Helpful Tips and Guide In Moving A Gun Safe On Your Own In 2024
When moving a gun safe, you need to expect that it is no joke. You must bear in mind that even if you can handle the task, it will be a challenging one to the point that you need to prepare. At the same time, you must reflect on the possible risk if you do the job yourself. Ultimately, if you can do the task, you can save money and enhance your skill.
Moving a gun safe can be a troublesome task, especially of the weight and bulky size. Still, you must do the job right, especially if you can. Unlike portable and lightweight safes, moving a large gun safe is a different matter because there’s a necessary extra precaution. After all, you don’t want to damage the equipment that can effectively keep your gun safely stored, right?
No question, your gun safe serves as security protection that keeps your firearm away from burglars. It is all possible, especially if your gun safe is jam-packed with the required features, such as fire protection, moisture protection, and different lock styles. No matter how useful your heavy-duty gun safe is, it is meant to inconvenience you when you decide to move it.
Because of that, this how to move large gun safe guide here can come in handy for you. Moving a gun safe is quite tricky. That’s why you must know the right thing to do if you want to move yours. Hence, you can avoid creating any significant damage to your gun safe that can compromise its capacity to keep your gun at safety.
So, learn the simple and effective tips to do the job right in this guide. Take a closer look and discover what you must do to move your gun safe easier and more efficiently.
Moving a Gun Safe: Risk Assessment
Realistically speaking, you only have a plan to move your safe for your gun. The next step might still keep you wondering if you will proceed with the process right away or not. Well, the most reasonable thing to do is to have a risk assessment first. There’s no doubt that you might want to do the job yourself and avoid unnecessary expenses. However, you need to focus more on how tough the task can be.
When moving a gun safe, you need to expect that it is no joke. You must bear in mind that even if you can handle the task, it will be a challenging one to the point that you need to prepare. At the same time, you must reflect on the possible risk if you do the job yourself. Ultimately, if you can do the task, you can save money and enhance your skill.
Remember, you don’t have to hurry to move your gun safe. Unless you assess all the possible risks, you must attempt to move your gun safe in any way because the possibility of creating damage is high. In moving a gun safe, you must remember that it isn’t the same process as moving a couch. It means you can’t just drag or let it fall over because that will create more damage.
Don’t rush things when you want to move your gun safe. Basically, you need to do a risk assessment and plan a 100% hassle-free route. You are the most familiar in your place. Surely, you can predict the possible challenges that may come, such as tricky corners, unmovable spots, and tight corridors. By doing a risk assessment, you can also determine if you need a helping hand.
Most probably, you will need help if you move a large gun safe.
Helpful Tips on How to Move a Large Gun Safe
From all that was mentioned above, there is no doubt that it is a pretty difficult process that requires thorough planning. You must know every step to prevent any wrong attempts. No matter if a moving task sounds like a mere job, doing any damage in the process can make the safe useless.
To help you, here are some of the most helpful tips you can follow on how to move a large gun safe:
Map out your Destination
Moving a gun safe is a rare task. It means you don’t do the job every time. That’s why your place might have already significantly changed. Still, you are the most familiar with mapping out the best destination. When you plan, you need to know precisely where you want to move your gun safe. Wisely, it is best to have a concrete plan from point A to point B.
Certainly, you need to have a specific destination in mind when mapping out the whole route. That said, you need to ensure that you also map out an exit route and other viable options. When you thoroughly assess all the possible locations where you can move the gun safe properly, you can guarantee the best moving distance as short as possible.
When you can keep the moving distance as short as possible, the higher the chance you can avoid risk and damage. This is when thorough preparation makes everything easier. So, don’t feel you are wasting time in preparation because it really requires a lot of work.
Clear the Area
After you are done mapping out the best route, the next step you must do is clear the area. In this particular step, you must clear out all the obstacles and cluttered things. Besides that, you also need to get the exact measurement of doorways and tight spots. That way, you can have easy transportation with less trouble that can happen in the process.
Meanwhile, if the route includes a staircase, you need to precisely check if it can efficiently handle the weight movement when moving the gun case. As you don’t want to damage your gun safe, you also don’t want to cause harm to anything in your place, right? Well, that will cause additional expense, so a survey of everything is truly a must.
