What made Gary Paulsen's Remington, single-shot. 22 rifle so special to him?

Paulsen spent most of his life in the wilderness of Minnesota, Alaska, and Canada, hunting since the age of 12. His first gun was a Remington single-shot bolt action. 22 rifle. It meant he could aim carefully, because it took a long time to reload. As Paulsen's family was poor, he had to hunt for food.