M 444 questions

[johnny english]

Does anyone know who does a good M 444 repro ?

I spotted this on ebay , anyone know anything about AWA ?

http://cgi.ebay.com.my/AUTHENTIC-WWII-U ... 0150883107

 

[Falcon_52]

As far as I know, only The Few and U.S. Authentic make a M-444 repro jacket. I think Real McCoy discontinued this model from their standard lineup. You may be able to pick up a used 1990s Willis & Geiger repro M-444 on Ebay for a price that is much less than The Few version.

I like my repro Willis & Geiger but I think the pile is a little bit too thick compared to an original. Overall though it's a nice jacket - after 10 years the seal brown is starting to fade into a reddish brown in some places and the wool is a buttermilk color (not bright white).

Noel

 

[deeb7]

For pictures of The Few/Real McCoy's M444, check out Bevan's thread here ...

viewtopic.php?p=9793#p9793

 

[johnny english]

That Jacket of Bevans is fantastic.

The ones on US authentic look a bit long to me .

I especially like the smaller collar on the M 444 compared to the ANJ 4 and with the thinner fleece is probably more wearable

 

[zoomer]

The US-A '444 is long - about hipster length. Originally it was strictly a waist jacket.

I quite enjoy mine - the 1/2" fleece is quite warm without being overly bulky, and the extra length in body and sleeves makes it even warmer. I was out in it in -20° temps with -40° wind chills last week and was quite comfortable.
Another nice feature is the full-length zipper - no need for latching or snapping the collar.

The Few is undoubtedly a lot closer to the originals, but you will pay more than you would for other makes of similar quality (Eastman, eg). Then again, they do not repro the '444, or even the '445. They are mostly the property of the Japanese makers who do very limited editions.

About the eBay jacket - don't buy any original Navy sheepskin with the intent to wear it. They were treated with a waterproofing which 60+ years later makes the leather very brittle and easy to tear.

AWA? Only Navy reference I can pick up is Automated Weapons Assembly.
It could also mean an antiaircraft unit (AA) someplace (or some ship) beginning with "W".