Measure the Gun Safe
You know your gun safe is large enough to cause trouble when moving it. However, that’s not enough information to make the task easier. With that being said, you genuinely need to get an accurate measurement of your gun safe. You need to mark out the weight and size dimensions.
Certainly, your effort in getting the exact measurement and dimensions of your gun safe will not be in vain. In fact, you can use the data to determine if it will fit through the doorways and hallways. Besides that, it also helps with dodging any possible trouble in the process.
Measuring the gun safe can help you know how much clearance you need to adjust when moving it. You can be assured that it will effortlessly pass around tight corners and choke points. Ultimately, securing the correct measurements can help determine the specific effort required to move the safe. So you won’t encounter any issues.
Clean and Dismantle the Gun Safe
Nothing can beat the experience of moving a clean large gun safe. The job is already pretty tricky, so you must not make it more difficult by leaving dust and debris on your gun safe. Not only that dust and debris can cause harm to your gun safe, but they can also cause discomfort when you are moving it. Because of those reasons, cleaning and dismantling the safe is a must.
Besides being clean, you also want to move a large gun safe that is as light as it can be, right? That’s why you need to remove all the guns and shooting accessories inside it. Temporarily, store your gun in another safe place you know. Bear in mind that you should always make sure that your firearms are safely stored, even if you are preoccupied with the tasks when moving a gun safe.
When dismantling your safe, it also makes moving easier by removing all the removable drawers, shelves, and attachments, which can cause additional weight. After removing all of those, you can actually notice that the safe will be lighter and more manageable to move.
Remove Objects from the Gun Safe
Once again, it is best to only move an empty safe. That way, you can ensure that you will move it in its lightest way. Even though this might sound like the most straightforward tip on how to move a large gun safe, it is often the missed step. Sometimes, people only realize that some things are left inside after getting the job done.
Aside from emptying the large gun safe to lighten its weight, you also need to do that to protect valuable items effectively. Strictly speaking, there are always risks of damage during the process. Therefore, it is better to temporarily store the items in a separate safe or locker to avoid such damage.
Secure the Gun Safe
No matter how well they are constructed, gun safes are still vulnerable to damage when they are moved. Because of that, you need to secure the gun safe by strapping it and wrapping it with thick blankets. After all, you don’t want any door or drawer to swing open while removing the safe, right?
Even if you accidentally bump the safe into hard walls, you don’t have to be deeply bothered if you utilize straps, ropes, and thick blankets to secure it tightly. Hence, less chance of encountering accidents, injuries, and severe damage. Additionally, you can also pad the edges and tough parts of the gun safe. The safe won’t be damaged, and it will also not cause damage to other moving equipment and objects.
Get the Proper Equipment for the Job
Definitely, you should not attempt to move your large gun safe with your arms. The weight will be too much to bear and can’t ensure efficient results. Because of that struggle, you must get the proper equipment to avoid injuring yourself and damaging the gun safe. Let’s get real; you should not even plan to move your gun safe without securing the equipment you need.
A furniture dolly with a high weight rating is what you need to move the safe with proper caution. It can help to secure the safe so you can comfortably move it with the right balance. Meanwhile, you also need a stair-climbing dolly if you will move the safe up or down stairs. You can either rent or borrow the equipment. Whichever your decision, you must have it.
Wear the Proper Protective Gear
More than how you protect your large gun safe is how you should protect yourself. Be prepared for the tough job by wearing the proper protective gear. As for your hands, it is ideal to wear quality work gloves, which will protect your hands and enhance your grip. What’s more, you should wear comfortable shoes that can ensure a firm floor grip, promoting better traction to eliminate slipping accidents.
Don’t forget to also add protection to the walls and furniture in the moving area. If you do, it is like hitting birds with one stone because you can protect both, including your gun safe, from tears and scratches. Thus, you won’t regret doing the job yourself. Ultimately, proper preparation can ensure efficient results.
Protect your Floors
There are many things you need to protect when moving a gun safe. Aside from the gun safe, walls, furniture, and yourself, you also need to cover the floor. Regardless of how tough you think your flooring is, you must protect it by utilizing hard surface protection and paddings. Don’t hesitate to add them because a gun safe can cause great damage once you leave the floor bare and an accident happens.
