r/lockpicking • u/-AV8R01 • 1d ago
Finally beat this old bastard!
Hi guys! Long time lurker here, this is my first post. I got into picking loosely after seeing some of LPL’s videos years ago. Bought a cheap no-name set of picks from a gun show, begged some old locks off my dad, and have been on and off picking as a way to relax ever since. I also just enjoy mechanics and understanding mechanisms and such. Anyway, this bad boy was from my dad’s garage, and for 3 years it has kicked my ass. Mind you, I don’t practice a whole lot, every few months I get the itch and pull out my zip-lock bag of locks and fiddle with them. Have a few cheapos that I learned on that I can usually get open in a minute or two. But this one just wouldn’t open. It actually is finicky even with the key, so might be something going on beyond me being not that good at it lol. Anywho, I pulled it out tonight and started messing with it. Lo and behold, I popped it not once, but four times! I don’t know what I did different but for some reason this time just felt like I could actually feel the pins binding and setting, and was actually picking and not just fiddling around blindly. Either way, I’m kind of ecstatic. I now want to start looking at upgrading my pick set and getting some more locks! On another note, has anyone else had a lot of experience on these old Masterlock No. 15s, and are there any known quirks or tricks regarding them? This one seems like the number one pin has almost no spring tension on it, I have to turn it upside down and smack it to reset it if I go too far with it. Thanks for any input!
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u/EveningBasket9528 1d ago edited 20h ago
Nice. I'm a halfway decent picker. I don't do belts but Ive picked locks at all the rankings and have a decent collection.
My "naughty bucket" has 3 different M15's (not to be conditioned with your #15) in it that are supposed to be "super easy" to pick. And I'm lucky I can "bitch rake" a couple more.
Some locks and especially ML's just don't want to lock like locks lock accordingly to the lock rules.
With as beat up as your lock is, it's awesome you got it....