defeat inspection

[insatiableOne]

Anyone have to figure out why a particular lock is kicking your butt for too long?

Well this guy here. Took it apart to see why I just haven't been able to get it open.
Suspect..American 1205
took it apart to try and see what the issue was. Think whith this bitting, just oversetting some pins. Ony one pin needs any force another just a nudge, the rest maybe one serration.

Out of the 14 -15 American 11 & 1200 series this and another has taken too much time. This one though?
I'm still using the .018 offset diamond.

[Tok36]

That is the beauty of American locks. Some are mysteriously hard to open. I have one where the plug contacts the anti drill/retaining plate and rubs creating friction that sticks and dulls feedback. I have another that has an extra thick clip on the back of the plug that has the same friction effect. Not that i have proved this out but i assume some of the harder ones for me are due to the way the pin holes in the plug and the bible line up with each other. Sometimes when i am in the zone i can really tear through some of the hard ones, other times they stay closed and i can hear them laughing at me I have more American 1100 - 1305's than any other lock type, they have been well worth it.

[Patrick Star]

While I haven't picked any American locks, I find that locks with serrated pins in particular sometimes have that mysterious "stay locked for no apparent reason" ability. Sometimes the damn things just wont open - even when you have picked the same lock before.
Generally speaking I'd rate serrated pins more as "time consuming" than "hard", but it seems that it's very difficult to troubleshoot when something goes wrong.
With the pins that are truly hard, like mushroom cloud pins with countermilled chambers, atleast you usually know exactly what's going on inside even when you can't make it do the right thing.

[insatiableOne]

Time to chop this guy up.

Thought about putting it in the mill, nope take too long. Although got a bit high on the top left corner of the body, but hey no big deal. The kik cylinder still isn't showing.
Did it by hand, couple hours total.

[insatiableOne]

slight modification so you can actually see the shear line

this lock still likes the key, and not a pick!