The Portuguese M/948 9 mm submachine gun was produced by the FBP weapons factory in Lisbon and is therefore often referred to as the FBP submachine gun. The gun drew heavily on the design of the German MP 40 and american M3 submachine guns in appearance and structure, and was used in a series of battles in Angola, Guinea, Mozambique, Portuguese India and East Timor after being equipped with the Portuguese army, and was eventually replaced by the Uzi submachine gun and the G3 automatic rifle.
The FBP submachine gun was originally conceived by the Portuguese artillery officer González Cardoso in 1940, but development was delayed by the outbreak of World War II. After the war, it was further improved by reference to the main submachine guns during World War II, and it was put into production in 1948.
The front end of the FBP submachine gun receiver is similar in shape to the MP40, but the processing quality is much rougher.
The FBP's sights, borrowed from the M3 submachine gun, consisted of a flaky crosshair at the front of the receiver and a perforated gauge at the rear, much simpler than the MP40's.
The FBP's telescopic wire stock is also modeled after the M3 submachine gun, but the receiver cover, which doubles as a loop at the rear, is unique to the former.
The magazine mount of the FBP submachine gun is also very similar to the M3. The gun number can be seen in the picture has reached more than 9,000.
The FBP's thick small grip and trigger are also replicas of the M3 submachine gun, but replaced with a more handy wooden grip patch.
The internal structure of the FBP submachine gun, especially the bolt and the stacked recessed spring conduit, is completely imitated from the MP40 and can be interchanged with the latter.
Another unique feature of the FBP submachine gun is the bayonet mortise under the barrel.
The FBP submachine gun can be fitted with a short bayonet based on the Portuguese mauser rifle bayonet
FBP submachine guns are also available in models without bayonet mortise and are mainly used by security forces and police.
The FBP submachine gun has appeared in the 1974 Soviet film Дорогой мальчик, and in the 2000 Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French historical film "Captain April", which commemorated the Portuguese Revolution in April 1974. Pictured is a still from "Captain April".