I can do 98% of my hunting with a bolt action rifle with scope in any caliber between .243Win and 30-06. It wouldn't be the optimal gun for some situations but it can get almost everything done. When I started hunting 35+ years ago I started with a used Savage 110 in .243 Winchester which I got for about $50 at a pawn shop. For first 10 years of my hunting it was the only rifle I used and with it I took more games than most people do in life time. Later as my disposable income got a little bigger I added a Marlin 1895 in 45-70. Today I have many more hunting rifles but not because I need them but because I like having more than just few toys. As I gotten older my eye sight has gotten poor so I've been adding scope to my rifles. I started with cheap junks and realized they were worst than useless in many cases so I've started looking at high quality optics and learned to appreciate them.