Moving: How Do I ship/move my Guns?

H

hivoltagefx4

New member
Hello all,

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I had a question about moving my gun collection? I'm looking into moving from Va. to Idaho and was wondering how do I go about moving all my guns? I have about 15 handguns and at least 25 to 30 rifles. I may be renting a U-Haul and moving my things, but REALLY feel uncomfortable about having all my guns stored among all my furniture and things going across country. Especially when I would be stopping along the way at hotels.

I am sure some of you have already been through a move from the East coast to the West coast. I do have a Fat Boy safe by Liberty, but not sure if I want to leave them in there while I move. I don't want anything tossed around.


Anyway, any advise and help would be appreciated!!!
 
I've made many U-haul moves with my guns. Never even thought twice about it. Just boxed them up with the rest of the furniture. Of course, the U-haul truck was locked and we pre-planned our motel stays so that we would be in good areas.
 
I have moved myself with Ryder trucks and had my company move my stuff with the pro moving companies and have never had any issues. The PITA with moving companies is that they won't take your gas cans for your lawn mower, charcoal, lighter fluid, ammo, powder, primers etc., so I had all that in my pick up truck. Since you are moving yourself, empty the safe - it is heavy enough as it is. Put all your guns in cases or at least blankets, etc. and put them in a wardrobe sized box with some padding and place them in the front of the back of the truck where they will be protected by all your furniture and safe.

Remember to watch your overall weight as you will need to go through the various weigh stations along your route. I moved the opposite direction and about the same amount of miles and everything was just fine.

Remember to put a good lock on the door on the back of the truck.
 
I have moved west coast to east and back again...twice.

I wrapped my guns in blankets/towels. Packed the safe with em and then stuffed pillows in until i could barely shut the door.

Put the safes over the axles of the Uhaul and packed mattresses and other combersome furniture between them and the door. Even if somebody cut the lock off the truck at a hotel along the way. All they saw when the door went up is a bunch of hard to deal with furniture.

IMHO no thief is going to go to the trouble to unpack the furniture to see what they can find
 
m not sure what the answer is, but be careful with a U-Haul style truck. While it may not be the norm thieves will steal the entire truck and sort through your stuff for valuables as they did with this military family in Atlanta last fall.
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And they can do that with your own vehicle or even the pro's moving van.. If your goal is to avoid every possible bad thing that might happen to you in the world, you'll never leave your home.

Taking standard precautions, all should be just fine.
 
Taking standard precautions, all should be just fine.
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Exactly. Move insurance from U-haul, avoid hotels and restaurants in questionable areas, park in well lighted areas of the hotel parking lot (placing the family vehicle in a way that blocks in the truck also helps), etc. You can't stop a skilled and determined thief but you can make it difficult enough that they'll decide to go somewhere else.
 
There is a remote possibility of legal problems in a handful of states depending on the exact weapons. I'd avoid Illinois, and certain cities along the way such as Denver. Even then it might not be an issue, but it might be worth checking the laws concerning AR's, handguns and hi-cap mags along the route.

Other than that I wouldn't worry. They should be fine in the truck.
 
The sad thing about moving is that so many cities nowadays have their own messed up firearm laws.

I have friends who live near Omaha and they can't even keep it straight where they can and can't carry.

Sometimes it nice living out in the middle of nowhere. :D
 
I wrapped my guns in blankets/towels. Packed the safe with em and then stuffed pillows in until i could barely shut the door.

Put the safes over the axles of the Uhaul and packed mattresses and other combersome furniture between them and the door. Even if somebody cut the lock off the truck at a hotel along the way. All they saw when the door went up is a bunch of hard to deal with furniture.
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Exactly that^
Bundled up inside the safe is by far the best way to go for a bunch of reasons.

In the off chance your truck rolls or explodes in Illinois... Make sure all of it is unloaded, including the magazines. :rolleyes:
Drive straight through that state in one day if you can.

Also.. shoot pictures of all of it, make sure its insured.
 
You guys who wrap in blankets and then in the safe must have HUGE safes or not many guns. My safe holds 12 - at least that is what the maker says, in reality it is closer to 9 and that is without the extra padding of blankets.

When I had a moving company move my guns, I used the cases, blankets, etc. and used one of their wardrobe boxes. I listed every gun and serial number on the manifest, paid for the extra insurance, taped every seam and marked with markers and others ways to show if the box had been opened. All guns arrives safely with zero issues. Their wardrobe boxes work for guns in the 50+" range with good protection using blankets and soft cases.
 
Drive straight through that state in one day if you can.
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Just remember any rental truck MUST stop at weigh stations, AG inspection stations etc., so as long as you are not overweight, all should be fine.
 
Your collection is much larger than mine, but when I move with my guns they're packed non descript with the rest of the stuff in plain, sealed boxes.
 
You guys who wrap in blankets and then in the safe must have HUGE safes or not many guns. My safe holds 12 - at least that is what the maker says, in reality it is closer to 9 and that is without the extra padding of blankets.
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I found the opposite to be true. My safe is supposed to hold 14. However, when the long guns were snuggly wrapped and half were turned muzzle down I was able to fit in about 16 to 18 tightly packed. In a moving situation, tightly packed is exactly what you want. No room to wiggle = no damage.
 
Doyle said:
I've made many U-haul moves with my guns. Never even thought twice about it. Just boxed them up with the rest of the furniture. Of course, the U-haul truck was locked and we pre-planned our motel stays so that we would be in good areas.
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This! I would want all my stuff with me while I'm moving.
 
tightly packed is exactly what you want. No room to wiggle = no damage.
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Not totally true - it would depend on the situation. Pack them TOO tight and there is no room for the padding to compress and absorb any shock, and that could cause more damage, especially if there are optics or other objects attached.
 
I field stripped all of mine, put them in a suitcase and carried them into the hotels... Stayed in the vehicle while driving.
Granted, I didn't have as many as you did.
 
I’m not sure what the answer is, but be careful with a U-Haul style truck. While it may not be the norm thieves will steal the entire truck and sort through your stuff for valuables as they did with this military family in Atlanta last fall.
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On the U-Haul trucks that I have rented there is a fuse box under the hood that houses the fuse for the ignition. I've always removed that fuse and replaced the cover when I made over night stops. The engine won't start no matter how much hot wiring they do.
 
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