Lock picking is easy to learn and apply, and in a short amount of time, you can learn all the basic lock picking concepts and techniques. While some locks are more difficult to pick than others, a fundamental understanding of lock picking can help you pick the majority of the locks used today.
The Legality of Lock Picking
The reality is that in most states, as long as you're not trying to illegally enter someone's home with your lock pick set, you can legally own, carry, and use lock picking tools.
It can take anywhere from 7 seconds to 45 minutes for a locksmith to pick open a lock. Generally a locksmith should be able to unlock most doors in about 10 minutes. Of course this is effected by the type of lock.
ABUS Granit™: one of the world's most secure padlocks with a tensile resistance of over six tonnes. Granit locks have a tensile resistance of over six tonnes, making it almost impossible for attackers to release the shackle from the lock body by force.
One of the most common (and easiest to pick) locks is the pin-and-tumbler, which is a type of cylinder lock. Cylinder locks are used in most deadbolts. When picking a pin-and-tumbler lock, put the tension wrench in the keyhole and turn it as if it was a key.
The tool is simply inserted into the lock and turned clockwise with medium torque. As the tool is pushed into the lock, each of the pins is slowly forced down until they stop, thus binding the driver pins behind the shear line of the lock. When the final pick is pushed down, the shear plane is clear and the lock opens.
When picking any pin tumbler lock, there are six main types of picks you can use: short hooks, deep hooks, offset hooks, scrubbing rakes, rocking picks, and zipping rakes. Each type is designed to suit the two basic techniques of lock picking, so striking a perfect technique-pick match is critical.
Most Master Locks are very easy to pick and are considered one of the easiest beginner locks when practicing lock picking. They have 4 standard pins and a wide-open keyway that can be quickly bypassed in many ways including picking them with improvised tools such as paperclips, bobby pins, or even a chicken bone.
Lock picking is a fantastic hobby that I would recommend to anyone, its easy to start, cheap to buy the things you need and learn. Being able to open locks also gives you a sense of power, it feels good to be able to look at a lock and know you can pick it open, so there are two rules we follow in lock picking.
Lock pick guns also break locks apart internally. They sometimes cause the pin retainer to fly off, letting springs shoot out of the pin chambers. This is not good, and not easy for a non-professional to fix. Locking door knobs are especially susceptible to this.
A professional locksmith can open any kind of lock, whether you're locked out of an apartment or a house. Most locks can be picked using a set of professional tools.
What about ALL burglaries— forced and non-forced? Let's do some simple math to find out! That's only 1.36% of TOTAL burglaries that utilize either picking a lock or shimming.
Time is money, so the only picking that is done is that which is profitable and worth it. Not all locksmiths do lockouts either, and some locksmiths would never get the opportunity to pick locks, so the only way they would get to do it is if they did it on their own for practice or fun.
How do burglars try and get through your lock? Most burglars try and snap the lock. Unless you have the right lock in your door, a burglar will be able to snap the lock, using brute force and a screw driver, and be in your house in seconds. They will not be able to do this with the Ultion lock.
Hook Pick
The hook pick is what people usually think of when they think of a lockpick. It's the most basic kind of pick, and works by lifting individual pins into the correct position one at a time.
When executed correctly, lock bumping is effective in nearly 90 percent of all cylinder-type locks produced today. Perhaps one of the most disconcerting aspects of lock bumping is that it can often go undetected, which means that your home can be broken into without any signs of forced entry.
Dimple locks are basically pin-cylinders that use the flat side of the key's blade as the biting area. So rather than cutting into the edge of the key as in a standard pin-cylinder, dimple locks turn the key ninety degrees and cut onto the flat side.
Texas. Possession of lockpicks, Bump keys, bolt cutters, and other related tools is legal in Texas. However, it's illegal for a possessor to use, or intend to use the tools housebreaking.
Re: Lock-Pick sets...... just curious
In most jurisdictions, lock picks are perfectly legal. You can be charged with something similar to "possession of burglar tools" but only if there is intent to commit a burglary.
It is not illegal to keep lock picking tools at home if you will be using the lock picking tools for lawful purposes only such as recreational purposes like lock sport meet ups or for private use. There are no current legal cases in Australia where recreational users of lock picking tools have been prosecuted.
You can pick any keyed deadbolt lock with two basic tools. The first is the pick itself, which is a long, rigid piece of metal or plastic that fits easily into the keyhole and won't bend easily when you push it against something.
The bobby pins will serve as a pick and a lever so you can successfully open the door. In choosing the bobby pins, make that they are sturdy so that they won't break once you start picking the lock. The size of the bobby pins will also depend on the size of your lock.
Lockpicking allows locks to be bypassed with relatively little evidence, but to truly leave the scene undisturbed, steps must be taken to resecure a lock. Most common locks you will come across today can be easily relocked after they are opened without a key.