Moving with your collection

You would pay waaaaaaay to much to ship everything. Depending on what states you have to go through will dictate what condition the guns need to be in i.e. unloaded with ammo in a separate place. It would be best to unload everything, pack it up, and then drive away as far as I know. Ammo in another car would be best if you could swing it since you already would tons of guns in one car. Don't speed, and you stay under the cops radar.

Packing the guns yourself and driving them would be the best option. Follow the FOPA rules (firearms and ammunition are not immediately accessible, unloaded and, in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment, in a locked container) and you may legally pass, directly with only brief stops for gas and such, through any state.

I agree with Sam 1911; that's what I did in my 2003 "Escape from Los Angeles".

I drove to El Paso with firearms in the trunk of my car, left them there in the trunk, in my locked garage, then flew back to pick up my SUV and drive it over here.

Notwithstanding what you may read about "violent border towns", El Paso is one of the safest cities in the USA; but be sure to stay out of Juarez!

I allowed the movers to transport my reloading equipment & firearm acessories, and that was no problem.

Movers will usually not take handguns or ammunition, only long guns. Your rifles and shotguns are probably more secure with the movers then in your car if you're going direct door to door.

Pack handguns, ammunition and reloading supplies into your car in separate boxes and transport per FOPA.

When I moved last year the moving company made it clear they would not move the guns or the ammo. I moved them in my car.

They moved the safe and other gun related items but no guns no ammo. I do not reload but they also stated they would not move the powder or the bullets if I did.

Any mover that does military contracts should move all of your guns and anything without a powder or primer in it, because they have if they are doing a military move.

I had to have the household goods office person come to my house when they refused to pack my empty brass and bullets to tell them it was required to do so.

I also loaded my uhaul trailer myself while the movers were there. The driver said, "I wouldn't put that in that trailer?" I said, "What?" He said, "That propane tank, that's just asking for trouble!" Even though the propane tank was empty.... funny he didn't say anything about 50lbs of gun powder and a few thousand primers.

Like others have said, if you want to take them with you, the guns unloaded and both the guns and the ammo in a locked location separate from the occupants of the vehicle. There is no requirement to separate the ammo from the guns, just both from the occupants.

Best choice is to move the firearms and related items yourself if possible. Rent a van, truck, or pull a trailer. Let the movers deal with the normal household stuff. I would also take anything with you that is either valuable or sensitive to damage during the moving process. Things like jewelry, money, important papers, art work, coin collections, etc. would all be transported by me personally. I had movers once throw away gun boxes. That kind of bugged me a lot, but at that time, how do you put a value on that?

As to the reloading supplies - movers do not take anything flammable or explosive, so primers, powder and loaded ammo go with you.

When I moved 8 years ago, I packed all my long guns in a big box, the manifest showed every gun and serial number, I bought $25,000 worth of insurance (the replacement value). Every seam was sealed with tape and marked so as to show if it had been tampered with. About 10 days later, all my household stuff showed up, including the guns, in perfect condition.

Remember to buy insurance to cover ALL of your goods based on value; otherwise you'll be paid about .60/pound...........(Momma's antique family china is worth more than that)

Oh, and they also moved my safe (empty)

These guys really aren't interested in stealing your stuff - they want to get from A to B as fast as possible as they get paid by the mile, not by the hour

For the most part, problems associated with moves happen when you stuff is stored or repacked into another truck at some central moving company location (warehouse) or at the destination if you are not there to supervise the unloading. The company may well be paid by the mile, but the helpers that load and unload are often part-time folks who are paid by the hour. How much you trust people depends on your life's experience.

Flamable or explosive items may not be shipped legally. You obviously can sneak stuff into other boxes, but that is your call.

I have always transported my firearms personally. My last move was about 100 miles and I made a lot of trips back and forth. These days, I would rent a truck even if I have to drive it back to the starting point to pick up my vehicle or whatever.

If you plan on using professional movers (United Van Lines, etc) make sure you read all their caveats about what they will NOT pack/transport. We looked into one of the large moving firms on an instate move 3 years ago and their policies were off the chart on what they wouldn't take. We ended up hiring an independent with me transporting all the weapons and ammo in my truck.

What sort of things did you run into that they wouldn't take?

We've gone through a number of moves and handled it a couple ways.

For the times when everything was moved professionally I disassembled everything and placed them into locked footlockers.

When I drove but my stuff was moved professionally I rented a trailer for the things I carried. Firearms, motorcycle, and stereo went with me, everything else with the pros.

When I did it all myself, everything just went into a 22' box truck and the car was rowed behind it.

Wherever you go, I hope the taxes are lower, the snow not so deep, and the political climate is more gun friendly.

GoWolfpack said:

What sort of things did you run into that they wouldn't take?

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Anything flammable, garden insecticides, paint and generally anything of a hazardous (ie: Hazmat) nature as I remember. They lost me on flammable and my wife's propensity to have every hazardous poison for insects/weeds and rodents

The independent dude was not only a heckofalot cheaper he even drove our rider mower up the ramp as the last item before he closed the trailer doors...

Plus they have all these all this smoked pork on the hoof just waiting for you to harvest!

Make sure that they are licenced bonded and insured, talk to a supervisor about the specifics etc. some will want to bump up the estimate (because the can)

And like airlines, if you can't live with out it, you might want to really consider how much you want somebody else to do it.

That said, I had a platoon sergeant that made 10K moving himself, he used the advance to buy a box truck, moved himself, then came back and 'moved' his vehicles taking the family sightseeing and touring the US, and finally sold the box truck at a profit. Not trusting movers was part of it (money was too) and he had antique furniture from his grandparents.

Not a big deal, especially for less than 15 guns. I packed up and moved four years ago with 80 guns and all my reloading equipment & supplies. Pack guns in their original boxes. Bag them if necessary. I managed to get all my components into a few very heavy plastic bins that had to be moved with a hand truck. Just pack everything carefully.

double post

The independent dude was not only a heckofalot cheaper he even drove our rider mower up the ramp as the last item before he closed the trailer doors...

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I got you beat on that one. When I moved from VA to WV the company that moved us pulled out the ramps and drove this right into the back of the trailer.....

I got you beat on that one. When I moved from VA to WV the company that moved us pulled out the ramps and drove this right into the back of the trailer....

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Yes sir, beat in spades I'd seen it done years ago when my company moved us cross country and they drove the Chevy Cavalier up inside the moving van and heck I was impressed with that. I'm easily amused

I moved from CA to ID. I just drove so I packed several of my rifles and pistols on the car with other stuff and headed out. My parents are still holding a few for the next time I drive back.

I would avoid the hassle of shipping it, too much money and idk about the policies some companies have. Plus, I wouldn't trust the movers. Depends on your collection though. If its pretty large and you don't have the room in your car/truck I would see about renting a Uhaul or horse trailer. You didn't specify how many long guns or pistols you have.

I think it is safer in your hands. If you have to stop a hotel/motel overnight I would be a little concerned leaving the collection in your vehicle or moving it into a hotel room. Good luck with the move.

There is no way in heck I would trust movers to move anything of value besides furniture and appliances. Don't let anything out of your control you aren't willing to lose.

I moved from NC To SC I just moved the gun safe into the back of the Movimg Truck! I wrapped everything in blankets and put pillows in between, packed it tight so no moving around.

And...... Getting ready to reverse that process, time is aproaching to go home and spoil my aging parents!

Only now the Gun safe is bigger and Heavier!