The .577 calibre 1853 pattern 3 band Enfield rifle was one of the standard weapons of the British Army during the New Zealand Wars. It was an efficient rifle and a long range killer, rated as effective at up to 1097m, but it was handicapped by a relatively slow loading rate. This particular rifle would have arrived in New Zealand shortly after it was made in 1856. It's markings indicate that it was purchased by the New Zealand Government, probably in the early 1860s for a Militia unit.