Ammo and moving

[Muddyboot]

During a move in 1977, when I got home from work one day I found that my then spouse mad:definitely not a wife) had loaded all my ammunition lead and other heavy items on my 1/2 ton 1963 Dodge P/U, all behind the rear axle! The rear tires were squashed down until the rims nearly were on the driveway, and the front tires barely touched the ground. Her excuse? "I didn't know you could over-load a truck!" There was probably 3,000+# on the truck.

You are being too paranoid, box it up and let the movers take it, just don't tell them what is in the boxes or they will refuse. Or, if you don't own a truck then rent one and move it yourself. That's what U-Haul is for.

I disagree. I don't think I'm paranoid, I think I'm cautious with good reason. I have all ready moved it myself and have the sore body to prove it.

 

[Muddyboot]

Ammo, schmammo. When lead wheel weights were outlawed, before the law went into effect I hoarded lead. I had a ton (literally). It was hard enough to carry it down the basement steps. It ain't never coming back up.

I moved a couple hundred pounds of lead too, great fun.

 

[Muddyboot]

After living in the same place more than 25 years, I would hate to think about moving. We have accumulated lots of "stuff". I would definitely have to downsize. I could move the firearms and ammo okay, the safes could be a hassle. Thinking next safe may be one that comes apart.

I have a 1200 pound safe also, but a safe moving company did that, I have my limits.

 

[cmj8591]

That’s what homeowners insurance is for. Be sure to check your deductible and any firearms limits. You may have to shop around to get the coverage you want.

There is a cap on how much homeowners will pay if you loose your guns. It's small. I want to say somewhere around $1500. In order to get more coverage you have to purchase a rider, which is very expensive. The last time I checked, for the cost of the rider I could buy 2 high end gun safes. That ended up being the road I went down.

 

[Neumann]

Find some strong wooden or fiber boxes, and get a hand cart.

 

[Autonomous]

You are being too paranoid, box it up and let the movers take it, just don't tell them what is in the boxes or they will refuse.

The movers know darn well what boxed ammo feels like. It's also a clue there will be firearms too.

 

[Rudi]

One of my all time favorite quotes from Rudyard Kipling. "You can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." Keep buying, the ATF has added ammo to the 7344 form.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

All I own is my SD handgun and a partial box of ammo to go with it.

 

[GypsmJim]

There is a cap on how much homeowners will pay if you loose your guns. It's small. I want to say somewhere around $1500. In order to get more coverage you have to purchase a rider, which is very expensive. The last time I checked, for the cost of the rider I could buy 2 high end gun safes. That ended up being the road I went down.

I've had several different HO insurance companies and they vary on the mount of gun coverage. Back in the day, the NRA "Armscare" insurance was the way to go. The rates were acceptable and coverage was good.

Too bad it's not available in NY any more.

 

[BabaBlueJay]

If you pack the ammo in large Tupperware containers with a fragile label I doubt any mover would think twice about opening it to see what is inside

 

[IAM Rand]

Are you really a hoarder or just prepared? Rent a truck and drive your supply to the new home.

 

[Valmet]

I have a large stash of a friends ammo who moved two years ago still sitting in my reloading shed. It’s taken some self-control to keep out of it.

 

[Muddyboot]

If you pack the ammo in large Tupperware containers with a fragile label I doubt any mover would think twice about opening it to see what is inside

The majority of mine was in .50 cal ammo cans or original crates. Easy to handle but heavy as can be.

 

[Muddyboot]

Are you really a hoarder or just prepared? Rent a truck and drive your supply to the new home.

See post #4.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

I’ve been in my Jim Walter home and a later big addition for almost 50 years. Hopefully in a few years I’ll have a 30’x42’ quonset hut assembled and a connecting pavilion for my 27’ rebuilt Airstream on my 33 acre property. Then I get to move but fortunately it’s only an hour away, my son is building there now. I was surprised that ammo was an issue with movers. Guns, safes, a baby grand and my shop tools will be interesting to move. For my miscellaneous ammo I will invest in 50 cal ammo cans, they are great, stackable, waterproof and tough. The 30 cal cans are ok but too small. My safes were delivered by the builder in his pickup and moved into my house on rollers on plywood all by himself. It took 3 guys to move the piano from a habitat store 15 miles away. The move cost almost as much as the piano. Should be an interesting adventure.

 

[Muddyboot]

I’ve been in my Jim Walter home and a later big addition for almost 50 years. Hopefully in a few years I’ll have a 30’x42’ quonset hut assembled and a connecting pavilion for my 27’ rebuilt Airstream on my 33 acre property. Then I get to move but fortunately it’s only an hour away, my son is building there now. I was surprised that ammo was an issue with movers. Guns, safes, a baby grand and my shop tools will be interesting to move. For my miscellaneous ammo I will invest in 50 cal ammo cans, they are great, stackable, waterproof and tough. The 30 cal cans are ok but too small. My safes were delivered by the builder in his pickup and moved into my house on rollers on plywood all by himself. It took 3 guys to move the piano from a habitat store 15 miles away. The move cost almost as much as the piano. Should be an interesting adventure.

50 cal cans are great, but when loaded to the gills they are very heavy.
The move would have been easier if I was 20 years younger.

 

[RCL-09]

As it relates to insurance I had to go with a separate company than my regular insurer.

I have most all insurance with one major company and wouldn't consider changing it. But their quote on valuable personal property for my gun collection was way too expensive. So I went with a second company that specializes in insuring collectables/collections. Good coverage, great price, no hassle.

 

[martyd]

The problem with moving a significant amount of ammo with a moving company is if they know it is ammo.

Try mixing it up in other boxes to conceal the weight and knowledge of what it is.

I would be concerned one of the movers may be anti-second and report it to the local police.

Many towns, Blue & Red, go bonkers over any kind of ammo stash some due to "why do you need it?" Some to fear of explosion.

How many times have you seen local news go crazy when a person is busted with 5000 rds of ammo in their house?

 

[StephenWhoDat]

Always remember:
"You can only have too much ammo if you are swimming or on fire."

Last time I moved I probably had tens of thousands rounds of various calibers. What I did was buy a bunch of those heavy duty rolling tool boxes (or maybe storage totes, I'll have to check what they are actually called) from Home Depot. Loaded those up to where they were as fully loaded as they could handle. Having a nice heavy duty handle and wheels made them quite easy to move to the new location. And renting a truck with a liftgate made things super nice and easy. Never had to even attempt lifting any of those heavy *******s. If you're curious about the totes I used, shoot me a PM and I'll go back through my records and see what they are. Heck, might even sell some of them at this point!