I have several S&W and Colt revolvers and I noticed that the Colt cylinders don't seem to spin as effortlessly when the crane or yoke is open, compared to S&W cylinders.
The lock up and timing on the Colts I have are fine from what I can tell. The cylinder faces are not rubbing against the barrel forcing cones, either.

The Colts in question are a 1955 Agent, a 1964 Cobra, both well used, and a NIB 1993 Cobra.

The cylinders on all of my S&Ws, from J frames to N frames spin a lot easier than any of the Colts do.

Thanks in advance.

They rotate the opposite way as well.

Yes sir, they do, but that doesn't help with my questions!

The Colt is under spring tension from the extractor spring causing pressure against the crane. The S&W cylinder assembly is complete in itself and does not have any pressure exerted against the yoke. The assemblies are completely different.

Thank you very much for your answer, Alk8944. I suspected it was due to differences in design. Even the lockworks are different. But, I wasn't sure, and here and the Coltforums are the places to find out.