The only thing you HAVE to do before heading to the range, aside from the usual safety precautions and having the proper components to shoot, is thoroughly clean the rifle. You do NOT need to put bore butter in the barrel. You do NOT need any special purple butter???

Just make sure to take out the breech plug, thoroughly clean it and the bore and then make sure both are clear and dry.

The trigger work may or may not be needed. Encore triggers are not consistent in performance between rifles from the factory. A good download and a good reference site are at http://www.bellmtcs.com/Prod_and_Serv/autorun.exe and http://www.bellmtcs.com/. The download will give you complete instructions with pics to show you how to accomplish a trigger job if needed as well as providing you with some very good info in general. Mr. Bellm sells sear springs, hammer extensions (need if scoped), and oversized hinge pins. You can also get a lot of info on Encores at http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/php...forum.php?f=33.

I've found the extractor to be totally unnecessary on the Encore I own. I'm sure it would be required on a centerfire barrel but the 209 primers come out very easily without tools. I recommend you remove the extractor and its retaining screw and store them safely. This will enable easy access to the breechplug and you'll appreciate that later. Make sure the breechplug has a bit of quality anti-seize grease on the forward threads before inserting it in the barrel. Or use a wrap of teflon tape as I do with just a touch of grease on the forward threads. Tighten the plug to snug and then back it off just a tiny bit. Stuck breechplugs are not fun at all!

If you scope the rifle, in addition to the hammer extension you might wish to consider removing the rear sight and using the scope mount filler screws to fill the site screw holes. Scope selection can be a bit of a problem but I find Leupold QR bases and rings to work well when coupled with a scope of the right physical dimensions, such as the Bushnells in 1.5x4 or 1.75x4.5 . I'm sure many other scopes would work well but pay attention to the spacing limitations of those rings and remember eye-relief.

Another item you might want to do is remove the recoil pad with a phillips and stuff the inside of the butt-stock with foam. I prefer just using packing foam to the spray expanding insulation that some use as the packing foam just goes where I WANT it to go.

I don't think you said which caliber but in either case buy some proper sized sabots and go toward the heavy end of bullet selection. 300 grain bullets should work well. I have found the White Powerstar saboted bullets from SplitFireGuns.com to work remarkably well in my 209x45. Try some Triple7 FFg powder at about 80 grains to start. Pay no mind to these "magnum" types that think more powder is always better. It isn't and is often far worse in many ways.

Become totally familiar with your rifle, find a good load, swab the bore with a spit patch or Windex patch after each shot, thoroughly clean it after each shooting session, and enjoy!