How to Move a Gun Safe With Caution

When you’re preparing to move, you make a plan for how to transport your mattress, couches, and everything in between. But if you’re a gun owner, you also have to learn how to move a gun safe correctly.

While moving a gun safe from one place to another is no small feat, there are ways to make it easier on your back and protect your floors. Follow these handy tips to move your gun safe into your new home.

Angi Tip

It's important to move heavy furniture safely to avoid personal injury or property damage. The safest option is to hire professional movers with the right tools, equipment, and experience to move heavy furniture efficiently.

Kaitlyn Pacheco

Content Editor, Angi

Tips for Moving a Gun Safe 

Safety is important when moving any household object, and there are additional considerations homeowners need to consider when moving a gun safe. Follow these vital tips to ensure you move it safely:

1. Consider Hiring Professional Movers

Gun safes are typically larger and much heavier than average household safes. A mid-size gun safe runs from 600 to 1,000 pounds, making moving these items more dangerous and puts the movers at a higher risk of injury.

The best way to move a gun safe is to hire professional safe movers near you to handle the task. That way, you can spare the risk of damaging the safe, your property, and yourself. Professional safe-movers have the appropriate tools and equipment to transport a safe safely.

2. Use the Correct Equipment

If you decide to move the gun safe yourself, ensure you have the right equipment for the job. You need to have a gun safe dolly or one that can withstand the safe’s weight, such as  moving ramps, and ratchet straps. Don’t attempt to move the gun safe using anything that isn’t made for moving heavy objects.

3. Wear the Right Attire

Wearing the right clothes is important to protect yourself while moving your safe. Wear close-toed shoes with good soles for traction to prevent slipping while you move the safe. Protect your hands and get a good grip on the safe by wearing high-quality work gloves. 

4. Properly Prepare Firearms to Transport Safely

Firearms cause serious damage or injury if not stored and transported properly. Take caution when removing guns from the safe, carefully ensure they are unloaded, and put them in a secure location during the move. Keep in mind that most moving companies will not transport gun safes that have firearms in them.

Gun Safe Moving Essentials

Like moving heavy appliances or furniture, you must ensure you’re prepared with the essential needed to move your gun safe with less hassle. Here are the essential items to move it safely:

• Gun safe dolly: These types of dollies are made to withstand heavy weight. You may be able to use an appliance dolly, depending on the size of your gun safe. Check the weight of the safe, to ensure you rent or purchase the correct dolly for the move.

• Moving straps: You will need to use moving straps to secure the safe on the dolly and during transport. Ratchet straps are some of the best types of straps because they are durable and withstand heavy weight.

• Moving blankets: By using moving blankets to wrap the safe during transport, you can protect your property and the moving vehicle from damage.

• Truck or trailer: Gun safes are heavy and bulky, so you need to ensure the moving vehicle or trailer can also handle the weight of it. Consider renting a moving truck to transport the safe smoothly. 

How to Prepare to Move Your Gun Safe

To make the safe-moving process easier, you need to prepare for the job. Before we dive into how to move a safe, let’s discuss how you should prepare. 

1. Make a Moving Plan

While safes for a single handgun are easy to transport, gun safes that hold several larger guns can weigh anywhere from 200 to 1,000 pounds. Needless to say, you can’t exactly toss it in the back of a moving truck.

Before you move, make a plan for how you’ll get the gun safe out of your current house, into a moving vehicle, and into your new house. Remember to clear a path through the house and measure any tight corners or doorways to ensure safe removal. At this point, you should also decide whether you plan to move the safe by yourself (with the help of friends or family) or hire a professional safe moving team.

2. Protect Your Flooring

Along with personal safety risks, moving a gun safe can wreak havoc on your flooring. The primary concerns are scratching the floor surface during transportation and putting excessive weight on an unstable spot.

To avoid future floor repairs, you should prioritize protecting your flooring when moving any safe. If you hire a pro safe moving company, they will likely use a track system to lift and move the safe to prevent dragging the weight across the floor.

If you’re tackling the safe move on your own, lay furniture blankets and other protective materials on the floor to provide as much protection as possible. You can also pad doorways and walls that may come in contact with the safe on its way out.

