Axial pin tumbler lock

An axial pin tumbler lock comprising in combination:

• a shell;
• a rotatable driver sleeve telescoped into a forward portion of said shell, the driver sleeve having a front section with a first, larger inner diameter and a rear section with a second, smaller inner diameter and cast throughbores in communication with said diameters;
• a stationary tumbler sleeve telescoped into said shell and disposed rearward of said driver sleeve in face-to-face relation with a rear end of said driver sleeve, the tumbler sleeve including cast throughbores in communication with an inner diameter of said tumbler sleeve;
• a locking spindle extending through, and rotatably mounted in, the tumbler sleeve, said spindle including body portion, a neck portion and an actuation portion, the neck portion having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the body portion, the transition zone between the body portion and the neck portion having a curved surface;
• and
• driver and tumbler pins slidably mounted in the cast throughbores of the tumbler and driver sleeves and normally operable to prevent rotation of said spindle with respect to the stationary tumbler sleeve;
• and
• a retaining plate disposed in face-to-face relation with the rearward face of the tumbler sleeve, the face-to-face relation being maintained by spring means disposed rearwardly of the retaining plate.