Video: One of WWII’s More Unusual Weapons, S&W Model 1940

From the M1 Garand to the Luger pistol, World War II produced its share of iconic firearms. The conflict also was the birthplace of many unusual weapons. The 1940 Smith & Wesson Light Rifle definitely falls under this category.

The carbine was Smith & Wesson’s attempt to create a pistol caliber rifle (9mm Luger) for the British in the early part of the war. For a number of reasons documented in the video below from ForgottenWeapons.com, the rifle was deemed unacceptable. Most were destroyed, but according to the Standard Catalog of Military Firearms, 7th Edition a small lot of the rifles were found in their original crates in the 1970s at the company’s Springfield, Mass., factory.

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