Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Moving - how to transport firearms

I will be moving in a few months to another state (CO). My plan was to transport my guns in my station wagon, but as I load them into the wagon to store out of the house, I fear that the back of the wagon will not be large enough for all.

My plan is (was?) to put them in a moving wardrobe box (50" high) and store them at a friends house while my house is being viewed and, then transport them in the box to CO. I seem to be running out of space.

Moving companies seem to refuse moving guns. My station wagon (VW Passat) is not equipped for towing a trailer.

Suggestions? How have you handled similar situations?

You can fit a hell of a lot of guns into a compact space if you pack them in right. I would build a big wooden box, or buy a case like musicians use, either a hard case or a fiber case that drummers use, that will fit into the back so I could lock them up while traveling through various jurisdictions.

Or a few of them to make moving them more convenient, all locked.

When I travel, no one has permission to search my locked luggage without a warrant.

Colorado has a mag cap limit, btw, so if you have any standard capacity mags, they might have to be broken down into component parts.

Have had the same problem - moved several times with rifles and you are right, the movers will not take them. Even if they would, not sure I would trust my collection to that process.

The last couple of moves - several hundred miles each - I rented one of the smaller U-Haul trucks. Also took the opportunity to load my trophy mounts in the U-Haul along with the rifles. No windows on the box, a good lock, close monitoring and careful parking at hotels and I was not all that worried about theft.

If you're doing a corporate move, your employer may help with the cost - I "sold" it to mine by saving the ridiculous crating charges they were going to have to pay for my mounts. Was a lot cheaper to move them on my own-and gave me plenty of room for the rifles.

Moving is NO FUN!!!!

You might need booster shocks in that Passat. I moved my guns and ammo in the trunk of a car last time I moved (local move) and it took two trips to keep the bumper off the asphalt.

I guess in a wagon you could move the weight more forward. But you get my meaning. Most of us have a LOT of steel/walnut/lead/brass to move, and it's heavier than you think until you try to move it all at once.

Rent a small Ryder rent truck and a car dolly. Pull the Pasatt with it.

Certain states, the gun must be locked up, not accssible and the ammo stored separately. Having them in the back of the rental truck and the truck box locked would satisfy that.

Co mag limit only applies to purchases in CO.ie.theycan't besold here. Anyone can go to Wyoming say and buy one and bring it back

I drove to and from Alaska several times with a WHOLE bunch of guns, of course I own a truck not a frigging Pfff.

Last time I let the movers take most of them.

Last big move we did the U-pack thing, and I didn't notice in the paperwork that they said no firearms.. (wink)

First world problems. Just sell some of them off ahead of time.

djs,

Sounds like a tough situation, especially since your vehicle isn't equipped to pull a trailer.

You might be able to equip it to pull a small trailer more simply and reasonably than you are thinking. Have a conversation with UHaul. Lots of vehicles can pull a SMALL trailer.

If you have a lot of stuff, the suggestion of renting a truck and towing your vehicle may be reasonable.

I don't know what you have beyond guns. If you have a lot of ammo and reloading components, the movers won't take that either. And reloading equipment and components weigh a lot. The movers will charge you by weight, so anything heavy that you move another way, saves money that can help pay for the alternative.

When we moved last June, I rented a UHaul trailer and transported my guns, ammo, reloading components and equipment in it. I also moved our wine collection that way (didn't want it in a moving van for who knows how long). And I also topped off the load with my taxidermy. In our situation, that was a pretty inexpensive way to get heavy, sensitive and valuable stuff moved.

Good luck! It is a heck of an undertaking.

I hauled 80+ firearms to Canada via my Suburban. Also had piles of bullets, many pounds of powder and thousands of brass and primers. Many of the long guns were in cases but a lot were in cloth sleeves properly packed. Handguns were in cases that held eight a piece.

