Wedge key width and thickness

[smylee grouch]

Just curious what thickness and width builders make their barrel wedge keys for English, Plains rifles, Jagger or American longrifles. 

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Barrel slides can range between 1/16" up to 3/32" + or - .  I like mine thin, around 1/16" or a little thicker, ie:  .070".  As to width, around 3/8" or so, again + or -.  For Hawken rifles, slides are wider and thicker than for longrifles.  English rifles about half of what I use for plains, in thickness at least.  I use pins in Jaegers.
Slides for longrifles I often make by silversoldering a head on a strip, for example, solid pure silver head on a brass slide.  That way, I can set the angle to accommodate the angle of the forestock.  I forge my plains and English wedges from steel.

[smylee grouch]

Thanks for that input Taylor. It some what re enforces my thoughts and ideas. Making a slide and putting a head on after to fit the contour of the stock was something I had thought of so now I know I'm not too far out in left field on that idea. I think I have some 1\8th inch hot rolled stock I can forge a head on then cut the key down to 1\16th or so.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Here's the four keys I made for Brian's Rupp rifle:  .050" thick brass sheet for both slides and heads, sliver soldered at correct angle to lay flat on forestock.

[jerrywh]

I did all of mine just the same as Taylor does but I forged all of mine. I made my long rifle keys from sterling silver.