Sorry if I am out of synch and not familiar with this gun, so, here is a link. Any history would be interesting. I did a search here and got a bazillion pages with no reference.
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Dans Club
March 2, 2008
Mitchell fell into the DW look-a-like market with it's ownership of the High Standard name. That revolver should be functionally a Dan Wesson, and they were (I think) made under the Mitchell name for just a year or two. Mitchell was based in Texas and California as best I recall, and I sometimes see Mitchell .22lr High Standard target pistols in one local shop. Word on the street is that they ( the .22 lr pistols) are "High Standard" in name and design only, not in terms of quality
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
Supporter
February 18, 2010
Steve CT said
Mitchell fell into the DW look-a-like market with it's ownership of the High Standard name. That revolver should be functionally a Dan Wesson, and they were (I think) made under the Mitchell name for just a year or two. Mitchell was based in Texas and California as best I recall, and I sometimes see Mitchell .22lr High Standard target pistols in one local shop. Word on the street is that they ( the .22 lr pistols) are "High Standard" in name and design only, not in terms of quality
I'm unclear about the relationship between or among, Dan Wesson, High Standard and Mitchell based on your post. It almost sounds like the Mitchell Titan was a Dan Wesson made under the Mitchell name. Did DW license the design to Mitchell or to High Standard and through High Standard to Mitchell?
Thanks!
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
My take on DW>HS>Mitchell is:
Very early on in the Dan Wesson story, there was a close relationship between Dan Wesson and High Standard, a very logical one because DW was a new "start-up" in the Connecticut Valley firearms industry, and High Standard was an established maunfacturer in the same area. Monson, MA and Hamden, CT are about 40 miles apart. The were also very "co-located" with Colt and S&W, in a very highly precision industrialized area.
In this era HS made DW revolvers under their name. High Standard and Dan Wesson went through a series of relocations/reorganizations/...
Ultimately DW went through the Monson/Palmer/Norwich evolutions, HS went through the Hamden/East Hartford/California/Texas evolutions, the latter two were "Mitchell Times" where they built pretty much what they wanted to based on owning the High Standard name, which HAD enjoyed a close DW relationship and HAD made DW revolvers
Basically, a Mitchell "DW" is the DW revolver, made by ???
Sorry this is hard to follow, a Mitchell DW might be a good gun, it's a DW at heart with unknown execution in manufacture.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
Dans Club
DWF Supporters
April 20, 2010
March 27, 2013
I saw one of these last weekend at a gun shop in San Antonio. I asked the owner if he had any Dans. He said, "Nope, but I do have a knockoff".
This particular model had a gold hammer and trigger and the standard grips. They wanted $425 for it. I held the gun and it certainly doesn't have the same feel as a Monson gun. It felt lighter and the trigger wasn't as nice.
This was at Don's Gun shop in San antonio.
Supporter
February 18, 2010
Steve CT said
My take on DW>HS>Mitchell is:Very early on in the Dan Wesson story, there was a close relationship between Dan Wesson and High Standard, a very logical one because DW was a new "start-up" in the Connecticut Valley firearms industry, and High Standard was an established maunfacturer in the same area. Monson, MA and Hamden, CT are about 40 miles apart. The were also very "co-located" with Colt and S&W, in a very highly precision industrialized area.
In this era HS made DW revolvers under their name. High Standard and Dan Wesson went through a series of relocations/reorganizations/...
Ultimately DW went through the Monson/Palmer/Norwich evolutions, HS went through the Hamden/East Hartford/California/Texas evolutions, the latter two were "Mitchell Times" where they built pretty much what they wanted to based on owning the High Standard name, which HAD enjoyed a close DW relationship and HAD made DW revolvers
Basically, a Mitchell "DW" is the DW revolver, made by ???
Sorry this is hard to follow, a Mitchell DW might be a good gun, it's a DW at heart with unknown execution in manufacture.
So, High Standard at some point in early in their history actually made Dan Wesson revolvers? That is, HS manufactured revolvers for Dan Wesson which were branded Dan Wesson? Then there is the design. How is it that Mitchell Arms can make a gun of that design without it being licensed or in some way permitted by Dan Wesson? I would assume they had a patent on the design.
There are designs which seem to be in the public arena, like the Browning 1911. There are others which have been licensed and manufactured elsewhere as with the Browning Hi Power. I had a Hi Power made in Argentina (not an FEG) on Browning equipment under Browning supervision) and then there is the CZ designs which are made by all kinds of people with their own take. I guess I'm not clear how all that comes about without patent infringement or licensing.
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
SIGWolf-
I missed/skipped a step in all of this. In the early DW/HS days, High Standard had their own High Standard named revolvers, which were the DW Small Frame that we know and love. Exactly the same gun except for the name engraved on the frame. As High Standard went through it's various evolutions, I assume that the rights to manufacture that design followed along, just like the rights to make any other High Standard pistol/revolver.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
Supporter
February 18, 2010
Steve CT said
SIGWolf-I missed/skipped a step in all of this. In the early DW/HS days, High Standard had their own High Standard named revolvers, which were the DW Small Frame that we know and love. Exactly the same gun except for the name engraved on the frame. As High Standard went through it's various evolutions, I assume that the rights to manufacture that design followed along, just like the rights to make any other High Standard pistol/revolver.
Thanks Steve, it's clearer. I'm still not clear though on how it came to be that High Standard was making what was a Dan Wesson revolver with the High Standard name on it. Did DW license the design to them? What small frame was it in Dan Wesson terms?
**update**
So, thanks to the good ole internet, I found some pictures of Mk II and Mk III High Sentinel revolvers and see they look like model 14 and 15 "porkchop" Dan Wessons. Are the parts interchangeable? Could you put a DW barrel on a High Standard for example?
"Life does not have to be perfect, just lived".
"Deserves got nothin' to do with it".
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Dans Club
December 4, 2011
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
SIGWolf- It is not clear how the interconnection with DW and HS occurred, except that it happened in a very different time (early 70's) and the geography (about 40 miles apart) allowed for things that would not be possible now.
Any HS with Hamden on the frame is an exact substitution for a Monson DW. The later Mitchell models should be from the information that is available to us.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
Supporter
Moderators
January 24, 2009
Here is a thread that should help with the HS/DW connection. It starts out with many questions, as we were all learning about these guns. Most of the good info from a reputable guy is on page two...
https://www.danwessonforum.com/forum/dan-wesson-history/dan-wesson-high-standard/
A Colt? A python without a vent rail? wouldn't mind to posses a guardian ll. I have a Mitchell HS sharpshooter ll 22lr. Haven't used it much yet. Seems a solid shooter. Hey, the barrel comes off. Have to look for different lengths. Something about interchangable barrels makes me lose all self control. Also intrigued by the .22 mag sentinel mk lV. Has anyone had / have one? Opinions? Ole Dog
Supporter
Moderators
January 24, 2009
Dans Club
December 5, 2008
Ole Dog, I had a Sentinel Mark IV. I too am a fan of 22 mag. However, it had fixed sights and it would not get closer than 6 inches to point of aim at 10 yds. Sold it for less than I paid for it. Too bad, cause I really liked the gun. I have other High Standards that are great shooters. All at least 40 years old. I especially like the Sentinel Deluxe 22 revolver. The Mark IV was likely just an exception.
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