Does anyone here have any experience with (or seen in person) a Clark Gator AR?  I saw they had uppers on sale last month, and they look sweet in the pictures.  The CF free float tube looks cool...  But they are pricey.  It'd be a nice way to compliment the Ace Skeleton Stock I've put on my RRA lower...

One of the guys at our club has one, and used it to win our last 3-gun match (so I guess it works OK)

The Carbon Fiber float tube looks cool, is lightweight, and is not supposed to get hot enough to burn your hand (like the aluminum ones I've fired on occasion) but does not come with any provision for mounting a sling swivel to it.

I was impressed with it.  

The only problem the owner confessed to having was getting the sights on his detachable carry handle to line up with his detachable front sight -- The front and rear sights were from different vendors (neither were from Clark) and he had problems getting the front sight low enough to zero the rifle when the rear sight was  at "battle sight zero" position.

Thanks, I may give them a call.  There website indicates you order a bipod w/ the CF upper.  Which would be worthwhile.  I've never had a problem w/ an upper getting too hot, but admittedly I'm a newbie.  I've only fired friends AR's.  

The one time I had heat problems with aluminum free-float tubes was when I was shooting on a 95+ degree day with no shade.

The gun had been out in the sun for about an hour and the handguard was uncomfortably warm before we began shooting it.  After about 3 shots, I could *feel* the temperature of the handguard rise with each shot.  (ouch!)  I eventually resorted to putting a leather glove between my hand and the free-float tube.

The problem here is not that the aluminum reaches a higher temperature than the carbon fiber tube (a CF tube would get close to the same temp under the same conditions), it is that aluminum is *so* much better at conducting heat into the nekkid flesh of your hand than carbon is.

The Gator is a full match grade rifle and most of its cost is in the barrel.  For just the upper, the barrel and JP adjustable gas system alone cost more than some AR kits, but you get what you pay for, as the saying goes. However, to get the maximum out of this investment, it would be better to use custom loaded ammunition.  If you like to use a carbon fiber handguard, it is available separately from Brownells for around $100.

The carbon fiber tubes rule. built 2 different uppers using them. the first is on a JP medium contur barrel
[img]http://photos.ar15.com/ImageGallery/Attachments/DownloadAttach.asp?iImageUnq=12036[/img]
[img]http://photos.ar15.com/ImageGallery/Attachments/DownloadAttach.asp?iImageUnq=12033[/img]

the second is very similar to the Gator, except the gas block and the sighting platform.
[img]http://photos.ar15.com/ImageGallery/Attachments/DownloadAttach.asp?iImageUnq=17567[/img]

Damn that is sexy!  That's a JP barrel?  I'm not too familiar with JP but I like the look, and the muzzle break.  Do you have a link for JP?    

The brake on that JP barrel is a Bennie Cooley designed unit, awesome in term of allowing fast follow up shots.  I don't have the website address handi, but John Gangle's website can be found by doing a search for JP rifles.  He's a great 3 gun shooter and a match sponsor for the RM3G match in Raton, NM.

the JP has a 18" barrel. the overall weight of the rifle w/o optics is in the 7 1/2lbs range.
the link for [url=http://www.jprifles.com/]JP Rifles[/url]