Tips on How to Move a Gun Safe

If you’re a weapon aficionado, you probably possess a firearm cabinet. And since you are a responsible gun owner, having a gun safe is a must. How to move a gun safe might be really challenging when planning to move across the country. Since it’s a big and heavy item, relocating it from one place to another can be a stressful task. But, don’t worry, even if a safe weighs over a thousand pounds, we’ll show you what smart techniques to use and make your relocation as easy as possible.

A man entering code on home safe overlay
October 26, 2020 Posted in How-to
hand-gun

Have you ever wondered how to move a 1000 lb gun safe? It seems impossible. Even thinking about how to move a 500 lb gun safe doesn’t seem any easier. Whether you’re moving from apartment to house or relocating to a smaller home, you need to think about how to organize your move. Long-distance relocation is a demanding process, but you can do it by yourself. Still, if you’re in a dilemma of how to perform all tasks on your moving to-do list, you should think about hiring a reliable moving company. We are not saying that you won’t be able to move your firearm cabinet alone but to do that properly, the help of three or maybe four strong people is desirable. If you opt for that route, we’ve prepared some handy moving hacks and relocation tips to move your gun cabinet easier.

First Step: Understand the Weight and Dimensions of the Safe

Have you checked on the Internet the weight and dimensions of the safe before you bought it? This is something people remember to do before moving after the weapons locker had been in their home for several years. However, the relocation might be a perfect opportunity to consider your safe’s details – its size and weight. Are these features something you can handle? If some of your friends have a similar gun cabinet, it would be useful to check out and find out more information about his experience of moving a safe.

It’s important to know that high-quality weapons lockers are made of thick steel. That being said, they are cumbersome and inconvenient to carry. So, if you haven’t bought your gun cabinet yet, consider some lighter models in time, and avoid one of the most common things people forget when moving – make your life easier when relocating.

Learn as much as possible about your firearm cabinet and be ready when the time for relocation arrives
There are different types of gun cabinets, but all are massive

Have a Spot Designated for Your Safe

When moving across the country, you probably have a checklist for moving to another state and detailed plans related to the types of packing materials you’re planning to obtain. Also, if moving furniture, you should know your new place’s measures ahead of time so as not to get into a situation that some of your pieces don’t fit. Knowing what and where to place beforehand will provide you with peace of mind if moving into an apartment or planning to live in a high rise. The same goes for your gun cabinet. You need to work out where it should be placed in your new home. If you have a spot designated for it in a specific room, it’s perfect. If not, determine the place as soon as possible.

Once you decide where to place your safe, it’s time to organize how to achieve that. First, are there stairs, narrow gaps, or some obstacles along the way? If you plan to move your weapons locker from the current place, lift it, and properly fix it before loading it onto rental trucks for moving. But that’s only one part of the job. The second part will require the same actions only in the reverse direction. So, make a plan thoroughly before you start the whole process. If you’ve ever moved a piano, this experience might be helpful. Just avoid doing this on your own. Even if you manage to move a safe a bit, you run the risk of causing yourself a bad injury.

Take into consideration all possible obstacles along the way and remove them
Make sure to find the proper spot for your firearm cabinet ahead of time

You’ll Need Some Help

Contact friends or relatives to help you with your weapons locker. You’ll need to gather a group of three or four people to move, lift, and load your gun safe onto the truck. Also, don’t exaggerate with the number of people around the object because if it’s too crowded, you won’t be able to do anything. They are just going to get in each other’s way. And one more additional tip: if you’re moving in the summer, make sure to provide enough supplies of water, cold tea, or lemonade. This will come as a cherry on the top of the cake after back-breaking work on a hot day.

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Safety Is Important – You Can’t Go Wrong With the Right Technique

When moving overweight objects such as gun safes, it’s always important to have someone around you who has already lifted hefty things. If not, it’s crucial to learn more about the right technique you should use.

With a good technique, you’ll lower the risks of possible injuries, and you’ll do this task with less effort and fatigue. Here are some basic steps you should follow to perform this process properly:

  • Take the correct posture – try to be as close as possible to the object and keep your back straight
  • Once it has been lifted, you should change your feet’s direction
  • Avoid twisting a body
  • Your knees should be bent and back straight when lifting, as well as when setting the object back down
  • Use steady and firm steps instead of rushing.

