QUOTE (SSGN_Doc @ November 4th 2009 10:02 AM)

Your gas tube length is determined by where your gas port is drilled into the barrel. You can't just put a longer or shorter gas tube on a barrel that is already set up with a particular gas system (rifle, mid-length, or carbine length.) Well you could but it would involve welding the old port and drilling a new one, but to get the work done right, it would be cheaper to buy a new barrel.
If you are thinking of going with a longer handguard set-up then you would just put on a low profile gas block that the float tube will cover, or shave down your front sight base to make a low profile gas block. You can then bolt on a front sight in fornt of the handguard or get a rail mounted sight to replace the front sight.
Ahhhh...... gotcha. that makes sense! Learning something new everyday. This is my first AR, so i'm still learning about all the various parts.
I dont want to do any mods to the gas block or barrel. I'll have to go with the 7.0 or find a rail with a slot for the front sight.