3. Empty the Safe Before Moving It

You typically want to make a piece of furniture as light as possible before moving it, and the same rule applies to safes. Before moving day, empty the contents of your gun safe to lower the weight of the strongbox. Plus, emptying its contents will protect any valuables from damage during transportation.

Firearms can be extremely dangerous, so be sure to arrange an alternative and safe method of moving the safe’s contents from one place to another. Always ensure all firearms are unloaded before transporting. 

4. Lock and Close the Safe Door

Photo: emholk / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images

The idea of the safe door swinging open mid-move and hitting a wall may seem like a cartoon scene, but it does happen. Before anyone lifts the gun safe off of the ground, double-check that the safe’s door is fully closed and locked. This step ensures that the door does not pose a safety risk to the moving team or the surrounding area.

How to Move a Safe

Remember, in most cases the best way to move a gun safe is to hire professionals. But if you have the help, and your gun safe isn’t excessively large then use these tips to safely move it to its new location.

1. Wrap the Safe in Moving Blankets

Protect your safe from damage during the moving process by wrapping it in moving blankets. Tape the blankets in place with packing tape to prevent the blankets from slipping or falling off during transport. 

2. Lift and Move Onto a Dolly

You should not try to lift a gun safe on your own. If you have a large gun safe, it’s best to hire professional movers with the equipment and experience necessary to relocate it safely. If you decide to move the gun safe yourself, you will need several other people to help lift it. 

You will need to have a gun safe dolly to tackle this task. That’s why it’s essential to have the correct dolly and moving ramps to transport it safely on the truck or trailer. You’ll want to use a heavy-duty furniture dolly that can support the weight and dimensions of your gun safe. Here’s how to safely load the vault onto the dolly:

1. Position the dolly next to the safe. 

2. Have one or two people stand on the other side of the safe and lean it back. (Even more people if it’s a large safe)

3. Slide the dolly underneath the safe.

4. Strap the safe to the dolly using rope or straps. Make sure the rope or straps are pulled tight.

5. Tilt the dolly on its wheels to move it.

3. Use a Loading Ramp

Using the dolly, carefully wheel the safe to the moving truck. Then, use the loading ramp to wheel the safe into the moving vehicle.

4. Secure Safe with Straps or Rope

Once the safe is in the moving vehicle, use moving straps or rope to secure the safe to the sides of the vehicle. Pull and secure the straps or rope tight to the safe so it doesn’t move in transit. Use the dolly and loading ramp to remove the safe from the moving vehicle and transport it into your new location.

Dos and Don’ts of Moving a Gun Safe

Here are a few dos and don’ts to keep in mind when moving your gun safe:

• Do bolt it down: Once you reach your destination, consider bolting down the gun safe to the floor to prevent it from tipping over and causing damage. Talk to a contractor or safe installer to figure out the most viable spot in your home to bolt down your safe. 

• Do use the proper equipment: Always use the right equipment for the job, such as a gun-safe dolly, ratchet straps, and moving blankets to ensure a successful move. 

• Do consider hiring professionals: Moving a gun safe can be dangerous and difficult. If possible, consider hiring professional movers to prevent the risk of injury to yourself and others. 

• Don’t move a gun safe by yourself: Gun safes are extremely heavy and bulky, and trying to move them alone can result in severe injuries and damage to your property. 

• Don’t lay the gun safe on its side: These types of safes are designed to stand upright, and laying it down on its side can damage it permanently. 

• Don’t move the gun safe with firearms in it: Always empty your gun safe before moving it. The firearms can risk damage, and it’s extremely dangerous to leave them in the safe while transporting them. 

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

Moving a gun safe yourself is a more affordable option, but risks your physical safety due to its weight. To do it yourself, you’ll need to rent a dolly, which you can rent for $20 to $30 per day. Moving straps and rope cost $20 to $35.

If you choose to hire professional movers, budget $25 to $50 per mover per hour, depending on the size and weight of your safe.

Have you thought about how it would feel if you accidentally dropped a gun safe on your toe? The safety risks involved with moving a gun safe prompt many homeowners to hire a local moving company instead of attempting it themselves. Moving companies have the experience and tools to move and re-install your gun safe without risking damage to your safety and property.

Plus, safe moving companies use special equipment and trucks, making transporting a heavy load much easier. That’s why you should seriously consider hiring a safe moving company near you to take on this task.

Emily Benda Gaylord contributed to this piece.