Gibson & Barnes M422a, Us Wings $195

[ButteMT61]

BTW, I was not trying to say USW is a better jacket than G&B. I only posted my experiences of the USW for info's sake.

 

[Brettafett]

Deacon, that is a good looking M422 and the fit in the pics is spot on. I would have picked one up by now, were it not for the sizing issues. I am currently in South Africa, so have the same problem as others regs fit and returns.
Flashy, why not contact them and provide measurements of a jacket that fits you well and go from there. Bear in mind the G1 and M422 do have a unique fit, the underarm gussets and bi-swing back make movement easier and the sleeves ride up less when outstreched. Also the M422a's collar is usually a bit more pointed.

 

[Fanch]

I'll try to compare and contrast the G-1 and M-422A when I visit the G&B factory next month. Rather than the G-1 or M-422A, my plan is to go with an AN-J-3.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Flashy I've owned 4 G&B's but not the models discussed here. They were all 42T and they all are cut the same size. They are not a trim cut but I woudln't say there were all that large - I wear 42 in most clothes. I'm 185 pounds and 6 feet 2.

 

[nick123]

I'd be interested to hear if anyone's noticed a change in patterns in the last year or so. I tried on a Civil A-2 (identical size) earlier this year and compared it to one I owned a while back and it wasn't the same jacket. The upper torso/shoulders seemed to be remade to a more "modern" fit. The old one was purchased 2-3 years ago.

 

[Seb Lucas]

What does more modern fit mean, Nick? Larger cut?

 

[nick123]

What does more modern fit mean, Nick? Larger cut?

Yeah. Not attractive!
But I could be very wrong and this could have been a one-time thing.

 

[kampkatz]

"Modern fit" sadly indicates the plumper tendency of today's majority of Amercans, too many who find the "couch potato" existence acceptable.

 

[ButteMT61]

"Modern fit" sadly indicates the plumper tendency of today's majority of Amercans, too many who find the "couch potato" existence acceptable.

Let's not limit this to the Americans. I get that the average person here is likely larger than in 1955, but I think there's plenty of fat to go around.
I also like couches and potatoes. lol

 

[Fanch]

I dunno Butte. Your recent pictures have the look of a "lean, mean, fightin' machine.

 

[strokes1251]

I had an A2 from US Wings back when I wanted to try out an A2 (I know this isn't the style of the jacket you want but I'm sure the way the fit is on this style will most likely be on the other jackets they offer) and just like nick123 said it was a larger cut. I bought a small and it fit like a big Medium needless to say I didn't keep it.

 

[ButteMT61]

I dunno Butte. Your recent pictures have the look of a "lean, mean, fightin' machine.

They're not mutually exclusive Richard! lol

 

[nick123]

They were a large cut before and now they're larger!

I'll keep quiet until I find out more about this. Like I said, it could have been an off jacket. If they did change the pattern, hopefully it's limited to their base models and not their "historic" line, which includes the M-422a. When I returned mine, I didn't bother to ask them the question. I simply remarked it didn't fit like the old ones used to.
Definitely go at least one size down for any future purchases though.

 

[kojax]

all my a2jackets and g1 jackets are a size 38

 

[Deacon211]

They were a large cut before and now they're larger!

I'll keep quiet until I find out more about this. Like I said, it could have been an off jacket. If they did change the pattern, hopefully it's limited to their base models and not their "historic" line, which includes the M-422a. When I returned mine, I didn't bother to ask them the question. I simply remarked it didn't fit like the old ones used to.
Definitely go at least one size down for any future purchases though.

I'd submit that the sizing is a pattern change as mine was the same. Actually, in trying to find one that worked for me, I tried a 44R, 46R, and 46T and they were all full around the middle. Personally, I didn't find it horrifyingly large, but I just thought it didn't look like the trim G-1 I had been issued which is what I was hoping for and what the G+B jackets used to be cut like.

I usually wear a 46 jacket now and I am 6'2", 223lbs, and have a 39-40in waist. So, I am not exactly at my Marine fighting weight anymore (which was more 207lbs and 36in around the waist) and the G+B is still amply sized around the middle for me. Actually, I was kind of settling on the 44, but it really gave no room for me to grow in the shoulders and I may yet fatten up now that I am old.

