diff --git a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java
index 140071be9..7245d3150 100755
--- a/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/openhft/chronicle/map/VanillaChronicleMap.java
@@ -76,17 +76,17 @@ public class VanillaChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super
     // Event listener and meta data
     public final int metaDataBytes;
 
-    /////////////////////////////////////////////////
-    // Behavior
-    final boolean putReturnsNull;
-    final boolean removeReturnsNull;
-
     /////////////////////////////////////////////////
     // Memory management and dependent fields
     public final Alignment alignment;
     public final int worstAlignment;
     public final boolean couldNotDetermineAlignmentBeforeAllocation;
 
+    /////////////////////////////////////////////////
+    // Behavior
+    transient boolean putReturnsNull;
+    transient boolean removeReturnsNull;
+
     transient Set<Entry<K, V>> entrySet;
     
     public transient MapEntryOperations<K, V, R> entryOperations;
@@ -95,7 +95,6 @@ public class VanillaChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super
     
     transient ThreadLocal<ChainingInterface> cxt;
 
-
     public VanillaChronicleMap(ChronicleMapBuilder<K, V> builder) throws IOException {
         super(builder);
         SerializationBuilder<V> valueBuilder = builder.valueBuilder;
@@ -126,10 +125,6 @@ public class VanillaChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super
         // Event listener and meta data
         metaDataBytes = builder.metaDataBytes();
 
-        // Behavior
-        putReturnsNull = builder.putReturnsNull();
-        removeReturnsNull = builder.removeReturnsNull();
-
         // Concurrency (number of segments), memory management and dependent fields
         alignment = builder.valueAlignment();
         worstAlignment = builder.worstAlignment();
@@ -142,6 +137,9 @@ public class VanillaChronicleMap<K, KI, MKI extends MetaBytesInterop<K, ? super
     }
     
     void initTransientsFromBuilder(ChronicleMapBuilder<K, V> builder) {
+        putReturnsNull = builder.putReturnsNull();
+        removeReturnsNull = builder.removeReturnsNull();
+
         this.entryOperations = (MapEntryOperations<K, V, R>) builder.entryOperations;
         this.methods = (MapMethods<K, V, R>) builder.methods;
         this.defaultValueProvider = builder.defaultValueProvider;