The Pattern 1861 Enfield was an alteration to the Pattern 1853 Enfield. The alteration gave the Pattern 1861 a faster twist (1:48), which gave it more accuracy than the longer infantry rifle. In comparison to the Pattern 1861 Enfield, it also had more grooves (five groove rifling). But what set it apart was its shortened barrel length of 610mm making loading faster and carrying easier.