Ammo and moving

[SGT ROCK 11B]

I'm moving after living in the same place for 25 years, and moving my ammo has turned out to be a real pain. I love having lots of ammo, but man, moving it really is hard. I guess I need to start shooting more.

I didn't want a moving company moving it for security reasons. Something for all you guys with large amounts of ammo to consider.

When I got divorced my ex-wife got half the Gun Collection. I had to get them appraised and give her 50% of the value.

When I moved I had a lot of ammunition because I shot pistol competition and was big game and duck hunter. Also being a reloader I had primers, powders and components.

Fortunately I kept the factory ammunition in the original cases and the reloads in USGI ammo boxes.

Good luck.

 

[Autonomous]

I knew someone in the business and have heard disturbing stuff. IMO your stuff is not secure in a moving truck.
Cash, titles, birth certificates, stocks & bonds, jewels, precious metals, guns & ammo, irreplicable mementos etc. are best kept to yourself.
As brucev said "I load the (my own) truck before the movers or any helpers arrive. I unload the truck after everyone has gone home."

 

[hoytx10]

The last time I moved, The moving guys had a good laugh at the many small but very dense and heavy boxes they had to take out of the basement. They knew instantly what was inside when they picked up one of the boxes ��

 

[ajgunner]

A friend has been moving for about a year. Only 425 miles each way. He and his wife have been passing along the way as each takes a load and hangs out at either the new place or the old place for 3-5 weeks between trips. On his last trip he moved his man cave---all 2200lbs (net of truck and trailer) including 77 die sets, lots of bullets, LOTS of raw lead for casting bullets, etc. He still needs to move 3 large safes and I am guessing 200+ firearms. Now you know why one of them is always at either the old place or at the new place. Wife drives sprinter van with household stuff and friend drives truck and enclosed trailer loaded with shop stuff. She makes multiple stops while he only makes a single stop for gas and restroom. He also carries extra spare tires and tools to avoid any mishaps that could leave either truck or trailer broke down unattended roadside. Guessing he probably has 6 months to finish up before weather in the passes will become an issue and cost him another 4-6 months.

One thing he learned is that those square plastic milk crates are awesome for moving dense heavy stuff. Load them half full, stack them up, then use hand truck to move them in stacks.

 

[mckenney99]

After my divorce, I moved from a country home with a large reloading workshop in a separate barn into town and a smaller home and small single car garage sized shop about 10 years ago. I will never be able to thank enough, the group of tremendous friends who came together with trucks & trailers with a simple phone call and helped me move (with 3 days notice), if I live to be 100.
I had around 50,000 rds of ammo to move, 10's of thousands pieces of various sorted pistol/rifle brass along with equipment, powder and primers in mtm plastic ammo cans, I was looking at quite a daunting task. Luckily I store all of my ammo in their original military crates or large surplus military 20mm ammo cans and 50 cal cans. Brass was always kept segregated in heavy duty gallon ziploc bags. Having always had several cats in the house, I had accumulated a large number of those plastic litter buckets, that turned out to be perfect for hauling and storing the bagged brass for the move into the rented storage units and then on into my new home once my new shop was ready. I moved all the ammo myself in an enclosed trailer with a dolly after hours into the storage units, so no one would see what I was putting in the units.
The guy that I bought my gun vaults from (John McIntosh, McIntosh Safe Corp, Dayton OH) moved them from my old home into the storage units, then again to my new house when I was ready and would not take a single penny in payment, no matter how much I protested.
A really good trusted friend took all of my cased guns and stored them at his house until I was able to get them into my new home (his wife was not real happy but quickly realized her husband's collection wasn't nearly as bad as she thought after seeing all my stuff moved in).
I have already resolved, that my next move will be horizontally in a body bag and moving this stuff again will be the Auctioneers job.

 

[Muddyboot]

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.

Insurance could not come close to replacing the ammo lost, some purchased long ago, like cases of 7.5 Swiss and .41 Long Colt at prices purchased over the last 30 years, not to mention .38 SW, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, the list goes on and on.

It's not just about the ammo dollar amount, it's replacing ammo no longer found at prices I paid, and ammo no longer available at any price.

