You are headed in the right direction, sir. All the assumptions you are making are correct. Yes, it is better to pressure test to pre-stress the flares. You want to remove your valve core, pull a vacuum, pressure test with n2, pull a deep vacuum, reinsert your valve core, verify deep vacuum, then open up the zone to refrigerant. Only connect or disconnect the gauge set while the piping is at or above atmospheric pressure.
Good luck and may you save lots of money on the install. While you're at it, take lots of pics for us to see.
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