Do ACE deadbolts have spool pins?

[BigDaddyD]

Picked up 4 house locks today in a garage sale - 3 Kwiksets and one deadbolt stamped "ACE" - and no keys. This deadbolt has a Kwikset keyway and 5 pins although the cylinder is a bit smaller diameter than a Kwikset.

Having difficulty picking this one. Does anyone know if this brand of deadbolt contains spool pins? It doesn't feel like it, but it doesn't open either. Tried shims but only got one pin to raise. Got the shim stuck on the next one which kind of indicates that there may be a serrated or mushroom pin in there.

Any help would be appreciated.

[raimundo]

In that case, ACE refers to a hardware chain, socialist economy style, they pick three tools that you can chose, and if one of those tools does not sell in 6 months, its de stocked, and will never appear again.
No keeping tools around until someone who really needs that special thing comes in, inventory is just in time just from china.

I doubt there is anything special about those locks.

[Raymond]

I have noticed on a lot of import lock brands similar to this that the top pins are often too short. One or two may drop below the shear line or be just barely above it. This causes the shim to go into the spring or the curved top of the top pin wedges under the edge of the shear and just binds the lock up. Try raising all bottom pins a little as you start picking.

[BigDaddyD]

Raymond, thanks for the advice. It never occured to me about the possibility of short top pins and getting the shim hung up in the spring. It certainly catches on something and that could be the answer. Not knowing exactly where the first and second pins (from the rear of the lock) are located its difficult to determine where or what is hanging the shim up. Will try again tonite.

Raimondo, I dont know where this lock came from but its most certainly from Ace Hardware. We have a big one in town. Its a cheap import for sure.

I'm just trying to improve my knowledge here, so if the picking and shimming dont work, this puppy will get the tower filed down to release the top pins (its crimped). I dont intend to reuse it. Its just for practice.

[BigDaddyD]

Well, for whatever it is worth, a few minutes on the grinder allowed me to drive the sping cover off with a hammer and punch.

As suspected, top pins 2 and 4 are spool pins. Top pins 2 through 5 are nominally 0.180" high (the Kwikset norm). Pin 1 (towards the front) was oversize (0.218") and was steel rather than brass. It also looked like there were striation marks as if it had been in a vise earlier. These are not the usual security cuts. It was loose in the tower however even though it looked like it had been around the workbench a few times.

Bottom pins are all 0.115" diameter (Kwikset normal). Lengths of all but pin 2 were standard Kwikset values. Pin 2 was 0.383", well beyond any Kwikset value (roughly a 10.5 pin using Kwkset numbers). My pinning charts dont show anything that big in any lock so I have to assume its a special size for some reason.

So, I am assuming this lock has been previously opened and modified, even though it doesnt make sense.

Cheers.

[eurolock fan]

I've never tried those locks before. The Ace in my town stocks a lot of older domestic made locks like Ilco or Kwikset.

[BigDaddyD]

After opening this one up and measuring it carefully, you might want to pass on using something like this. Its pretty sloppy inside. Holes in the tower dont line up too well with the plug, they arent in a straight line, etc.

Maybe that's why someone added the oversize pins. Make it harder to pick?