Truly, it doesn’t matter if your floor is made from polished wood, linoleum, carpet, or tile; it can crack once it has to handle the heavy weight of the gun safe. Speaking of the paddings, you can either use roll-out mats or thick blankets. Soft covers will do as long as you can use them as a protective barrier.
Ask for Help
When you already have everything prepared, you can finally ask for help from your trusted friends or family. If the gun safe is all ready for the moving process, you can call people over for assistance. Surely, it will be less hassle to have three or more helpers who can assist you in lifting, maneuvering, and navigating the safe.
Generally, gun safes are too heavy for one person to handle. Despite that fact, it is much better to ask for help from people who know how to move a gun safe properly. You should not just aim for additional strength. Instead, choose people who can help with the process and guide you to get the job right.
Nothing is wrong with asking for help, not just assistance in lifting and moving, but also the knowledge for guidance. Therefore, you can ensure the secure moving of your gun safe.
Move the Gun Safe With a Hand Truck or Dolly
Along with the dolly, a hand truck is also a requirement when moving a gun safe. As a matter of fact, using the right equipment is the only safe way you can trust to move your gun safe. No question, it makes everything easier if you know how to utilize a dolly or if someone helping you is familiar with maneuvering it.
When loading the safe on the dolly, you need to bear in mind that it is a task for several people. The weight is too tough to handle for just one person. More than that, the possibility of accidents can happen. That’s why it is only acceptable to get some assistance that can guarantee that the gun safe will be loaded on the dolly properly.
When loading the safe, securing the supporting straps and having everyone helping you aid you in every move is the practical step to follow. On the other hand, if you need to load the safe in a moving truck, you must utilize a loading ramp to ensure the balance while loading it.
Ensure Any Stairs on the Route Can Hold the Safe Weight
If the gun safe is initially placed upstairs, then you must learn how to move a gun safe downstairs. Well, that’s a must because it is not a simple task. It is far from moving other equipment. Unlike floors, stairs are not strictly built to hold extreme amounts of weight. Simply put, they can be vulnerable.
Still, unless you dropped your safe on the stairs with a powerful impact, you don’t have to think that you will end up with a repair bill just because of moving a gun safe. To help you, here are the additional tips you can follow:
- Don’t tilt the equipment you used to hold the safe while going downstairs to avoid losing your balance and prevent accidents.
- Keep out any obstacles to avoid tipping.
- Ensure that nobody is downstairs so no one will be injured if the safe accidentally falls.
Other Practical Things to Remember
Of course, moving a gun safe on your own without professionals’ help is genuinely possible as long as you are equipped with the right knowledge and proper tools to do a good job.
Listed are other practical tips you can follow to learn on how to move a large gun safe:
- Always align the safe to the dolly.
- No cover is too much in protecting the gun safe.
- To avoid accidents, keep other people and kids out of the way where the route for the gun safe is.
- Avoid tilting or bending the safe so it will not tip or drop.
- Never leave your gun safe during the entire moving process.
- Keep an eye on every step to make sure of success.
- Don’t use shortcuts, including tight places as the route.
The Alternative Way to Move a Gun Safe
Feel overwhelmed in exploring the helpful tips on how to move a large gun safe? In that case, you can just opt for the alternative way: asking for professional service. That way, you don’t have to make things riskier. More than that, you can be assured of the task’s success.
Even though you might be bothered about the cost, you don’t have to worry about the safety of the job because you will be partnering with experts. Plus, if you will rent the proper equipment, it might not be bad to just choose to let the experts handle the job. After all, nothing can beat the work of professionals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have some questions or things you need to clarify regarding how to move a large gun safe and other relevant topics? If so, you can check out some of the questions frequently asked about moving a gun safe. Take a closer look at the relevant information below.
When moving a gun safe, can it be leaned down?
Of course, you can lean down a gun safe when moving it as long as you do it gently. It helps if you strap it to avoid unnecessary movement that can cause harm to the safe. Strictly speaking, you must do everything with proper caution so there will be less chance for accidents. You don’t need to worry much as long as you prepare correctly to reduce the possibility of encountering any trouble.
How to conceal a gun safe when moving it?
