Caught myself idly considering selling all my bolt guns, except the ancient .30-06 Dad gave me when I was a kid of course... Just hunting & shooting with my Ruger Number One rifles... All I've got is a 7mm Rem mag and a .375 H&H, but the only other thing I'd "need" is some lighter cartridge for varmints & coyotes...

Of course, the 7mm Rem Mag has already worked on coyotes so that's not much of an issue, but something lighter for varmints would be nice.

Why not?

I don't own any bolt actions, other than a single shot Rem 514 22. Haven't seen a bolt action yet would serve me any better than my #1's do.

I traded my #1 for a .260 bolt that would hold 5 shells for feral pig killing. I still regret the day I let that beautiful rifle go.

stumpy

I did the very thing you are considering several years ago. Lots of my bolts went on the block --WBYs, 77s, a custom Model 70 and SAKO, Tikkas, MArk Xs, and, yes, a Remington 700 too but a Classic in .300 H&H.

Kept a few favorites but, cuz of disuse, they too are now gone --except for a wars-scarred Mannlicher Schoenauer MCA and several rimfires.

I have never looked back as I use and enjoy the #1s very much. But that herd has multiplied unreaaonably and fills all the old space -- dollar and safe --- the bolt guns took up. Versatility? I have them in .22 Hornet through .375 H&H.

Not saying it will work for everyone else but it does for me.

Good luck,
1B

I'm right with you on this one. The only bolt gun I'm having trouble selling is a 700 CDL in 7mm-08. It's such a smooth and sweet shooting gun I hate to sell it. The other is a Ruger 77 carbine .223. That is my trap line gun and just never thought to sell it. One of those utilitarian guns that I never thought to sell. Maybe I will and get a #1 in .223.

That's what I did - keep your dad's '06 and carry it on every hunt; to back up your #1s. My wife bought me an all-weather bolt action .270 a while back. It goes on every hunt with me as a back-up. The rest are Ruger #1's. The only other bolt in the safe suitable for big game is my first - a Ruger M77R in .243 I got when I was 14. It stays as it was way back then, including the old Weaver K4E my brother handed down to me. That bolt will be with me until I can't hunt, then I'll (God willing) watch my boys carry it.

Although not rifles, I hunt with single-shot bolt pistols (XP-100's), and the MOA Maximum, which is a single-shot falling block specialty pistol.
I have used this type of gun since the mid 80's, and enjoy it immensely.

My first rifle was a single shot, most of my target rifles are single shots along with my varmint rifles. Later I got a Ruger #1 for deer hunting. My reason was that I liked single shots and that it was not that hard to get a shot.

Later when I found that hunting was not as easy as it had been before I went back to the repeaters. Its not that easy to load a single shot in a hurry when its very cold.

Ernie, having been on the SP forum, I feel for anything that gets in the way of one of your SS pistols!

OP, I have found in my life I can only shoot one gun at a time.

When hunting, I often only need one accurate shot on game, if I need more it's usually not been productive no matter the action nor capacity.

To sum it up, for hunting, One good gun, holding one accurate load, will often suffice for 99% of what I have done, and intend to do. That's assuming I am doing my part. YMMV.

P.S. The above discovery led to a very simplified approach at what constitutes a 'reasonable battery ' That said, it's sure been a fun exercise having reached this point. I will say if one has the means, it sure is fun having the opportunity to play with many over your lifetime. Selling one to re-invest towards the next is not a bad thing, and is often necessary to keep funding the ongoing research.