Few shooters under a certain age have ever heard of Marlin Glenfield rifles, which were mostly unadorned, affordable versions of Marlin’s existing products. They included guns such as the Model 60 semi-auto rimfire rifle, the Model 10 bolt action rimfire rifle and the Model 30A, which closely resembled the Marlin 336 lever action rifle.
The Glenfield guns were long gone by the time Marlin entered its death spiral as an independent entity, culminating with bankruptcy in 2018 and sale of the company to Remington, which itself went bankrupt in 2020. It is no secret that the quality of Marlin guns slipped during those years.
Since acquiring Marlin in 2020, Ruger has brought back a high level of quality to Marlin rifles, restored luster to the brand and fueled a resurgence in the popularity of Marlin firearms. Now, Ruger is betting it can do the same with the Glenfield brand, starting with a new bolt action centerfire rifle called the Glenfield Model A.
The Glenfield — A Ruger American with Improvements
At first glance, you might be forgiven if you think the Glenfield Model A looks like an original Ruger American rifle. That’s because it basically is a first-generation Ruger American, which has been mostly supplanted by the upgraded Gen II American. Ruger still lists first-generation guns in the lineup in Standard, Predator and Ranch versions only, but most models show limited or no availability.
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Enter the Glenfield Model A, which differs from the American in several notable respects. The first is price. With a MSRP of just $499, the Glenfield sells for $100 less than the standard model Ruger American, and about $170 less than the Ruger American Ranch rifle. To put this price into perspective, that’s just $50 more than the American sold for when it was first introduced in 2012, and it makes the Glenfield a serious contender in the bargain-priced rifle category.
The Glenfield also differs by having shorter, handier barrels. Barrels on most first-gen American standard models are 22 inches in length and are not threaded. Threaded barrels weren’t added to the line until the more expensive Predator and Ranch versions appeared. The cold-hammer-forged barrels on the Glenfield measure just 20 inches in length and are threaded (5/8-24 in most chamberings) for adding and using suppressors or muzzle brakes. The inclusion of threaded barrels on this economically priced rifle shows that Ruger is listening to their customers.
An Aesthetic Upgrade
Aesthetically, the Glenfield Model A is more pleasing to my eye than original Americans with their plain black stocks or American Predators with their lime green stocks. The Glenfield has a darker, mossy green stock with a black spatter finish that provides a good grip without being too sharp or abrasive. The forend and pistol grip have molded-in contours for the fingers in the right places to enhance grip in wet conditions.
Initially, the Glenfield is offered in seven popular chamberings, including 243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 270 Win, 308 Win, 30-06 Sprg, 350 Legend and 450 Bushmaster. I would expect to see those offerings expand.
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70-Degree Bolt Throw
The action of the Glenfield sent to me for testing, chambered in 308 Win, felt and functioned much like the original American rifle action. It uses a one-piece, full-diameter, three-lug bolt with a standard plunger ejector and extractor. The action cycled smoothly enough, with a characteristic “zip-zip” sound, but bolt lift was stiff. The bolt handle has a 70-degree throw, which translates into a lot of room for mounting scopes, but it also takes take a fair bit of force to operate on initial bolt lift. I found it challenging to cycle the bolt with the rifle shouldered and stay on target with a riflescope. In the field, this means follow-up shots may not be as quick unless you’re shooting from a solid rest.
The barreled action is mated to the stock via a patented integral Power Bedding block system that solidly secures the receiver and free-floats the barrel. Atop the action, Ruger has thoughtfully installed a Picatinny rail that makes mounting scopes a breeze with the proper rings. When the action is cocked, a cocking indicator protrudes from the rear bolt shroud, confirming at a glance that the rifle is ready to fire. At the top rear of the action you will find a two-position, tang-mounted safety. It engages and disengages with authority and an audible click. When in the engaged position, it does not lock the bolt down.
User-Adjustable Trigger
There’s another safety feature in the Savage-like trigger, which has a blade that must be fully depressed before the rifle can fire. The trigger appears to be the same Marksman adjustable trigger used on all American models, with a pull weight that is advertised as adjustable within a range of 3-5 pounds. Unlike triggers on some economy-priced rifles, I found the Glenfield’s trigger to be pretty decent.
