If you’re 40 years old or younger, it’s quite possible you have never heard of Glenfield firearms. Back in the day, you could walk into department stores like Sears or JC Penny and buy a brand-new gun. A lot of those guns carried the Glenfield brand and were less-expensive versions of Marlin firearms specifically designed for common retail outlets. When Ruger secured all the Marlin assets after Remington’s bankruptcy, they also acquired the Glenfield brand. Now, Ruger has relaunched that brand and introduced its first rifle. In the Glenfield tradition, it is a very affordable centerfire rifle, called the Glenfield Model A. If you’re looking for a new deer rifle and are on a tight budget, just like back in the 1970s, Glenfield has come to the rescue.
Glenfield Model A Specs
Length: 40 inches
Weight: 6.3 pounds
Barrel: 20 inches, threaded at 5/8×24 with cap
Action: Bolt-action
Trigger: Adjustable (4.0 pounds as tested)
Capacity: 4+1 (varies with chambering)
Chamberings: 243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 270 Winchester, 308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, 350 Legend, 450 Bushmaster
Finish: Matte black
Stock: Synthetic Moss Green
Price: $499
Related: Best Rifles of 2025, Tested and Reviewed
Glenfield Model A Overview
Make no mistake, the Glenfield Model A rifle is really just a better yet less-expensive version of the original Ruger American bolt-action rifle. Since the original Ruger American rifle seems to have been completely replaced by the excellent Ruger American Gen II, the Glenfield Model A rifle is a way for Ruger to still offer an entry-lever bolt gun at a very affordable price. In case you are unfamiliar with the original Ruger American rifle, let’s look at exactly what this new rifle is all about.
This rifle is built around a three-lug action that has a 70° bolt throw, and it comes in two action lengths. The rifle feeds from a very simply constructed detachable polymer magazine with an integral spring release and lock. The action is a push feed, and cartridges and/or empty cases are extracted from the chamber via an extractor that is mounted at a 90° angle and fitted within one of the bolt lugs. Ejection from the action is facilitated by a plunger style ejector inside the bolt face. The trigger has a passive safety lever in its center, and it is user adjustable from between 3 and 5 pounds. There is a two-position safety located on the tang, the bolt release is on the left side of the action, and a threaded and capped cold-hammer-forged 20-inch barrel is standard.
The barreled action fits inside a traditionally styled synthetic stock with a 13.75-inch length of pull that has a textured, green-splatter finish. At the grip and on the forend, the stock is scalloped to provide a sure grip, and the stock has a soft-rubber ¾-inch recoil pad. Two steel bedding blocks in the stock interface with the action to provide solid bedding, and there are sling-swivel studs located in the usual positions. The Glenfield Model A rifle ships with a factory-installed, one-piece Picatinny scope rail.
Related: Ruger American Gen II Rifle Review
Glenfield Model A Test Results
For bench testing, I mounted a Burris Fullfield 3-12X56mm riflescope with Leupold Backcountry rings and for some of the shooting I used a Silencer Central Backcountry suppressor. The 4-pound trigger pull had no take-up and broke clean and crisp, and with the two full-power loads I tested, the rifle averaged 1.38 inches for multiple five-shot groups. I had a box of low-recoil loads and thought they would be a practical pairing in this rifle because at its low price, it could very well be a starter gun for a new or young hunter. With the 125-grain Controlled Chaos Lehigh Defense load, my test rifle was a tack-driver, averaging well under an inch.
All the offhand shooting was conducted without a suppressor, and the rifle balanced very well. Ringing an 8-inch gong at 100 yards offhand was not an issue, nor was hitting my running-deer target at 30 yards with snap shots. The cartridges fed from the detachable magazine flawlessly and extraction and ejection were positive. The magazine release was also easy to operate with a gloved hand, and bolt-lift force was about average.
Nothing, of course, is perfect, nor would you expect perfection from a $500 rifle. The hollowness of the synthetic stock was apparent if you bumped it on something. Also, the comb height was a bit low, at least for the scope setup I was using. The good news is that with the 70° bolt throw, you can mount a riflescope very low. By removing the rail and using Talley extra low Lightweight Alloy Scope rings for the Ruger American, and a riflescope with a smaller objective lens/housing, you might find perfect harmony with the comb height as it is.
Final Thoughts on the Glenfield Model A
Pros
Affordable
Adjustable trigger
Reasonably light
Cons
Low comb height
Safety does not lock bolt
It’s nice to know that you can find a dependable, trustworthy hunting rifle for less than $500, and for those who are familiar with the original Glenfield brand, that is exactly what you'd would expect. Now, thanks to Ruger, a new generation of hunters will become acquainted with what Glenfield used to mean to shooters and hunters a half century ago. There are several good budget-priced hunting rifles available right now, but as far as I’m concerned, this new Glenfield Model A is currently the best of the bunch. If you just cannot swing, the $729 for the Ruger American Gen II, this is the rifle I would get. Because of the textured splatter finish stock, I like it better than the original Ruger American.
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