LAI

[Joey12ga]

Hello All,I'm Joey.Im pretty new to the sport and have been reading and practicing.I was a raker for a few months and Im trying to stay away and really feel my way through locks now.Ive recently bought a lock online to practice with.Its a 7 pin lock that came withspool and serrated.I think its pretty decent for learning.My real question is I have this LAI lock someones given me and I spp it once(probably luck)Has anyone heard of these locks and is it out of my league?

[Joey12ga]

It's 6 pin,Binding that I get is 2,1,3,4 and then 5 and 6 have absolutely no feed back.Pin 4 is very low.I'm cheating a little I have the keys.I did rake it a few times but that was with me turning the key half way and releasing some tension.

[sisk]

Usually if you can't get feedback off of any of the pins you haven't set yet it's one of two things. Either you've got serrated pins that aren't really set yet (unlikely if you can rake it, but not impossible) or you've overset something.

[ltdbjd]

I think "cheating a little" is an understatement if you are raking it with a key.

If possible, you should start with progressively pinned cylinders. Or at least an el cheapo lock. If you're picking a six pin lock with serrated and spool pins as your first lock to learn how to pick, you'll just end up frustrated and won't actually learn.

I'll go out on a limb and say it's possible your lock is binding because it's filled with serrated and spool pins. That's why they are there. Throw that in your desk drawer. Once you get proficient at SPP standard cylinders, then a spool pin, then a serrated pin, then a couple of these pins, you'll be ready for your current lock.

Here's a sample from my practice stuff. First, standard progressive pins, 5 pin with one special pin (eg spool or serrated), high/low pinned, 5 with 2 special pins, 6 with all special pins, etc. I have a number of each one so I'm not picking the same one every time. Yes, I have a bunch of four pins too, just not sure which bag they are in.



Your enthusiasm is fantastic, but you'll want to learn little steps.

[Joey12ga]

Thanks for the feedback guys.I meant cheating as in I take the key and turn it half way without the shackle opening,Turn the key back and take it all the way out and then use a rake.For some reason I can rake it with a Bogotá and it opens that way.I'll throw it in the drawer like suggested because I am getting flustered with it.

[ltdbjd]

Turning the key halfway and then turning it back isn't cheating; it's starting to unlock the lock, then locking it up again. It has no bearing on picking the lock. You mentioned you've been studying how to pick locks. If you found a resource offering this as a suggestion, it's time to find a new resource.

The bottom line is that if you can pull the key out, it's locked, and you're starting from the same point you were in before you put the key in.

Unfortunately, there really isn't any cheating in learning how to pick. Either the pin is set at the shear line, or its not. It's just time spent practicing. Progressive pinned cylinders aren't even cheating. You are still doing the same thing - lifting a pin to the shear line.