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Like most people, you probably think that lock picking is something that requires expensive equipment and years of experience. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. The fact is that you can begin picking simple locks with a $15 lock pick set and a few hours of practice. You might be thinking, “Okay, but what’s the practical benefit to being able to pick a lock?” Great question! In a SHTF situation, you never know what might happen- you could get locked out of your car, out of your home, or even need to break into an abandoned building for shelter. Nobody knows for sure what could happen, but it’s always best to be prepared for anything.
If you live in an urban setting (a large city for example), then you should definitely invest in learning how to pick a lock. That’s because locks are everywhere in a city, and you never know when you’ll need to get past one. So, exactly how do you pick a lock? First and foremost, it starts with learning the anatomy of a lock. Most locks contain the same basic five components: a housing (which holds everything together), a plug (where the key goes into), driver pins (which are located above the key pins), key pins (located below the driver pins), and springs (which hold down both the driver and key pins). And that’s pretty much it! As you can see, there’s really not that much to a standard lock.
Next, you’ll need to learn how to manipulate the driver and key pins. This is where practicing comes into play. With just a few hours of practice, you’ll have the basics down packed (although you should keep practicing until it becomes second nature). Note, you can buy very cheap practice lock sets that are clear so that you can see inside of them while practicing. For the exact steps on how to pick a lock, click on the link below!
