How to Move a Gun Safe With Just a Few Tools

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Speaking of things that are heavy, moving a gun safe is not easy! By nature, gun safes are tall, bulky, and weigh several hundred pounds. You can attempt to do it yourself, but by far the best way to handle is to hire a professional gun safe mover. But if you insist on taking a cheaper approach to your move by going the DIY route, these tips will come in handy:

Empty the Safe

Seems intuitive, but the safe is heavy enough on its own, so first off, you need to remove all contents. You also need to be mindful of everyone's safety. If a safe is dropped with guns inside, one could accidentally discharge, hurting someone or damaging something. Make sure to remove all weapons and unload any live ammunition before moving - safety first!

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Have the Right Equipment

With such a heavy item, you want to protect your body at all costs. Make sure you rent a heavy-duty dolly cart, moving straps, and have work gloves available for you and anyone helping. If you're taking the gun safe downstairs, be sure to rent a stair-climbing dolly to make a tough job easier. And if you're renting a truck, make sure it's one that can handle the weight. Not every truck can hold up to the strain of transporting such a heavy item.

Check Out the Route

Before getting started, check out the route you'll be taking to get the gun safe out of the house. Are there large pieces of furniture in the way that you need to remove first? Are there tight turns on stairwells? Make sure to measure everything before you begin, so there are no surprises. Proper planning will make the move go smoother.

Use Straps

While straps are helpful for moving a couch, they're imperative for moving a safe. They are essential for guaranteeing your gun safe is secured and that it will not roll off the dolly. And once you have loaded the safe onto the truck, use the straps to secure it to the wall, so it doesn't shift around and damage anything else that might be in the truck.

Get Friends to Help

And on the topic of friends, you're going to need some to make this happen. You can't do this alone, so make sure you're on good terms with your strong buddies and in-laws. You can almost always win helpers over with beer and pizza! Nobody truly enjoys helping with a move, especially when it's a thousand-pound gun safe, but these enticements might help!

If you do hire a professional gun safe mover, there are more steps you'll need to take before they can move the safe for you. They can't move live ammunition within their moving trucks, nor can they move guns that do not have proper registration or licensing. So, you will need to:

Have all gun registrations and licenses together to show your movers.
Make sure to unload all rifles and pistols, if you are transporting them within the safe (though, experts do not recommend this).
Remove all ammunition from the safe.
Inventory any valuables and document contents.
Remove any wall mounting equipment.