Recommendations on noob safe combo lock

[liffa]

I know that safe lock manipulation is a topic that is only discussed in the advanced closed part of the forum.
I consider my self an intermediate lockpicker and I would like to learn something new. I've been looking on different safe combos on Ebay but I dont have a clue on whats a good quality combo (hard to impossible to open) or what's an easy one. I don't want to find out after a while that i bought the Abloy Protec2 of safe combos

I would like to know your opinion on whats a suitable noob safe combo lock. Is there a Masterlock #3 equivalent of safe combos?

What's the sh***iest safe combo can't be a secret only to be discussed in the advanced section can it?

[Squelchtone]

You posted this in the Locks area where we talk about picking pin tumbler locks, I have moved it to This Old Safe since you don't have access to the Advanced Safes and Safe Locks area yet.

Squelchtone

[zeke79]

Well in the combo locks ShI##y can be pretty tough. If the wheels are elliptical you can get shadowing that will drive you nuts if you are starting out. Look for a Sargent Greenleaf 6700. A 6730 will work but has tighter dialing tolerances while the 6700 will allow for more error which means it is easier to manipulate.

[billdeserthills]

I would think a sentry safe combo lock would be junky enough for your purposes

[kwoswalt99-]

I would think a sentry safe combo lock would be junky enough for your purposes

I wouldn't think that would be so great to start out on, as it uses a different principle than the above locks.

[GWiens2001]

The S&G locks listed above are good to learn on. Not a good idea to randomly choose models other than the 6700 or 6730, as some are an entirely different animal to manipulate. The really old Yale and Mosler locks should be avoided when starting out, since they work and feel differently than the newer locks.

Direct entry locks, including those made by Sentry, require slightly different methods, and you may find it easier to manipulate them once you have learned the basics on a 'real' safe lock. There are some (old-school) direct entry locks that are decent, but start with the locks listed above.

You can find them fairly reasonably priced on eBay.

Gordon

[zeke79]

And the fact that truly manipulating a direct entry sentry safe requires a bit of room. Way more than a group 2 lock on a practice mount.

Brute forcing direct entry once the drive wheel gate is found essentially removes the need to even mess with manipulating a sentry.

If you have a sentry safe already and a decent size work area it can be fun to do though.

[Squelchtone]

liffa,

When you jump from pin tumbler lock picking to safe lock manipulation, there is no equal parallel in terms of the usual progression of picking a Master No.3, then a Brinks, then a Schlage, American Lock with serrated pins, BEST SFIC, then a Medeco, and finally a Abloy Protec. There just are not that many safe lock models and there is no progression, there is only import junk direct entry fence like Sentry, There's Group 2 locks such as the most popular one to start on the S&G6730 or older 6700 model, then most folks try a LaGard 3330 which has oval shaped wheels making it harder to read than the S&G locks, then you can move onto other brands like a Mosler 302 which has it's own personality but not necessarily harder or easier than the others I mentioned. You can get a S&G 6730 clone made by Ilco Unican it's the model P67, the Big Red company makes something similar, and as someone mentioned up above, you can get an antique Yale lock which would be a friction fence lock and is an entirely different thing to manipulate compared to a modern S&G 6730, again not easier or harder, just more to learn and different ways of manipulating. Imagine knowing how to fix a 1985 Chevy, and then trying to fix a 1925 Bugatti, sure both have an engine and 4 wheels but it's a different animal.

If you get bored there after a couple of years of getting good at Group 2 locks, you can try to manipulate a Group 1 lock such as a Mosler MR302 click click lock or a S&G8500.

to directly answer your question, there is not crappy cheap safe lock that you can start to learn on and then move your way onto more difficult or better made safe locks. and Sentry safe locks are usually built into the door, you cant just buy the lock and mount it to a piece of plywood.

Squelchtone

[liffa]

Ok
I bought a S&G 6730 on Ebay, paid 65USD.
Looking forward to at least months of frustration.



Thanks for the advice.

[kwoswalt99-]

I wish you luck!

[GWiens2001]

Ok
I bought a S&G 6730 on Ebay, paid 65USD.
Looking forward to at least months of frustration.



Thanks for the advice.

Did you get that from Barry?

Gordon

[liffa]

Did you get that from Barry?

Gordon

From B.J. Young&Sons ,Tucson, Arizona

[GWiens2001]

Did you get that from Barry?

Gordon

From B.J. Young&Sons ,Tucson, Arizona

Yup, that's Barry. Very reputable, and a good man. Have bought from him in person a number of times. It looked like one of his mounts and pics.

Gordon

[kwoswalt99-]

And all this time I thought you guys were talking about Barry Wels!

[Captian Awesomepants]

If you want to get into safe lock manipulation, I would recommend the national locksmith's guide to manipulation.

It will cover direct entry safe locks all the way up to high security mechanical safe locks.

As a Safe and Vault Technician, I would like to state that there are hundreds of different safe locks out there, contrary to what a previous post stated. I believe the previous poster meant to say that there are a few very common mechanical safe locks that are easy to obtain.

If you are more into picking than manipulating, I would recomend trying to pick a LaGard 2200 safe lock.

I have had great success manipulating the Yale OB lock. Also a Mielink Special lock found on most antique Mielink Home Vaults.