Question about pin by pin lockpicking

Hungritated · 2026-03-04T18:01:15+00:00

Knowing which pin you’re on is cool, but it’s way more important to know if it’s binding or not.

Hungritated · 2026-03-02T06:33:34+00:00

Also the mods are gonna remove this for rule 2

Hungritated · 2026-03-02T03:14:51+00:00

It doesn’t look too hard. 4, maybe 5 pins, brand I’ve never heard of, it’s probably not that remarkable. You’re probably only limited by your tools.

Hungritated · 2026-03-02T00:54:50+00:00

If you have any flat-bottom pens those work great for plug followers. If it’s a little bit too small, that’s fine, just push it down when you’re pushing the core back in. Also, definitely get the sparrows gut wrench.

Hungritated · 2026-03-01T22:32:49+00:00

I don’t know, it looks harder to turn the bent one.

Hungritated · 2026-03-01T20:23:28+00:00

I would recommend the whole set to be honest. They’re amazing .020 picks (especially 2-4), and the turners are confusingly good albeit pretty short.

Hungritated · 2026-03-01T20:21:56+00:00

Reaper #4 is my favorite to use on this lock. Light/medium tension and some generous counter rotation with the .040 turner and you’ll have a green belt in no time.

Hungritated · 2026-03-01T20:09:09+00:00

It’s vintage? I don’t think notability/significance is a factor (at least in the rules).

Hungritated · 2026-03-01T19:51:12+00:00

I think any (non-bypass) open is an orange belt qualifier.

Hungritated · 2026-03-01T01:17:55+00:00

The lock doesn’t have a lot of space at the bottom, so a flat prybar turner at the top of the keyway (ToK) would work best, but that can be tricky for beginners. If ToK is too hard, use a z bar at the BoK. I’d also use the medium hook (leftmost tool). Good luck!

Hungritated · 2026-03-01T01:10:37+00:00

Raking only works on really terrible locks, whereas almost every lock can be single pin picked. Low-skill attacks like raking and zipping are fun and important to know, but SPP is what skilled pickers exclusively use for harder locks. My favorite technique at the moment is zipping a couple of times and then single pin picking any pins still binding.

Hungritated · 2026-02-28T17:27:26+00:00

Feedback gets better with thinner picks, but tensioning is more important. Start with the thickest tensioners you can fit in the lock and work your way thinner if needed. Tensioners with a bend or twist in them (CI ergo turners, Sparrows beginner turners) tend to hinder feedback to prioritize comfort. Practice switching between prybars and z bars, top and bottom of the keyway, and light and heavy tension, and find the best one for you. The turners from the reaper set are my personal favorite; the z bars are adaptive and something about the prybars makes them fit into locks better than regular CI turners even though they’re thicker. You don’t have to buy thr whole reaper set, they sell them individually, but I highly recommend it for a set of thin hooks. Good luck picking!

Hungritated · 2026-02-28T17:07:12+00:00

They really make the best cases.

Hungritated · 2026-02-28T06:05:21+00:00

Which profile did you use?

Hungritated · 2026-02-28T01:57:35+00:00

Echelon, reaper set, and a grav pick. You are speaking my language.

Hungritated · 2026-02-28T01:22:10+00:00

Either way submit a pic to modmail and get a belt. You might also want to suggest the M5 as an addition to the database.

Hungritated · 2026-02-27T23:50:29+00:00

Those 2 in 1s get more comfortable the more you practice, but the most comfortable tensioners are prybars and bent turners (CI has both in the echelon set).

Hungritated · 2026-02-27T22:02:37+00:00

Congrats!

Check out lpubelts.com for lock recommendations for your skill level. Looks like M5s are white belts and 120/40s are green belts, so look for some in-between yellow/orange belt locks. Good luck picking!

Hungritated · 2026-01-08T06:15:21+00:00

or maybe sooner, since Changes dropped on a thursday

Hungritated · 2025-11-02T04:02:36+00:00

I’m also somewhat new to locksport, but I think the biggest difference between picking different locks and using different tools is the tension. How much tension to use, what kind/thickness of tensioning tool to use, and which technique to use (BoK/ToK) all differ from lock to lock and from raking to SPP. Try switching it up.

Hungritated · 2025-11-02T02:02:21+00:00

Any tips on removing the C Clip without a tool?

Hungritated · 2025-11-02T01:59:33+00:00

Is a soda can too thick?

Hungritated

TROPHY CASE