# Revolver cylinder rotation, CW, or CCW? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolver-cylinder-rotation-cw-or-ccw/481025 "2009-01-13T02:41:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolver-cylinder-rotation-cw-or-ccw/481025/21 "2009-01-13T22:47:39Z")
I stand corrected. My S&W 686 and 66, and the little Taurus are all CCW. Mark your calendars, 'cuz it ain’t often I’m wrong. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolver-cylinder-rotation-cw-or-ccw/481025/22 "2009-01-14T00:05:37Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > I believe you are correct. Their site: [http://www.coltsmfg.com](http://www.coltsmfg.com) Shows the SAA line but no Pythons. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolver-cylinder-rotation-cw-or-ccw/481025/23 "2009-01-14T00:23:26Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > Their site: > > [http://www.coltsmfg.com](http://www.coltsmfg.com) > > Shows the SAA line but no Pythons. The irony, of course, being that half the gun companies on the planet produce a Colt SAA knockoff, which are just as good (if not better) than the Colt, and a lot cheaper. To be honest, I’m really surprised Colt haven’t come up with something like the Ruger GP-100; a cheap, reliable, accurate, and almost indestructible double-action .357 Magnum revolver. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolver-cylinder-rotation-cw-or-ccw/481025/24 "2009-01-14T01:23:19Z")
They have become quite full of themselves it seems. Their once grand line of guns for civilians has shrunk to the 1911, AR-15 and the SAA. They still have extensive lines for military and police of course, but not much for us mere _civilians_… ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolver-cylinder-rotation-cw-or-ccw/481025/25 "2009-01-14T01:44:18Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > They have become quite full of themselves it seems. Their once grand line of guns for civilians has shrunk to the 1911, AR-15 and the SAA. They still have extensive lines for military and police of course, but not much for us mere _civilians_… And of those guns, two of them (The M1911 and the SAA) are also being made by pretty much every other arms-maker on the planet and their dog. It’s a shame, really- for the better part of a century the word “Colt” was synonymous with “Handgun”, and yet now people are surprised to discover they still make firearms at all. (I have never seen a New-In-Box Colt firearm for sale in Australia, FWIW). ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolver-cylinder-rotation-cw-or-ccw/481025/26 "2009-01-14T02:15:36Z")
My Ruger GP100 .357 cylinder revolves CCW, with the cylinder opening to the left-hand side of the frame. I assume it’s to make it more “right-hand friendly.” Tripler I keep the darn thing lubed up real good in this Florida humidity too. ---
**Author:** ![Gbro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolver-cylinder-rotation-cw-or-ccw/481025/27 "2009-04-24T17:19:52Z")
From 7th Edition Military Small Arms of 20th Century by Ian V. Hogg & John S. Weeks US Revolver, Colt New Army M1892, > [@](#): > > The New Army revolver-like its New Navy predecessor- was handicapped by the anti-clockwise rotation of the cylinder (apparently insisted upon by the Navy Experts) which tended to push the cylinder out of the frame and, when worn to a sufficient degree, meant that the cylinder and barrel were not properly aligned And, US Revolver, Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector, M1899 > [@](#): > > A weapon of similar design to the various Colts, this weapon was also provided with a cylinder of counter-clock-wise rotation Then, Us Revolver, Colt Army Special, M1908 (the last of the 38 cal service revolvers) > [@](#): > > a revolver to clockwise cylinder rotation was made in this weapon, which was an improvement over most of the earlier guns. This is where Scumpup’s sources information most likely came from;) However the Navy is to blame, but the Colt was the 1st revolver corrupted:D > [@Scumpup](#): > > I remember hearing at the gun club that Colt revolvers rotate “into the frame” and S&W revolvers rotate “out of the frame” based on cylinders that swing open to the left. Colt lovers cited this as “proof” that Colt revolvers had tighter lock-up than their S&W counterparts. Just had to revive this old post when I reviewed this book. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revolver-cylinder-rotation-cw-or-ccw/481025.md?page=1)