Position of loading gate

[guzzijohn]

Just was curious why SA revolvers have the loading gate on the right side. I am a lefty and the gate position appears handier for a lefty than a right handed shooter.
GuzziJohn

[Luckyducker]

Funny you should mention this, I think the same thing every time I shoot my Blackhawk and I am a righty.  It always seemed backwards/awkward to me but I figured I was just not handling it correctly.  I have shot with another lefty and he always made reloading his single actions look so easy, guess its kinda funny I never considered the setup more dedicated to a person of left handed persuasion.

[Flint]

Two theories I have heard, one is that Sam Colt was left handed, don't know it it's true.

The other is that the revolver was to be used in the left hand, as the Cavalryman's sword is in his right hand.

[Lloyd Smale]

if you like them to make more sense go here http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/board,183.0.html  texas longhorn guns addressed this consern

[LRB]

  I don't see the problem. Anyway you load or unload takes two hands. I think it came from the C&B revolvers. It is just easier to load caps right handed, unless one is a lefty. When the conversions appeared, that is where the loading gate had to go. Why is the loading port on a lever action on the right side?

[Golfswithwolves]

Samuel Colt may or may not have been left-handed, but he had been in the grave for a decade before the Colt Single Action Army was designed. I speculate that the design of the SAA just followed along after that of the cap & ball revolvers which preceded it. Those had the recoil shield opening on the right side to make it easier for right-handed shooters to place the caps on the cylinders, and therefore the cartridge conversions of these revolvers had their loading gates on the right side too. Folks probably reckoned that was the way to go when the SAA revolver was thought up. 

[Golfswithwolves]

I see that LRB just previously said the same thing I did; sorry to repeat!