I have made several trips between Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Whenever I moved the rifles (24 in all at the time....all scoped) I did it....didn't trust a moving company. I just used all the cases I had and wrapped the remaining in beach towels.


No damage whatsoever......of course I handled all the firearms myself!!!

You can also add a trailer hitch to your Passat if you need more space or are moving lots of heavy ammo. That is not hard to do and they are handy to have. You can even buy them from U-Haul.

I did the opposite, CO to VA, a couple years ago. Our mover would move firearms if they were locked up. They would not move ammo, as expected. I have a Stack On safe that doesn't weigh a ton, so put each gun in a gun sock or wrapped them in bubble wrap. I taped the barrels to the sides of the safe and then stuffed it full of pillows, bedding, etc. so they wouldn't move. Zero problems. Sample of one, but I would do it again the same way if need be.

I don't own any expensive guns, but I did put the handful with sentimental value in gun cases in my trunk.

Uhhh, would not that be smuggling guns into Canada since handguns are forbidden there?

No. Handguns are not forbidden there. Some are, few actually, and they stayed in the State's. They have a very well set up website to manage such moves.

If a moving company takes possession of your guns to move them to Colorado, you and the mover are breaking the background check law.

Knack box ,each rifle rolled in a packing blanket. U haul truck them or The movers can take it as is. Lock it and tell no one what it is.

Each time I've moved I have rented a U-Haul truck and moved the products that the moving company doesn't want to move like my guns, gas cans, gunpowder, etc. It was also cheaper in the long run to rent the truck to move my motorcycle and anything that was heavy for size, like bullets, books, etc.

Really???

Carriers are allowed to transport guns...

Right on! I'm in process right now and specifically asked about firearms and security for them and was given very clear picture of how they would take them and transport them and return them to me at end of move. Two different movers told me the same thing, and not problem. Not sure I'm satisfied with security but it's not a problem for movers to transport, even in Kalifornia. Their concern was powder and primers but both said "just don't tell us about that since it's illegal." Pack them and shut up!

My carrier told me they would transport the guns provided they were locked up in something secure. I have heard of people wrapping them in packing blankets and stuffing a gun safe full.

But my guns are too valuable to me to trust them to someone else. I have a fair bit of investment in a large number of guns and their scopes. But beyond that, there is enormous sentimental value that insurance money could not replace.

YMMV

There is no carrier exception in the Colorado law.

I have been relocated by my firm 8 times since the early 90's and have had no issues with having the moving company transporting my firearms.

I do list them all with serial number on their manifest (to include optics)that I do provide to the driver on the day of the move.
I pull everything out of my gun safe, lay the shelves in the bottom of the safe; they load the safe on the truck empty.
All of my long guns are packed on soft cases and the thick gun socks and I fill the safe, handguns are in gun socks or rugs are squeezed in the spaces. Once the safe is full I close the door and lock it.
When I arrive at the destination we reverse the process.

The only time I altered this process was when I was transferred from the UP to CT as the driver was routed through Canada and just to be safe I packed my handguns in hard rifle cases and put them in the back of my Jeep with the lab.

So far all drivers have taken loaded ammunition (all packed in .50 cal. or 20 mm cans) and reloading components.

It is amazing what a couple of hundred bucks to the driver and lunch for the packing/loading crew will do.

I've never had a damaged firearm during these moves; I can't say my trophies have faired so well, but nothing too bad.

YMMV

StarchedCover

This sounds like a good idea now.

Ernie

I stacked them in them bck of my suburban..

Sorry, you are completely beyond hope...

He's a [bleep] idiot Art, don't bother.

About three years ago, daughter's job took her from Austin to El Paso. We rented the largest U-haul, loaded it and a trailer ourselves, and wife and I drove the truck/trailer. In El Paso we had reserved lumpers (through U-Haul). They unloaded the vehicles, put up beds, hooked up washer and dryer, and had everything in place better than any moving company that I had ever used. (Most moving companies use a driver and some local wino to unload.)