I asked about the change of pattern and sent a link to Moore's website to show what I meant but, while the sales manager was nice enough to pass along the info to his designer, we never heard back from him. Drew, the Sales Manager, did say that we could always make a custom jacket to match my size, but he also said that it would be more expensive to do so.

It's a tough call, as they make a really nice jacket. If you had a doubt, I'd almost go as far as to say that it would be worth the extra dough to have them custom make a jacket to your size. Unfortunately, I don't quite know how you would ensure that the cut was appropriate for the G-1, but sized for you.



While we are on the topic, I can also say that my Cockpit USA G-1 was also a great jacket and much better than my issue. It was cut a slight amount larger than my issue jacket, but still fit well. Of course, that was twenty years ago and I can't say what the current cut or quality of the brand is nowadays. There was a revived thread here recently showing a Cockpit G-1 and it still looked like a quality jacket.



As for the differences between the G-1 and M-422A in addition to those already mentioned are the following:

-The G-1 has a heavy brass zipper while the 422A has a lighter silver (zinc plated?) zipper.

-The G-1 has a rounded collar while the 422A is pointed.

-The G-1 has doubled knits on the cuffs and waist while the 422A has a unique single layer "rib-rack"...almost looks like a tightly knitted afghan. The 422A knits are also wool which the modern G-1s are not. The G-1 collars may or may not be wool depending on how "accurate" the maker is making them (issue G-1s are issued with synthetic collars).


Deacon

 

[Deacon211]

Cross posted from another thread, but thought it germane to followers here....


...Also, while I was there I noted that they sell Cockpit USA jackets in both the Pensacola Naval Exchange and the museum. These seem like the "mil-spec" ones that the Cockpit offers, but they feel kind of floppy compared to the one I bought many years ago. Maybe they make them softer these days because no one wanted to walk around looking like an FNG while their jacket broke in. Another thing that I thought was interesting is that they really cut the bottom corners off the pockets, much more so than on any jacket I've ever seen. It does make it look a bit like a caricature of a G-1 or maybe "a G-1 writ large" might be a better way of putting it. Still and all, it seems to fit well enough, though it has some odd angles that I think just require some wearing out. The leather was a bit variable across jackets but looks nicely grained in the pics. I suspect that some of these jackets have been sitting around on the hangers for a long time since the last place you are likely to sell a G-1 jacket is on the base where they hand the real ones out for free.

I also wonder a bit if the Cockpit didn't supply a sort of "G-1 Lite" to the museum for mass production. These were running between $450 and $470 which is what they are in the catalogues. As the museum isn't above a little price gouging, I was surprised that they weren't charging more.

So, I guess I'm saying that this may not be the state of the art of the Cockpit G-1.











Deacon

 

[Buick8]

I have had experience with Cockpitusa. Most of their jackets are cut large and the arms have a rather billow appearance. They recently started modifying the Raider jacket so it does not slope down the shoulders as much as it did before. SCHOTT has a better overall fit if you like that company. No experience with US wings and I am getting some information from G&B on some of their jackets. Diesel makes some great stuff too. Have tried Cockpit on 3 different occasions and did not like the fit on any. I like them fit more trim.

 

[Fanch]

I had an opportunity to visit G&B factory in San Diego last week prior to departing on a Hawaiian cruise and found I much preferred their "historic" jackets this time, specifically their A-2 models 31, 41, and 43, as well as their 442A. Even their historic jackets run a bit big but definitely more form fitting. I settled on a 42 long A-2 model 31 with silk lining and exceptionally nice vegetable tanned goatskin, much nicer than their goatskin used on their other jackets.

 

[polocoat]

That GB Mark 31 is a fine jacket and it looks great on you. Could you please tell us the measurements of the jacket? Also, what are your chest, shoulders, and sleeve measurements? Thanks

 

[kojax]

to me the jacket looks big on him. i had couple of gibson barnes jackets they run big. they have nice leather