Moving to another state

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  • bingley

    Master
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    Jan 11, 2011
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    If you're moving to another state, say, Oregon, what's the best way of moving your firearms? FFL to FFL, or driving your toys across the country yourself?
     

    williamsburg

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    Nov 12, 2011
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    Oaklandon
    I moved to TN and then just moved back to IN. Both times my toys were in the back of the Uhaul. There is no need to ship anything if you are moving across state lines. As long as your toys are legal in your new home state all is good.
     

    throttletony

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    12   0   0
    Jul 11, 2011
    3,630
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    nearby
    Unless they are NFA items, you should be fine to drive them across the country. To be safe, I'd suggest keeping ammo and guns separate and both in trunk, or back of moving truck (some states have odd transport laws).
     

    indyjohn

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    Dec 26, 2010
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    In the trees
    Same here. But a long trip cross country means staying overnight somewhere. Keeping a large collection close by becomes problematic.
     

    bingley

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    Jan 11, 2011
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    Same here. But a long trip cross country means staying overnight somewhere. Keeping a large collection close by becomes problematic.

    If I were to drive, I'd probably be looking at a week-long trip. That seems to introduce a lot of uncertainties...
     

    indyjohn

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    Dec 26, 2010
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    In the trees
    It does. Answer is, there is no good/easy way to get the job done. Firearms are shipped daily without incident (hundreds, I'm sure), but those aren't MY firearms. My wife would tell you I'd tote every blessed one of them into the hotel room every night because I'd be worried about the U-Haul getting stolen in the middle of the night. And that does happen, and happens more often than the media reports, I would suspect.
     

    djhuckle

    Sharpshooter
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    Oct 9, 2012
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    Uhauls at highway motels are often targets of thieves and the motel washes it's hands of it with a simple sign.
     

    remauto1187

    Shooter
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    Aug 25, 2012
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    Stepping Stone
    You can fedex/UPS firearms to yourself. Easiest way is to have a relative/friend drop the prepackaged (sealed) boxes off at UPS/Fedex once you know your new address. If you have quite a collection it may be more economical to box them and crated/palletized and have shipped freight. Forward air is usually reasonable and would be cheaper than shipping 10+ seperate guns via fedex/UPS
     

    Gluemanz28

    Grandmaster
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    29   0   0
    Mar 4, 2013
    7,430
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    Elkhart County
    When the company I work for relocated me back to Indiana from Alabama. The used Allied to move my stuff. It was on full Semi Trailer loaded top to bottom and front to back. They offered to move my guns and even had a special certification but I wasn't trusting my guns to anyone. My Great Grandfathers double Barrel shotguns is priceless to me.

    I only had an overnight stay and kept the guns locked in the the SUV under the cover in the back. It had an alarm so I felt pretty safe. My collection had grown since the move but I would still move them myself wrapped in towels and or blankets, stored in a foot locker so they could be moved in and out of a hotel at night.

    My mover had the highest ranking that a driver/mover could get. He didn't break one item. In fact he glued the legs back on a milking stool that my wife kept a plant sitting on.

    I moved my 1973 Z28 Camaro, 1968 Camaro and my guns. I can tell you that it is an awkward feeling watching everything you own being pack into a semi trailer and pulling away from your home of fifteen years.

    My wife is a sales rep for a trucking company. I will ask her if they do a special direct run with multiple drivers to get your shipment there. One they leave with your freight it never leaves their sight until somebody accepts it on the receiving end.
     

    ultra...good

    Shooter
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    Dec 30, 2012
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    Are they insured? If not, or if not up to date, maybe now would be a good time to update or obtain a policy specifically for what you have.

    If I were moving my firearms and they were in a rental truck, I would pack them somewhere that made them inconvenient to get to. If there is an access from the cab, I would make sure it is blocked and then load the guns all the way towards the front. Some hotels have parking right outside the door and you would be able to hear a truck starting and taking off in the middle of the night, so there would be time to get the police on it, hopefully.

    If I were sending the guns through a moving service, I would pack them into boxes and label it as something that nobody wants, you know, like kitchen appliances, bathroom towels, etc etc. As far as I recall, movers will not take chemicals, flammables, or explosives. Anything is OK if I remember correctly.
     

    remauto1187

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    1   0   0
    Aug 25, 2012
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    Stepping Stone

    Bigtanker

    Cuddles
    Emeritus
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    24   0   0
    Aug 21, 2012
    21,688
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    Osceola
    Put all of your guns in your safe and ship them by boat. Then you will gave a paper trail of an honest to goodness boating accident!
     

    bingley

    Master
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    Jan 11, 2011
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    Is there a site for finding out all the relevant regulations for driving through a state with guns? I have heard an attorney recommending against stopping anywhere in Illinois...
     

    jamesb

    Plinker
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    6   0   0
    Jun 5, 2013
    138
    18
    Indianapolis
    I have made 5 (OH-AL, AL-CO, CO-VA, VA-PA, PA-IN) long distance moves with my collection. Each time I moved them myself. Each time the collection was bigger. The first 2 moves it fit in the trunk of a car, the last 3 they went in the back of a pickup or uhaul. Most of the moves I powered through the drives, the move out to CO and back I had to do in 2 days. If you are worried about stopping you can sleep/rest at a rest stop in your vehicle. I did that twice. My guns are insured and I only have a few that are heirlooms so shipping was an option that I looked into but the cost of shipping them was more than I could swing at the time. The moving company would move my firearms each time but I did not want them sitting in a crate for months. Also I have yet to make it through a move where the movers have not broken something of importance.
     

    VERT

    Grandmaster
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    23   0   0
    Jan 4, 2009
    9,801
    113
    Seymour
    First long move I let the guns go with the moving company on the semi. The company would not move guns but they loaded one of my cars on the truck. What was in the car was my business. So I locked the guns on in the trunk and loaded car on trailer.

    Last move the guns were in my wifes car covered with a blanket. She brought the car, kid, dog and guns. Everything else went on he uhaul. I would not leave guns in a uhaul at a hotel.
     
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