I'm moving into a new house in 27 days. It's only ~20 minutes away from my current home, but I'll be hiring a couple professional movers to move my stuff, including my 3 gun safes.

As evidenced by the fact that I have multiple safes... I have a bunch of guns. Over 50.

I'll need to empty my gun safes before the movers get there on moving day, but I'm trying to plan what to do with the guns themselves in the interim between packing up my old house and unpacking into my new house.

My first thought was simply to simply stack the guns in the rear cargo area of my vehicle, with blankets between each of the layers of guns to minimize damage during transit. This seems to be the simplest and most straightforward option, but I thought I'd get the forums' thoughts, in case someone has any interesting ideas or tricks that I hadn't considered.

(There's also a possibility that I may need to pack my current house up a day or two before being able to unpack into my new house. And in that case, having thousands of dollars worth of guns just sitting in my car for multiple days would be less than ideal.)

You have a trusting friend who has a house? I did that when I had workers in my house.

This could cost a few bucks, but it could save a lot of grief.

Rent a small enclosed trailer. You could probably get away with smallest size from U-Haul.

Do you have a friend with a lockable garage where you could stash the trailer for a day or two?

If not, stash the trailer in a self-store place, a 10 x 15 bay should be plenty.

Or does your cop shop have a fenced-in parking area where you could park a small trailer?

Yes, I could stash them with a friend if needed. But I'd like to avoid loading up 50+ guns, unloading 50+ guns, then reloading 50+ guns, and re-unloading 50+ guns.

Loading them into a small trailer and parking that in a secure place would be more ideal for the longer-term scenario.

But same question... Just stack them on the floor of the trailer, with blankets between the rows? Or is there some better way?

Put your guns in nondescript boxes to carry from your house to your vehicle, then into the new place. Only you touch them, and keep them locked in your vehicle.

quote:

Originally posted by ridgerat:
Put your guns in nondescript boxes to carry from your house to your vehicle, then into the new place. Only you touch them, and keep them locked in your vehicle.

Any suggestions on where I could get a large quantity of nondescript rifle-sized boxes on the cheap?

I see some places online where I can buy rifle shipping boxes, but then we're talking over a couple hundred dollars in just rifle boxes for a 20 minute trip.

Secrecy when loading/unloading isn't so much a concern. I can load them in my old house's garage, and unload them in my new house's garage. But individually boxing the guns would certainly minimize potential damage during transit. It would just need to make financial sense.

Mostly handguns or rifles?

Mostly rifles. 80% long guns, 20% handguns

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Any suggestions on where I could get a large quantity of nondescript, long, skinny, rifle-sized boxes?

I have a store near me that does tool/truck/equipment rental and sells a lot of moving supplies. They sell rifle length boxes that are plain. However, I believe the rifle shipping boxes they sell originate from ULINE.

https://www.uline.com/Product/...keywords=rifle%20box

Could you get a case like this?




I should email my secret method to you so no one else will know it but here goes.
Get a cheap twin size matress box spring base on Craigslist and cut around the outside to peel back the cover. You might have to cut away some wood inside. Wrap all your rifles in towels and secure with tape, zip ties, or rubber bands. Place inside. Replace cover and staple closed.

Timely thread, as I’ve been weighing my options for this same scenario. Except I’m moving to the other side of the state. Proving to be a bit difficult to find a comfortable solution.

Just rent a car, rental car rates are cheap now, cheaper and easier than renting a trailer, load guns in trunk, park car in friends garage or in the garage of the house you've sold. Nobody thinks anything of someone having two cars. Put file folders in the safe with useless papers in them. Leave some in the safe's and empty file folders out of the safe in front of the movers, tell them you have to store the files because you're a teacher and need to keep them fire proof.......that way if any of the movers are thieves they'll think you just store value-less papers in the safes.

Bubble wrap them put them in the safes and move them all at once

I have three of these. They worked well for my long guns during my most recent move. There's a store location in Little Rock if you can't find them elsewhere.

Dimensions: 52-7/8" L x 20-7/8 "W x 14-1/16" H

https://www.containerstore.com...d?productId=11005991

Gonna sound a little off topic but, why not rent a heavy duty dolly and truck with a lift gate - move the safes yourself (with some pizza and beer for your friend(s))?

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
Gonna sound a little off topic but, why not rent a heavy duty dolly and truck with a lift gate - move the safes yourself (with some pizza and beer for your friend(s))?

That's how I moved several times back in the day, when I was younger and broke-r. A truck or Uhaul, some friends, plus pizza and beer.

But now I'm older, and less broke. And I have more stuff (and bigger/heavier stuff to boot). I moved all the safes in, so I know what a pain they are. It's going to be the middle of July in the South. If something gets broken, it's on the movers. And if someone gets hurt, it's the movers... I've known guys who were off work for weeks/months after tweaking their back, tearing their shoulder, etc. while moving heavy stuff in their off time.

All of those factors considered, it's worth paying the ~$800 to just let the movers handle moving it all.

Try hitting up a high volume gun store and see if they’ll give you Andy shipping boxes from inbound orders. Though that’s a lot of boxes. In the end it may be a combination of things that works (boxes, rifle cases, blankets in the trunk, etc). Last time we moved I had about 20 long guns and it was a pain. Add on top all the 5320.20s I had to fill out for moving SBRs interstate.

Movers will move the safe(s) but maybe not the guns and certainly not ammo. I moved 10 years ago and used my son's. They got to keep the safes. Call it a pre-death distribution.

When my buddy John moved maybe 15 years ago, he faced the same problem. Back then I advised him to try to get a quantity price on gun cases. That and blankets did the job for him. Keep in mind all guns aren't of the same value. The most valuable ones need a case of their own. Those of little value with plastic or ugly wood will have to survive in the blankets. Ammo will need to go in ammo can's. It doesn't take much to be too heavy. Borrow blankets from friends. They'll understand.

Computer card boxes worked for me and handguns. The IBM ones were cool because they had a fur lining...really it was foam top and bottom.

When its all over with, you'll think the overkill was foolish. But if all the guns got moved and none got any damage, it was worth it. Its why you keep original packaging.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
Ammo will need to go in ammo can's. It doesn't take much to be too heavy.

All my ammo is already in ammo cans.

quote:

Originally posted by BlackTalonJHP:
Could you get a case like this?

I know a guy with two of those cases. Both were full. He also had two cases like that for handguns. They were full too.