I'm not going to be going anywhere soon, but I will eventually move. Is it worth shipping a heavy gun safe?

depends,

how far?
what rate per the movers?
insurance?

resale an issue in your area?, and availability in the new area.

how are you transporting the firearms in the safe to the new location?

Good questions and I don't know the answer to most of them. The move is several years away. Distance is about 1000 miles. I'll have a moving van of sorts, but will probably drive it myself....get help loading and unloading. I assume I could get something for it at the safe store I bought it from, but would first try to sell privately. I don't anticipate any problems finding a new safe, but I do like my old Fort Know with dial combination. I will likely transport the firearms separately.....but that's another discussion.

I am in kind of the same dilemma. I think it would be easier to buy one at the NEW location. Maybe sell the old one with the house as an incentive or give it to my kids. Being a 'few years down the road' safes can upgrade and a new one would always be nice.

Good luck with the move.

quote:

give it to my kids.

....this is a win/win on multiple levels....especially if THEY are the ones moving it

I say move it.

If you have a van, it's just loading it on there and that will be even easier considering you'll have help.

What I did was load myself and hired movers to unload. My move was 1,700+ miles. Might even want to hire movers to load. They'll bring people and equipment. Guys likely stronger than you or I and have been doing it longer.

You likely won't get much for it.

But if you were thinking of upgrading the safe anyway, then it's not worth moving the old one.

My question would also be how to transport guns through hostile states or jurisdictions who pretend that the transport provision of FOPA doesn't apply to them.

Sell it, either with the house or to a buyer who arranges for it to be moved himself.

Buy a new one and have an installer move it in for you. Do not help him & his crew.

Failing to heed this advice killed my uncle.

It isn't worth it. Plus, you can buy a bigger, nicer safe in your new location.

quote:

Failing to heed this advice killed my uncle.

Whoh! Care to share the story Chuck? I'd be for moving the existing safe myself, until I saw your words.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
Good questions and I don't know the answer to most of them. The move is several years away. Distance is about 1000 miles. I'll have a moving van of sorts, but will probably drive it myself....get help loading and unloading. I assume I could get something for it at the safe store I bought it from, but would first try to sell privately. I don't anticipate any problems finding a new safe, but I do like my old Fort Know with dial combination. I will likely transport the firearms separately.....but that's another discussion.

if you have room in the van, put the safe in the front, put the guns in it (in sleeves to prevent damage) and strap it down and go, (putting the rest of your household around the safe for security


selling to a private party will net more than selling to a retailer, obviously, but if you have the room, take it with you

Depends on how large the safe is and if you're going to have to negotiate multiple levels at either end. If you can keep everything relatively flat, the safe isn't all that big and you have help and are in fair shape yourself, I'd consider doing myself. You may have to rent something to get over thresholds, but the last one I had moved was done on moving blankets and sheets of thick plastic.

How heavy is heavy? Mine weighs in at close to 2k empty, I have often wondered the same. My last one was about 400 lbs, easy to move.

My Fort Knox is quite a few years old and I was told by the sales guy that it was the last year that the doors were a bit thicker than the new ones. Although it's not as large as I'd like, it holds everything I have and if I were more organized and efficient, it would hold more. I believe it weighs in at about 950#

Aren't you moving your other possessions? Why not move this one too? Would you leave behind a motorcycle, nice grill, refrigerator, or other bigger items just because they're big?

46and2, that's a fair point. I can't really disagree except to say that this is particularly heavy and not easily moved. Other large/heavy items that I have would be a marble top table, antique insulated oak ice box (refrigerator) and motorcycle. After reading the replies, I probably will move it and enlist the help of some strong young folks to help on both ends. When the time comes.

I recently made a long range move and elected to sell my safe- bought like 20 years ago for a grand and got the money back out of it. When we arrived at our new location I ended up renting a storage unit for household goods and store my excess guns there. Key code access gate key code access door and then my individual unit lock, plus security cameras. Figure more secure than anything else. I do have a much smaller safe I use for my every day use guns.

I recently made a 2 mile move. I have a Browning 64 gun safe and it was in a basement with 13 step straight stairway. I offered it to the buyer of my house for $500 but they didn't want it. I called the company I bought it from and they offered $350.

I asked Rural King how they moved the safes they sell and they gave me a contact #. Moved it out of the basement, down the road 2 miles and into my easy access garage for $225 or $250, paid cash w/ no ticket so I don't remember exact amount but I think it was 225.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:
My question would also be how to transport guns through hostile states or jurisdictions who pretend that the transport provision of FOPA doesn't apply to them.

When I moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona, I drove my Audi, pulling a 5x10 trailer filled with heavy items. Guns were stored in the trunk behind the rear seat with clothes piled atop the firearms. The trunk was filled with clothes.

I drove the speed limit.

WRT the safe, distance is irrelevant. It's the loading and unloading that is at issue, and you're going to incur that regardless of distance.

Moving vans are rated for way more weight than most households have. Very few people have more than 24 tons of goods, and a moving service is going to charge you by the mile, not by the weight of the items X distance, provided your stuff isn't more than 48,000 pounds total.

Let's say you're moving yourself and not using a pro, same considerations. If you rent a 28,000 pound truck, the tare weight is in the 10,000 range. Again, most people won't come close to 20,000 pounds of stuff. So the only issue is loading and unloading a safe. Do you want to do this?

When you buy a new safe, the price of delivery is built into the cost, or it may even be an add-on. Therefore, it seems just as beneficial to move your existing safe, assuming it currently serves your needs.

I do not have your answer, Frank in St. Louis, Mo. will. He sells and moves safes for a living.

My guess is to leave it and get a new one.

I would call the place you bought it and see if they are interested. Lots of liability if a private seller hurts himself on your property.

There are certain things you do not do yourself. This is one of them. Dentistry is another one.