D. Since your rifle has a safety it is your choice as to whether to put the 209 primer into the breech plug on the way to the stand. I often times have the rifle loaded and primed when walking in.

E. If at the end of the day you did not get a shot and want to store the rifle for the next day take into consideration a few things; at any time during the day was it possible the powder charge got wet? Was it for instance raining or very humid? If this is the case you might want to pick out a spot somewhere on your way out of the woods and shoot the rifle off to make sure all is well with the world and your sights are still on. If you feel all was kept well and try, take the rifle to an area where the temperature will stay the same and is dry. Make sure you warn anyone that might come into contact with the rifle that it is loaded. I tie a red bandanna through the trigger to indicate a hot weapon. Take a peice of dry cloth and store the weapon muzzle end down on that cloth. That way if any moisture does form it will move away from the powder charge instead of towards it. It is a good idea to keep a spent 209 primer and replace the live primer with a dead one. That will seal the breech plug. Just do not forget to change them back when you start hunting and in some places that primer can not be in the rifle when you are transporting.

If you feel that at anytime during the day that the charge might have become contaminated then you can fire it off for the practice, and to prove your water proofing techniques work, or when you get home, drop the breech plug out of the rifle, and have the powder fall out the breech of the rifle. Then with a ramrod push the projectile from the breech back out through the muzzle. Sometimes if you try to push them the other way, out through the breech, you ruin the nose of the projectile. I personally just shoot the bugger off at the end of the day. If you only shot it once and intend to hunt again the next day, pull the breech plug and swab the barrel clean. Wipe out the breech plug threads and re grease the plug and put it back, then just load it as normal the next day.

If you know it is going to rain during the day of hunting, go to Wal Mart or a pharmacy and buy some finger cots. They are small rubber protective balloon like things for putting over cut fingers to keep them clean. You can also put them over the muzzle of your rifle to water proof it. And you can shoot right through them with out taking them off. If you have an open breech, a chunk of handi wrap or cling wrap can be put over the breech and it will help keep the water out of that also.