Looking at a sweet deal on a Gen 3 P415 and trying to realistically compare features per dollar against the current gen 4 guns. The trigger guard bolt catch is cool but mainly interested in the new chamber / barrel porting to aid extraction and curious if its just a sales / solution to a non issue or if its something really worth having. Like new model cars I never like to be the 1st owner of a new design.

I have a Gen 4 in 10.5 and 16 inch barrels. I have not had any issues as long as the ammo is SAMMI spec. I've had some cheaper ammo jam in the chamber because it was out of tolerance. I'd stick to newly manufactured rather than reloads.

I shoot them suppressed 99% of the time. Never had a problem with extraction. The chamber does get dirtier than I expected from a piston. I'm not sure if it's the E2 leaking a little extra gas or from the back pressure from the can. I am glad mine are NP3 coated though, clean up is significantly easier. As an FYI, the BCG and the upper channel will discolor over time with usage. I talked with Robar and they said it's normal and not to worry about it. The NP3 coating is still okay.

I am definitely glad I got the Gen 4 over the 3. The ergonomics of the bolt catch / release is nice. It's better (IMHO) than trying to find a BAD lever that will work with the POF lowers. The Magpul ones don't. The E2 is an added bonus. If it does extend the life of the extractor so much the better.

If it was me, I'd only get a Gen 3 if it was significantly less expensive than a Gen 4. Looking forward, everything POF makes will be Gen 4 oriented so if you want to future proof .........

Btw, I replaced the regular POF trigger (which is awesome in and of itself) with their EFP2 trigger. It's even better!

Thx.
I just purchased the GEN 3 , NP3 in the 14.5" barrel so I will have to see how it runs, The ambi bolt catch in the trigger guard is the only item I feel I am missing if the gun runs well. The gas assist extraction sounds good but is blowing carbon / gas thru the action which is kind of counter productive of the piston system in the 1st place. My old HK would make new brass look like something that came out of a house fire. POF makes nice stuff regardless of GEN.

Well, I see that my answer is late to the party, but I'm running a late model Gen3 16", and love it.  Only missing the ambi catch, and I don't like the E2 system, and I got it at clearance prices.  Mines black, but I would have loved an NP3, and I sometimes wish mine had been a 14.5" like my latest gas build.

 

But for the prices of some gen3 vs gen4, it's almost a no brainer to me to get gen3 if you like the feature set.

Some people need the latest and greatest so a new Gen 3 with the warranty tag still hanging on it is low risk.
I have always like the POF guns and never managed to get into the right "deal" but this one worked out perfect for me.

Ready for the range.......