Ed,

The elevator orientation is determined by the specific sight type and the elevator style, and the rifle it is mounted on. 

Generally speaking, the 22-series sights with a 3C elevator have the thumb piece oriented in the direction of the muzzle, and the 1C elevators are always oriented towards the breech.  For the lever action rifles/carbines, it is the location of the rear sight dovetail on the barrel that determined which specific sight & elevator that Winchester used (the caliber did not have any effect on the elevator orientation).

Bert

To give you an example, the Model 94 “Transitional” Carbines used the same dovetail location for the 22-G sight as the older SRCs with the No. 44A sight.  Accordingly, they required a 3C elevator;

On the slightly later production Model 94 Carbines (Post-WW II), Winchester moved the rear sight dovetail further from the receiver frame ring and began using the 22-G sight with a 1C elevator;