No question, there are a number of ways you can do to conceal a large gun safe while moving it. Well, there’s no reason to boast about having a safe because it might just attract an unnecessary audience while doing the job. One of the most manageable solutions you can do to conceal your safe is to wrap it safe using thick blankets. Meanwhile, you can also disguise it to appear as another piece of equipment.
How to load a gun safe in a moving truck?
If you need to transport your gun safe to another location, you also need to know how to load the safe into a moving truck effectively. Bear in mind that safety must be the top priority. Thus, you don’t need to quicken the process by making hasty movements.
Before you even move the gun safe, you must ensure that nothing is inside and you have already locked and secured it. Beyond that, you also need to wear gloves so you won’t have prints on the safe. At the same time, you need to use a dolly to load it properly—balanced and not tipping on one side. Also, use straps for stability.
Here are the steps you can follow:
• Utilize a ramp to wheel the dolly on.
• Slowly lift back the dolly to lay the front on the tail bed.
• Slide it back.
• Ask for help from other people to assist loading the safe—some need to support the bottom while others guide on the front.
• Secure the safe after loading it on the moving truck.
How heavy should a gun safe be?
For gun safes, the weight genuinely varies. In fact, they are even categorized, which makes it easier to choose one. For instance, entry-level gun safes commonly have a weight of between 200-600 pounds. Meanwhile, mid-range gun safes typically weigh around 600-1,000 pounds.
On the other hand, high-end gun safes usually weigh between 1,000-1,600 pounds. Along with the weight, the space and capacity of gun safes also vary depending on how they are designed. The bottom line is that you can have too many choices.
What makes a gun safe so heavy?
Aside from rigid materials, several things make gun safes so heavy. Well, that’s how they should be so that they won’t be stolen. Some primary factors that make them heavyweight include their sheer size, design, and fire protection materials added.
Technically speaking, the bigger a gun safe is, the heavier it is. A good safe you must own for your gun is something heavy. What’s more, you can attach yours to the floor to add more security.
Where is the best place to place a gun safe?
Most commonly, gun owners place their safes inside their bedroom closets. Any room can be considered the best place to place a safe as long as it is discreetly hidden. Meanwhile, you can also dedicate space on the wall and floor to place your gun safe. Ultimately, many gun owners believe that the basement is the best place to hide a safe.
Why do people put gun safes in the garage?
Aside from the bedroom closet and basement, the garage is another popular place that many think is the best location to hide a safe. Well, people don’t typically come there. So, placing a safe in the garage can protect it from prying eyes and curious visitors. Conclusively, it is in your hands to decide.
Before deciding, you must know that a garage can be quite humid. That is not a good condition you need because humidity can make your guns prone to rust. With that being said, placing your gun safe might be protected but can compromise your gun’s condition. So, better avoid it.
Can ammo and guns be stored together?
Short answer, no. The primary reason for that is safety. The worst scenario that can happen is a person opening your safe. Many indescribable things can happen if it is loaded. However, if your gun is unloaded and the ammo is stored separately, you can still prevent any consequences if someone does actually open your safe.
For safety, always store your ammunition in another locked safe that is away from your gun.
How much gun owners should spend on a gun safe?
A prominent rule of thumb is to have a safe worth just about 10-20% of the total cost of what’s stored inside it. For instance, if you have a gun and shooting accessories that cost $10,000 to store inside a safe, it is ideal to spend around $2000 to $3000.
Often, a gun safe is usually a long-term investment. Hence, it is worth it to secure your gun and other firearms. Even though it is no problem to store your gun in a locker, it is undeniable that only a certified safe can provide off-the-chart security.
Where to buy a gun safe?
You can look online if you want convenient shopping for a gun safe. However, you need to bear in mind to be extra careful not to get ripped off. After all, there are popular struggles with shopping online. That’s why you must only shop at trustworthy online stores, such as Palmetto State Armory, Amazon, and Cabela’s.
Final Thoughts
Indeed, there’s no doubt that moving a gun safe is achievable by ensuring the right planning, proper preparation, the right equipment, and additional help. Whether you choose to move your gun safe with the help of your friends or ask for help from professional movers, the decision is yours to make.
Only you can determine what you need when moving a gun safe. Hopefully, the helpful tips above can help you decide. Now, head to the Survival Gear Shack website for other guides and reviews about guns, shooting, accessories, and many more.
