Locksmith Training Merseyside | PICKGUN HINTS AND TIPS

PICKGUN HINTS AND TIPS

Remember that in locksmith training practice makes perfect and this is also true in respect to Electronic Pick Guns. You must practice using the tool to get used to handling it and to learn the correct feel and touch to ensure rapid results when using it.

However, it is also important that the correct technique is practiced so that you do not pick up bad technique that will hamper your success. Bad technique can also lead to the tool being damaged and certainly can cause the pick gun blades to become bent or snapped.

The first thing that you want to do is to look at the pick gun and make sure that the amount of lift of the blade will not be too excessive or to minimal I like to start with less lift and increase it gradually. However, over time you will probably ignore this adjustment setting instead preferring to leave the amount of lift at a setting that you were happy with previously.

Turn the top adjusting screw so that it is as far into the casing of the pick gun lock head as it can go. This will reduce the lift and motion of the pick gun. You now want to adjust it back, i.e. so that the screw moves back out of the lock head, so that more movement of the probe is permitted.

Try and adjust it so that you have a very slight level of movement. This can always be adjusted to a greater level of movement later but for now just start off with a minimal.

The next thing I always like to do is to insert the tension tool that I’ll be using into the lock first. This helps you to see that it will not interrupt the use of probe of the lock gun.

It is important to have a correct sized tension tool. This is important for two main reasons.

The first reason was mentioned in the previous paragraph and that is that you want a tension tool that will not get in the way of the lock pick gun. However, you don’t want it to get in the way of the first pin of the lock either because if it is touching that first pin it can prevent it being moved and picked successfully.

The second reason for choosing a tension tool of the correct size is because you want to properly apply turning pressure on the cylinder (sometimes called plug) of the lock. You do not want a tension tool that isn’t applying the correct turning force of the lock. You want to make sure that the tension tool is helping to retain the pins in their ‘set’ state once they have been picked to the correct height by the pick gun.

Also consider using the tension tool at the top of the keyway. This is a good position that allows it to be kept out of the way but is also very effective when applying turning force to some high security locks. The top of the keyway position for tension tools is something that does not get mentioned much in lock picking books or guides as most people, and traditional picking instruction, instructs you to place the tension tool at the bottom of the lock. This might be a technique that you are unfamiliar with therefore but do give it a go. It is a great way of imparting an effective turning force on the plug of the lock.

The next step is to insert the actual blade of the lock pick gun. It is important here to ensure that the blade does actually reach all the way to the pin stack at the back of the lock. It is no good picking 4 out of the 5 pins and not picking that last pin stack.

There are two main angles that the blade can be inserted. The blade can be perfectly upright underneath the pins or it can positioned so that it is at a slight angle. By this I mean that you can actually angle the gun and therefore the blade over to the right a little. Imagine the face of a clock and the top edge of the probe would be angled at 1 o’clock. It would then sit under the pins at this slight angle. This helps to adjust the force that is being applied to the pins by the pick tool.

There are two main angles that the blade can be inserted. The blade can be perfectly upright underneath the pins or it can positioned so that it is at a slight angle. By this I mean that you can actually angle the gun and therefore the blade over to the right a little. Imagine the face of a clock and the top edge of the blade would be angled at 1 o’clock. It would then sit under the pins at this slight angle. This helps to adjust the force that is being applied to the pins by the pick tool.

When the pick gun blade is inserted into the lock it is now a good time to check that theturning tool will not hamper the operation of the gun in any way. What youdon’t want is for the blade to keep bumping into the turning tool as not only willthis seriously affect the success of picking but it can also cause the turning too lto get dislodged and eventually fall out. Even being dislodged can affect the turning force of the tool and prevent the pins properly setting. If you haven’t tried the top of the lock method for the turning tool then perhaps give that a try too, especially if you are having problems fitting both the turning tool and the blade into the lock.

You can now turn on the lock pick gun by depressing the trigger and at the same time begin to apply a little turning pressure of the tension tool.

Some locksmiths have success using the circular tension wrench, this tool has 2 pins that fit into the keyway , then through the middle of the tool you insert the pick blade, it takes a lot of practise to be able to use this tension tool , but i think it works superb once you get use to it, here at locksmith training merseyside we teach our tranees how to use this usefull tension tool

If the pick gun is not picking the lock, Remember that the EPG is a tool and just like any other tool you need to practice to use it effectively. Do not expect the EPG to take all the skill out of lock picking. Yes, using an electric pick gun can make picking locks look devastatingly easy but to do so you should still put in the practice. It is still easy to use the pick gun though and the amount of practice required is probably less than normal manual lock picking techniques but please do put in practice of some amount before giving up on the tool.