OK, I am back into this one more time - my suggestion was
.22
.223
.243
.260
Reasoning -
22 lr - Because everyone needs a good rifle chambered in 22 lr, if I could only have one rifle it would have to be a 22 lr, inexpensive to shoot, lots of good ammo, and they usually get shot a lot more than any other rifles.
223 Rem - It can be downloaded to cover the 22 Magnum and your other smaller 20 and 22 calibers. Accurate and good combination of paper-punching ability and a great varmint, so much so that my 22/250's never come out of the safe anymore.
243 Win - It can be loaded to duplicate the 22/250 using 55 gr bullets and can easily handle deer/antelope, etc with the 95/100 gr bullets.
260 Rem - It can also handle deer/antelope, etc and is easily capable of elk within normal shooting ranges of 200 - 300 yds. All of this and just slightly more recoil than a 243, what's not to like about it.
I am like everyone else recommending stuff, I think that because this is what I generally use it must be the answer for everyone. Well, it may not be the answer for everyone but it surely has worked for me for a lot of years now.
If anyone could be left out it would be the 243 since there is more overlap between it and the 260 than anything else in my choices.
All minimal recoil cartridges and all are cartridges that have a great track record.
drover
I agree with Drover, with one minor change. I would substitute the .243 recommendation with a 6mm Remington.
I would take the $$$ from the sales of all the extraneous stuff you were not keeping, and upgrade glass on each of the rifles kept, and pick up a new range finder.
