The Ruger No. 1 is to many the classiest factory rifle ever, and it's available in a wide variety of chamberings from old to new.

In the days before the self-contained metallic cartridge, the vast majority of all firearms were single-shots; there were few practical alternatives. But with the advent of the centerfire cartridge as we know it today, over time the development enabled repeating actions that could house increasingly powerful cartridges.

Initially, however, repeating actions were flimsy affairs, with only single-shot actions (and perhaps doubles) able to house the long, large-caliber blackpowder cartridges considered necessary for the largest game. This period is sometimes referred to as the Golden Age of the Single-Shot, when big single-loaders such as the Sharps, Remington and Winchester High-Wall were the choice of serious big game hunters.

Smokeless powder and jacketed bullets altered the paradigm. Stronger actions (like the bolt action) were developed to house compact new cartridges that delivered unprecedented velocity and resultant energy. The great single-shots of the 1880s quickly became anachronisms and eccentricities, very few surviving to be manufactured after the turn of the century.

Still, some old-timers and a few youngsters (like a young Elmer Keith.) clung to the big blackpowder single-shots—at least for a while. By the 1920s even this retro fad had died out, and the great American single-shot almost died out as well. So almost everyone, including a very young Craig Boddington, was surprised when Bill Ruger’s No. 1 single-shot appeared on the market in the mid-1960s.

In a time when American riflemen were still reeling from the loss of the pre-1964 Winchester Model 70, the No. 1 was very retro—and very classy—in style. To my thinking it was—and still is—the best-looking rifle ever produced by a major manufacturer.

The No. 1 is an internal hammer falling block action, in which an underlever raises and lowers a massive breechblock. The No. 1 borrows much from the old British Farquharson action. Yes, the Brits had their own Golden Age of Single-Shots, theirs blown off the market by inexpensive bolt actions early in the 1900s. (If you’ve priced original “Farkies” lately, you’ll find their values are similar to that of double rifles.)

Boddington used a Harrington & Richardson break-open single-shot in .45-70 to take this American bison. Such rifles are capable of handling most any hunting task.

The Ruger No. 1 is a falling block—one much improved by the genius of Bill Ruger, with a good trigger and an effective extraction/ejection system. One of the strongest of all modern actions, it proved a marvelous platform for almost any imaginable centerfire cartridge, and its factory chamberings are legion—from .204 Ruger and .22 Hornet all the way up to .45-70 and .458 Winchester Magnum.

Many people thought Bill Ruger was nuts to try to market such a gun. Crazy like a fox. The single-shot isn’t for everyone, and indeed the Ruger No. 1, not an easy rifle to make, has always been a bit more costly than the average production bolt gun. But the “one shot, one kill” concept speaks to the American ideal and resonates with many sportsmen and women. In fact, you could almost say that there is a strong but loyal single-shot cult. And Bill Ruger definitely got there first.

To this day there are few factory single-shots that compete directly with the Ruger No. 1. Browning’s 1885, offered in both High Wall and Low Wall versions, is darn near the only one that comes to mind. They’re great rifles, but they’ve never been offered in the vast array of chamberings of the Ruger.

Dakota’s slick little Model 10 falling block is a beautiful action offered in even more chamberings than the Ruger. Blaser sells the compact and fast-handling K 95. It employs a tilting-block locking system that’s capable of handling the highest pressures and offers the option of interchangeable barrels.

The gun is cocked manually by sliding the safety forward (ala the Blaser 93 for those familiar with that system), and the gun breaks open much like an over-under shotgun. Depending on the version, it can be had in standard calibers ranging from .22 Hornet to .300 Weatherby Magnum—in addition to a bunch of European chamberings.