Hey RCG !!! If you're looking to remove JUST the muffler, be advised there's a very thin, INCREDIBLY fragile Mica gasket between muffler and header that is no longer available from anybody. And OF COURSE it has to be in there and apparently muffler tape/muffler patch products fail. The technique I've used is to loosen the clamp and take it off....then slowly oh so slowly twist back and forth while tugging straight backward away from the header.
If you're taking the whole system off, leave it together. To chance destroying that stupid cylindrical gasket with no replacement is not worth it. The copper nuts are reusable, just mind the studs as you loosen them as sometimes the studs come out with the nut. New exhaust gaskets are crush-able and you could try to anneal them, but as new, they are meant to form fit in the port by, well, crushing. TBH, I've reused mine twice and to this day zero leaks.