This is a S&W Model of 1940 Mark I light rifle. Made of machined steel with a plastic stock, it was rather heavy, 9 pounds with a loaded magazine. It fired 9mm Parabellum (Luger) ammo semiautomatically. The 20-round magazine took up about half of the wide mag housing; the other half was a chute through which the empties were ejected onto the ground. It was offered to the British, but they rejected it - too heavy, and clearing a jam was almost impossible given the strange ejection path. So instead, S&W offered to make them revolvers, and they accepted that contract instead.
The first model, of which this was one, was stressed in firing higher pressure SMG ammo, and the receiver could fail in as little as 1,000 rounds. The later Mark II had a reinforcement around the receiver - making it even heavier.
Most of the British guns were cut up and dumped in the English Channel, and not that many survived there to be placed in British museums. This gun has a fluted short 9.75" barrel, and it was for a long time restricted in the U.S. as a Class III item (short barreled rifle). Collectors finally prevailed on the ATF in 1975, and it is now classified as exempt, a curio/relic. Thus it's legal to own without the tax and paperwork.
Fewer Mark II's reached the British than Mark I's. A cache of 137 Mark I's and 80 Mark II's were found at S&W in 1974, and these were sold to collectors. Figure about $7,000 if you can find one. This particular specimen is owned by some friends at a very well-stocked gun shop. I was able to photograph it today, and thought you'd like to see it.
John
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