 

[Muddyboot]

Have moved 14 times in 43 years of pastoral ministry. About to make my final move ... into retirement. Have used moving companies. Have had church members help me move. Have moved by myself. Have found about the very best way to move ammo of any significant quantity is to rent a small truck, load it up w/ guns, ammo, equipment. Also load anything really fragile like china, crystal, etc. Then, just drive the truck to the new residence. Using hand-trucks, not hard to unload even a large quantity of ammo. I load the truck before the movers or any helpers arrive. I unload the truck after everyone has gone home. This is how I will be doing things on this final move. Sincerely. bruce.

That's pretty much what I've been doing. The guns were no problem, the ammo was a different story.

 

[AJ]

Have a friend that moved across the state. He rent a 28 foot U-Haul Truck. It had just enough room for his ammo, lead and guns. Glad it was not me!

 

[BE Mike]

I have made a lot of major moves by commercial moving companies. During most of them I've either had things broken or stolen. The drivers seemed to go to sketchy neighborhoods to recruit people to help them unload. The last move we made, I moved all my guns, ammo and small gun safe with a U-Haul trailer. None of that stuff was stolen or damaged!

 

[Muddyboot]

Buying ammo is addictive and sometimes you buy it when you don't need it, just like collecting knives, guns, flashlights. You just think you need some more. That's me anyway.

I've been buying ammo for over 40 years, lots by the case when it was dirt cheap, it adds up over the years. Never had a problem during the ammo panics.

I still encourage people to buy all they can afford and store. Moving it is a pain, but a small price to pay for a dedicated shooter.

 

[RCL-09]

Back in 2016 a friend contacted me and asked if I could help with him moving back into town. He had a moving company handle everything but his gun collection.

No problem, with two young sons and a few of their friends I said we could handle it. I then asked him if he could tell me how much he had, in his classic inimitable manner he said he couldn't tell me how many pieces but he could tell me the weight... 16+ thousand pounds.

He did not want an unknown group of movers handling his collection and knowing what he had and where he had it.

Took the whole day to unload...

But the major issue, as others have mentioned, is security in not letting what is often transient, minimum wage workers, know what you have.

 

[Green Frog]

My plan now is when I move next it will probably be to a single room where somebody else takes care of most of my needs or int a small box where I have no needs. Prior to this time my nieces and their husbands and kids who are interested in guns will become recipients of the bulk of my stuff and I hope I will be able to foresee this eventuality enough in advance to sell off or give away anything else. At least that's my current plan at age 73.

Froggie

 

[Autonomous]

Having seen the writing on the wall I disposed of some items before my last move which simplified things.

At the time I wondered if I was imagining coming restrictions and paper trails, but it turns out I wasn't.

 

[Doug M.]

Homeowner's insurance will cover some of the financial cost, but some stuff will be hard or impossible to replace. In addition, the is the risk of unknown attacks and other bad things that results from questionable persons becoming aware that you might have guns, ammo, or darned near anything else worth taking. Fly as low as you possibly can.

 

[pharmer]

I've been buying ammo for over 40 years, lots by the case when it was dirt cheap, it adds up over the years. Never had a problem during the ammo panics. I still encourage people to buy all they can afford and store.

Me too. I try to stay under 1,000lb but currently getting Federal 9mm @ $250K delivered to my door is making it difficult. Another case tomorrow, SS pays "3rd Wednesday"( I don't think it's ever going to be $200 per K ,$10/box again) so maybe one more in May. If'n it does I'll really buy some. I know, boring, just shooting .22 and 9mm but at 70 I'm grateful to just be shooting. Joe

 

[Alk8944]

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.

 

[GypsmJim]

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.

 

[Countrycuz]

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.

 

[AJ]

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.

When I retired from the Marine Corps, we moved 8,000+ pounds of stuff into this house from my last duty station. Been here for 30 years. You can imagine the "stuff" we have accumulated since then. My next move will be to the undertaker. Told our Daughter it will be hers to deal with!!

 

[Muddyboot]

Homeowner's insurance will cover some of the financial cost, but some stuff will be hard or impossible to replace. In addition, the is the risk of unknown attacks and other bad things that results from questionable persons becoming aware that you might have guns, ammo, or darned near anything else worth taking. Fly as low as you possibly can.

Exactly, a life lived under the radar.