Belgian contract Pattern 1861 Enfield Short Rifle.
During 1861 and 1862, the Confederacy entered into a several contracts for the delivery of “Enfield” pattern percussion long arms of all varieties. While the purchases concentrated on P-1853 Enfield rifle muskets for use by Confederate the infantry, a number of Enfield pattern “short rifles’ and carbines (both artillery and cavalry) were obtained as well. Confederate documents reveal that one of the early orders included 30,000 P-1853 “Long Enfield’s’ as well as 10,000 “short rifles’ of various patterns. The short rifles were a mixture of standard P-1856 and P-1856 Type II, very few of the brass mounted P-1858 Naval Rifles, and iron mounted P-1860 and P-1861 rifles were also purchased. Many of the earliest Confederate short rifle purchases took the form of “Volunteer Rifles”, which were enhanced and embellished commercial versions of the standard military rifles.
The Pattern 1861 Enfield Short rifle was designed and adopted by the British government and replaced the Pattern-1860 Short Rifle with its newly adopted Baddeley Patent barrel band replacing Palmer Patent band in the lower position and a new 1,250-yard rear sight. Patterns, P-53, P-56, and P-56 type II all had 3 grooved rifling, until the P-58 Naval rifle was adopted with its 5 grove 1:40 twist rifling. When both the P-60 and P-61  were adopted they used the same rifling as the P-58, except the P-60 and P-61 had a 1:48 twist,  making these pattern rifles more accurate at longer ranges than the previous produced pattern Enfield’s. 
The example we have for offer is a very nice example of a Belgian Contract made P-1861 Enfield Short rifle, that came out of a collection in eastern North Carolina and is fresh to the market. By the mid-1800’s, Belgium and the Liège Gun trade were a source for additional British military arms during periods when the gun firms in England were unable to meet the demand. With the advent of the Civil War many British gun firms, importing firms, etc. turned to the Liège trade to full fill orders from buyers located in both the North and South. The rifle has a 33” 5 grove 1:48 twist rifled barrel with Liege proof marks located on top of the breach in several locations, saber bayonet stud numbered “1731” for its corresponding bayonet. Original cone protector and chain attached to the trigger guard, liege viewer marks stamped in the tang of the trigger guard, and a 1862 dated Tower Lock plate. An opportunity to obatin a rare pattern enfield with possible links to North Carolina and the Confederacy.