I've always loved the Ruger No. 1. Even when I was working for SAKO, I secretly kept and shot a No. 1 because I liked a) the single-shot concept, b) the classic looks of the rifle, c) how relatively inexpensive it is for what it is--a super-strong piece of gear that's easy to shoot accurately, scope and accessorize and d) the fact that you can have a whole battery of them in different interesting calibers without breaking the bank.
As you can see from my avatar I'm a single-shot nut, so here's me being nit-picky and state what I like a little less about the No. 1. My main beef is that I'm not in love with the fore-end. It's too long and thick to really be in proportion with the rest of the rifle, especially in the Light Sporter configuration with the skinny 22" barrel. The thicker and longer barrel of the Tropical model (the one I currently have) balances out better, as does the longer 26" tube of the No. 1 B chambered for the 7mm and .300 magnums.
I regret not snatching up a .300 H&H when I could have. I also wish they made one in 8x57, or in .303 British but with a longer barrel than that puny 22" configuration. On the other hand, my next rifle may very well be a No. 1 in 9.3x62, or I could directly jump to reason e) - that the action is so darned easy to have it rebarreled for whatever you want in whatever length you want.
Anyway, I can think of few cooler rifles to take on safari than a Ruger No. 1 topped by a low-power fixed 4 or 6x.