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As it arrived from the factory, the trigger broke crisply at an average pull weight of about 4 pounds. That’s a bit heavier than I prefer for a hunting rifle, so I pulled the action from the stock to see if I could get the trigger down to its minimum setting. I couldn’t. I backed the trigger adjustment screw out as far as I dared, but the trigger only went down to a setting of 3 lbs., 11 oz., as measured on my Lyman trigger gauge. That’s light enough for a hunting rifle trigger, and it actually feels slightly lighter because the trigger breaks so cleanly.
Detachable Magazine
My 308 Win test rifle came with a flush-fitting, detachable four-round polymer magazine. That’strue of all rifles except those in 350 Legend and 450 Bushmaster. Magazines for guns in those chamberings hold five and three rounds, respectively, and protrude from the bottom of the action. Some early American rifles used AI- or AR-style magazine wells which placed the magazine release latch in the way of getting at the action screw. That meant you had to remove the latch to remove the action from the stock, and I found that to be a royal pain. I don’t know if that issue has been addressed with guns in these two chamberings, but it’s worth looking before you leap if you plan on adjusting the trigger.
Otherwise, stocks with flush-fitting magazines can be easily removed simply by unsrewing the two action screws.
Range Results
For range testing, I mounted a new riflescope model from Riton, the 5 Primal 3-18×50. This first-focal-plane scope instantly impressed me, although it may be a bit of overkill on the Glenfield rifle. This scope is more at home on specialized long range and target rifles, but I like the higher magnification for squeezing maximum accuracy from a rifle in testing.
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Velocities out of the Glenfield’s 22-inch barrel were just mildly slower than advertised factory numbers, which are typically achieved with longer barrels. On average, velocities for five different tested factory hunting loads were only 76 fps slower. This makes the Glenfield a good candidate to pair with a suppressor.
Original American rifles established a reputation for delivering decent accuracy, and this Glenfield was no exception. The best-performing load tested was, surprisingly, Hornady’ plain-Jane American Whitetail 150-gr. load, which printed a 0.69-inch best three-shot group and average groups measuring 0.95 inches. In total, three tested loads produced average groups under an inch and a half, and four turned in sub-MOA best groups.
Wrapping Up The Glenfield
The rifle seemed to shoot a little better after three dozen or so rounds had been pushed down the barrel, indicating it may benefit from a barrel break-in procedure. I also noticed a tendency for the rifle to group two shots very closely together and then open up just a little with the third shot. This can have a number of causes, including me not allowing the barrel to cool much between shots in a string. In any event, it wasn’t enough to have any impact in a normal hunting scenario.
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With performance like this, all the factors that made the original Ruger American rifle successful remain true with the Glenfield Model A. It is an accurate, lightweight, reliable and affordable hunting rifle – and you can buy it with a few newer features for less money than the original costs today. Any way you look at it, that makes the Glenfield a bargain.
Ruger Glenfield Model A Specifications
- Action: Bolt action
- Caliber: 308 Win, as tested
- Weight: 6.3 pounds
- Barrel Length: 20-inch
- Barrel Material: Chrome-moly steel
- Barrel Twist Rate: 1:10
- Muzzle Thread: 5/8-24
- Finish: Matte Black
- Magazine/Capacity: Detachable, 4+1 rounds
- Trigger: Single Stage
- Trigger Pull Weight: 3 lbs., 11 oz. tested
- Stock: Synthetic, mossy green/black spatter finish
- Length of Pull: 13.75 inches
- Overall Length: 40 inches
- Free-floated Barrel: Yes
- MSRP: $499.00
Performance
| Federal Fusion 165 grain | |
| Average Velocity | 2,636 FPS |
| Best Group | 0.87 inches |
| Average Group | 1.21 inches |
| Federal NonTypical Whitetail 150-grain SP | |
| Average Velocity | 2,745 FPS |
| Best Group | 0.99 inches |
| Average Group | 1.62 inches |
| Hornady Precision Hunter 178-grain | |
| Average Velocity | 2,508 FPS |
| Best Group | 1.37 inches |
| Average Group | 1.60 inches |
| Hornady American Whitetail 150-grain IL | |
| Average Velocity | 2,752 FPS |
| Best Group | 0.69 inches |
| Average Group | 1.05 inches |
| Nosler Whitetail Country 165-grain SP | |
| Average Velocity | 2,709 FPS |
| Best Group | 0.82 inches |
| Average Group | 1.43 inches |
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