If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Re: If it ain't broke don't fix it.
The new style is cheaper to manufacture, but does not seal nearly as well in my opinion. If you look at the original beveled mating surfaces it's not hard to understand why. I won't use them. My 49 and 46 year old guns both wear their original pistons and piston seals (the proper nomenclature). The original style is bringing a premium on ebay and other places, but NuLine makes a stainless replica version that's pretty reasonable from MidWay or Brownells should yours really need replacing. Just because they get discolored don't think they are bad, and don't get overly zealous with steel wool or you will really shorten their lives. If you get some replacements try them out immediately because I have seen issues with a couple of sets. They replaced them with zero hassle and the replacement sets were both fine.
What could have happened... did.