In addition to the right technique, having the proper equipment makes the difference between a dangerous and safe move.

To lift and move gun safes, you should have experience or, at least, be familiar with proper methods
Use the right technique when dealing with hefty gun safes

When Lifting Heavy Objects, Get the Right Equipment

To move your firearm cabinet, this is what you should obtain when it comes to necessary equipment:

  • A furniture or appliance dolly
  • Security straps
  • A stair climbing dolly or pallet jacks
  • Thick gloves.

If you’ve never before used this equipment, it’s recommended to test it beforehand and minimize the risk of equipment failure.

 If you can obtain a stair climbing hand truck, even the stairs won't be a problem
With a two-wheeler, the whole process will be faster and easier

How to Move a Gun Safe – Step by Step

When moving massive gun safes, there are plenty of obstacles you should account for in the planning stage, like tight corners, narrow hallways, small doorways, and stairs. So, keep in mind that these obstacles can make your moving more difficult. Also, before starting your move, think about how to protect floors and prevent possible damage. Let’s find out what precautionary measures you should undertake before you begin relocating your big weapons locker.

Empty Your Gun Safe Before Moving

You probably know that the weapons are hefty. And if your firearm cabinet contains several pistols, handguns, and munitions, your weapons locker will be almost twice as massive as it is. If you don’t empty it and it is being dropped accidentally, your equipment could be damaged. And if you’re looking for the cheapest way to move out of state, these unplanned expenses will not come in handy. Also, for your safety and everyone else in the house, don’t move loaded guns inside your weapons locker.

Secure Your Gun Safe Before You Move It

Use your security straps to keep your ponderous item rolling off the dolly. This might happen during its transportation from your house to the moving truck. Also, make sure to secure a firearm cabinet during transport.

How to Move a Gun Safe With a Dolly

Once the safe is put on the two-wheeler and secured with the straps, you should follow these steps:

  • Lean the dolly back. You might need the help of several people to put a dolly with a safe into this position
  • Make sure to have two or three helpers when moving the cabinet on the hand truck. They should hold up the object to keep it steady
  • After placing the weapons locker on the truck, tilt the hand truck back easy and carefully until it is entirely on the floor of the truck
  • The final step is removing the load strap and cautiously sliding the dolly out from under the object.

How to Move a Gun Safe Down the Stairs

It seems relatively straightforward when you have a two-wheeler and flat surfaces along your way. But, what to do in the case of going down or up the stairs?

When moving a firearm cabinet upstairs, you should choose the approach with one helper acting as a guide and two others lifting the dolly slowly, one step at a time.

If you want to move a hefty weapons locker downstairs, have at least three helpers. They should guide the hand truck’s wheels while easing the gun cabinet on the dolly down the stairs.

Of course, if you have a stair climbing dolly (or have a chance to borrow it), these processes will be significantly mitigated.

The Last Thing: Secure It Into Place After Moving

Once your firearm cabinet is exactly in the place where you want it to be, there is one more thing you need to do. It should be fixed in place. This is an essential precautionary step to prevent possible theft. So, make sure, when buying a gun safe, it has locking bolts that will fix it to the floor or the wall. Once you do this last thing, your firearm cabinet will be ready to use.

Whether Your Move Is National or International, the Best Choice is to Hire Professional Movers

Keep in mind that pre-moving preparations require your time and energy, so you’ll have many things to think about, such as how to have a successful garage sale and when to start packing for a move. Even more, when relocating massive weapons locker, precautionary and safety measures are a must, including using proper techniques and adequate equipment. So, in order to avoid moving stress and possible injuries, contact experts with years of experience and make the best choice.

Whether you’re planning to organize your move just a few blocks away or going to relocate long-distance, your essential concern should be how to choose a moving company. In order to avoid moving scams, research potential state to state movers. In addition to being reliable, trustworthy, and legitimate professionals, a USDOT number check is required. Whatever your reasons to move are, moving specialists will safely and smoothly take care of your big and heavy delivery.  On the relocation day, you can expect a team of two or three movers, a 16 ft truck, specialized tools, hand trucks, and all equipment needed to move your weapons locker safely.

And if you need professional packers to help with packing your belongings, you can always count on long-distance movers and rest assured that your moving across the country will be stress-free.

Hannah Michaelson

Hannah is a freelance relocation writer from NYC that has become an expert on packing and unpacking.

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