Sig Sauer MCX Rattler Handguard, 5.56mm 5" Low Profile, MLOK Black

Having a 300 blackout Sig Rattler I wanted the 556/223 barrel just so I could switch between the two as 556/223 ammo is much cheaper and easier to find. So I bought the barrel, but was advised by the Sig website that the 300 blackout handguard would not work with the 556/223 barrel and I would need to buy the 556/223 handguard for it to work. Doing research I found that the 300 barrel and 556 barrel are not the exact same other than one being 300 caliber and the other 22 cal. The 556 barrel has the gas block way more forward on the barrel than the 300 barrel thus the reason the 300 blackout handguard would not fit with the 556 barrel. So I bought the 556 handguard and it looks great and works perfectly. But being the curious person I am, I put the 300 blackout handguard back on with the 556 barrel to see if it would work and guess what...it does. The 300 blackout handguard fits with no issue other than a cosmetic appearance, which is that the gas block sticks past the front of the handguard by about half an inch whereas when the 556 handguard is on, only the flash hider sticks past the front of the handguard. So clearly the 556 handguard with the 556 barrel makes the gun look better when used together, but the 556 handguard is absolutely not necessary if you purchase the 556 barrel as Sig says it won't work, but I can attest that is not the case. Now with all that being said if you can pay $2500.00 for a 300 Blackout Sig Rattler and then another $700.00 for the 556 barrel then would another $200.00 for the 556 handguard really break the bank? The only real reason I will stay using the 300 blackout handguard over the 556 one is that once you put a front sight on it, you would also have to put a front sight on the 556 handguard as well. So for me the 300 handguard works just fine with about a half inch of gas block showing...not a big deal for me.