Developed in 1939 and 1940, the Smith & Wesson Light Rifle was a contender for military contracts with both the British and the Americans and squared off against the M1 Carbine as a pistol substitute for officers and support personnel. While it had some novel features, such as the dual-purpose magazine well/ejector port, it failed at trials. Large numbers of the Light Rifle were destroyed, both during testing and afterwards, including a reported incident of the British cutting their Light Rifle samples up with a blowtorch and tossing the resulting scrap into the English Channel. Most survivors on the market come from a 217-piece stockpile left over in the "factory basement" that went undelivered and sat in the dark until the 1970s. The front sight is a fixed blade, and the rear sight is an adjustable notch. The wide magazine housing serves a dual purpose. The front section holds the actual magazine, and the rear portion is actually the ejection port, so the fired cartridges are ejected directly to the ground instead of into the air. The action operates from an open bolt, with the cocking piece on the right side above the patent numbers. The left side of the action is marked with the two-line Smith & Wesson address. The pistol grip stock is made of a black plastic/composition material and is fitted with a serrated metal buttplate that is marked with the serial number.

Excellent, with 98% of the original blue finish, showing mild edge wear and a few light scratches. The stock is also excellent, with the sling swivel absent from the left side. Mechanically excellent.