Daughter drove her car out. Pictures hung and everything in order the next day. Wife and I flew back to Austin, picked up our car and drove home.

If you are not comfortable going that route, do consider a smaller rental truck for the guns and other things.

Another daughter and SIL spend four to six weeks in Colorado each summer. A company owned straight truck is loaded, a trailer with a Kawasaki Mule is hooked up. A friend and SIL take the truck. A day behind is daughter in the car, friend flies home after a float fishing trip or two down the river.

If you don't want to tow the Passat, you might have a friend drive it, then fly him or her home.

There are lots of ways to skin a cat.

Best wishes,

Jack

If it was not obvious before it is now... to start, he says the act of taking the guns in VA (or the OP's current state if I misremember) is a problem in CO. If the fantasy problem is in CO it would be the act of turning the rightful property back to the owner in CO.

Without a change of legal possession no papers must be done... just for Captain Obvious. It is plain to anyone functional.

He's moving to Colorado.



He might want to learn our screwed up gun laws. A background check in not only required for a change in ownership, but also for a change in possession. Want to loan your gun to a buddy so he can take it hunting for a week? You need to perform a background check on him before you can loan it to him, and then get another on you, before you can again take possession of your own firearm. Initially, this was also the process if you took it to gunsmith, but now that is one of the exceptions.

Before you can even hand a firearm to another person is this state you may need to perform a background check or you are committing a class 1 misdemeanor. There are 9 exceptions to this background check law in Colorado, and common carrier is not one of them.

Of course in 45 of the 50 counties in this state it won't matter, because they are not enforcing it.

Antelope sniper is 100 % correct.I am a resident of Colorado and I am familair with these idiotic laws.

That is why I advised renting a truck and hauling them.

Moving to a place don't make me a resident thereof.

you need to specify what you are moving. How many? Long guns or hand guns? Any special category? Ammo? Loading supplies?

If long guns, do they even fit in the back of your vehicle in a legal cover?

Depending on what you are carrying, what states are you driving through?

Due to job moves my employer paid to move mine from PA to California, back to PA 2 years later then back to CA again.

We used Atlas Van Lines and United Van Lines neither had issues with moving guns.

There is a reason every moving company in CO ignores the fears of AS and others... FedEx and every other CC will move guns by the hundreds every day without fear.

Anyone want to guess why they are willing to take the risk?

Okay, different question... As an FFL I get all sorts of warnings about changes in enforcement and laws from BATFE. Why have there been none sent out about CO? Clearly it would involve interstate transport and that is Federal...

Whoops!

All those newer anti gun laws in CO are state,not federal

If you, as the nonlicensed public, are sending or recieving a firearm from a gunsmith ,a factory warranty,etc., Fed-EX and UPS can ship and deliver fireams to the public without a FFL still in CO the same as if you take it to an in state gunsmith. That is an exemptionin these anti gun laws in CO.

Do you realize what you just posted? A "common carrier" can transport guns in CO, period, exactly like all other 56 (a reference just for AS) states.

Except one is for the "purpose of facilitating a repair", and the other is not.

No that is not what I posted. The caveat is that the gun must be either being shipped to or returning from a licensed gunsmith or a factory warranty to the original owner for a repair. An owner giving a gun to a common carier just for shipping purposes does not qualify for that exemption. There might be a way if the carrier has it less than 72 hours which might be considered a loan , of which I believe is legal in Colorado,but I am not certain of that.

Also I have heard, although not substaniated, that firearms over 50 years old are exempt.

Probably not a big deal as most sheriffs are not enforcing the law,but it only takes one to completely ruin ones day.

For this exception, it must meet the definition of an Antique, a curio, or a relic.

I made a move and the carriers packed long guns (don't think I owned handguns at the time) in the middle of wardrobe boxes with clothes bedding etc between them and no problems. I carried the ammo/reloading components in my vehicle. Years ago but it went smoothly.