Sadly, the most likely medium-game-sized critters I am likely to encounter on my wife’s family’s land would be poachers/trespassers, who are inclined to use SKS/AK-type rifles. I might find myself being the hunted, so, might have to “hunt back.” So, my ideal “one rifle,” selected from among what I have, might well be an AR15/M4 platform, preferably with a mid-length DMR-ish upper, and, I might want to upgrade to an LPVO, to be named later. This being thick SE Texas woodland, a high-magnification optic is not necessary, so, my modest Leupold M8 2.5x has always seemed adequate. A properly-constructed .223 bullet can take the deer that are in the area, if I need to harvest meat. (I have no desire to collect antlers.)
Well, on second thought, my Benelli M2 shotguns, backed-up by full-sized 1911 or Glock G17 pistols, seem suitable for the poachers/trespassers. I’ll select a Ruger No. 1, chambered for the .45-70, for “game.” Because history.
(Yes, I know that a Sharps or Remington Rolling Block would be more historical, but a Ruger No. 1 still seems to be in the spirit of such things, and I wanted to name what I had on hand, rather than what I might buy, someday.)