I'd have to say that for the general public the 1873 Colt revolver and the lever action Winchester are the quintessential American Firearms. But for the current crop of big game hunters I'd say that the Winchester/Remington/Ruger bolt actions with a "7" printed on them somewhere have replaced the others. We have become a land of bolt gun hunters... in love with unnecessary Magnum loads, unnecessarily powerful scopes, and willing to pay enormous amounts of money for five-pound rifles.