PMAG Comparison Part 3

To top it all off.

The three generations of dust cover are oh-so-similar, but oh-so-different.

L->R Gen 1, Rev M / Gen M2 MOE, Gen M3

They're not fully compatible.

Gen 1, Rev M and Gen M3 shipped with a dust-cover.   Gen M2 MOE did not, ironic since it still has the provision to store it at the bottom of the mag.

Since the Gen M2 MOE doesn't ship with dust covers, Magpul will sell them separately for those who want them.  This does you no good if you've lost a Gen 1 or Gen M3 cover.

The Gen M3 cover doesn't fit any of the preceding generations because it's got a wider plug on the latch at the spine, so it won't get near locking.

The Gen M2 cover clips right onto a Gen M3 magazine, but leaves a gap at the rear, ruining the whole point of it being a dust cover!

The Gen M2 cover can be forced onto a Gen 1, but the fit is less than ideal.

The lugs are just barely hanging on here.

I was able to find, yet another, Gen 1 PMAG at one of the local pawn shops and it came with a dust cover!

The Gen 1 cover will latch onto a Rev M / Gen M2 MOE, but the latch is barely holding.  Breathing on it hard is almost enough to make it let go.  It has the same problem when attached to a Gen M3, while also leaving the same gap as on an M2.

They're pretty simple to tell apart from the markings.

Gen 1:

Doesn't that fit look better than with the Rev M / Gen M2 MOE cover?

The "REMOVE BEFORE USE" meshes nicely with the "Use top impact cover when storing magazine loaded" on the body.

Just a mold number underneath.

Rev M / Gen M2 MOE:

Instructions in the valley have been removed.

The 'M' for Rev M appears with a couple of mold marks.

Gen M3:

Name moved to the valley.

Gen M3 logo, mold marks, date stamp and EN number added.