§ Captain Kerbyasked the Secretary of State for War when the manufacture of .303 ammunition was discontinued, and the machinery for its manufacture scrapped; how much .303 ammunition remains in stock; what is the present function of .303 service rifles, other than for drill purposes; and how many such rifles are still in stock today.
§ Mr. ProfumoA little .303 ammunition is still manufactured, but large-scale production ceased in 1959 when stocks were adequate for foreseeable purposes. Most of the machinery for its manufacture is 61W still used for making other types of small arms ammunition. Except for a few for special purposes, .303 rifles are no longer used by the Regular Army; they are being increasingly replaced by the 7.62 rifle in the Reserve Army as re-equipment takes place. It is not the practice to make public details of stocks of weapons.