter attack. It has a cheap die cast housing in an attempt to make the lock look strong. In fact, the design was nothing more then a marketing attempt to safe on cost of manufacturing when steel was sharply on the rise. The lock doesn't even use ball barrings; it has balled end bars to lock the hasp, which has a tendency of binding the hasp and not opening consistently once the key is turned. The key system housing is zinc die cast (not brass). The lock should pick as easily as most Master laminated locks.

[pjzstones]

These locks have only one thing going for them, and that's the octangle hasp, which is designed to lower the psi against bolt cutter attack. It has a cheap die cast housing in an attempt to make the lock look strong. In fact, the design was nothing more then a marketing attempt to safe on cost of manufacturing when steel was sharply on the rise. The lock doesn't even use ball barrings; it has balled end bars to lock the hasp, which has a tendency of binding the hasp and not opening consistently once the key is turned. The key system housing is zinc die cast (not brass). The lock should pick as easily as most Master laminated locks.

very interesting about the ball ended bars. i did think that it was ball barrings at first. i did notice that the hasp does get stuck quite often. i would agree that the company is just trying to save cost on steel by making the lock look bigger than i actually is.

[rrkss]

The only way I've been able to defeat this lock is to use top of keyway tension followed by picking each pin one by one. Everyone of these locks required me to avoid touching the first pin until the very end or the lock would jam up.

[pjzstones]

The only way I've been able to defeat this lock is to use top of keyway tension followed by picking each pin one by one. Everyone of these locks required me to avoid touching the first pin until the very end or the lock would jam up.

mine's the same way... tok works better because the bottom plate is above the bottom of the plug and your tension wrench binds on it.
also i came across a video of how these are made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lohWn-gAVaM

[braddockpicker]

hi there i'm fairly new to the site and lockpicking. However I have mastered the M5 I believe the key to picking this one is light tension and using a feeler pick (thats what i like to use) and pick the pins individually.

[UnlockD]

That's a beautiful lookin lock, I'll have to pick one of those badboys up.