Tennessee Style Mounts

[KC]

I've been wanting to make some parts for a Tennessee style rifle I've been collecting parts for. I wanted to work on the butt plate because I just got a neat swage that looks like it will be helpful. I have a cast steel butt plate from TOTW and pulled some patterns from it to make a two piece butt plate from sheet steel. I was wondering what would be an appropriate gauge of sheet steel to start with. I wanted to use 14 ga. but could only find 16 ga. at my local hardware store. Is 16 ga. going to be too thin?

Also, I had made some ram rod thimbles from 22 ga. steel because that's all I had, is 22 ga. going to be thick enough or should I try something like 20 ga.?

I've noticed my hardware store never has the gauge of sheet steel I'm looking for.

[flinchrocket]

I think 1/8 would be better. I made a early wide steel buttplate out 14 ga and it was pretty flimsy when it came time to inlet. Also,you will lose a little material when you clean it up.

[KC]

Thanks, so 16 ga. is probably a waste of time. I can make some nice templates out of it I guess.

[flinchrocket]

I'm pretty sure Mark Brier makes his Hawken  buttplates out of 1/8. You could use the 16 ga for a couple practice pieces and see how they work out, but I think you will find them a little thin.

[David Rase]

I like to use something in the .090" to .100" thickness range for both the plate and the return on TN style butt plates.  If I am going to file some facets on the return then I use .125" for the return.
David

[Mark Elliott]

I use 1/8" blanks for my butt pieces.

[KC]

Thanks for all the input. There was a rifle posted here awhile back and the guy that made that butt plate told me he used 14 ga. and I believe he cold formed it. I agree and think I’d probably like the results better if made from 1/8” steel. I have a piece that should be wide enough for the plate and return, I think I’ll cut out the pieces and see how that goes. 

[Mark Elliott]

Be aware that the piece stretches both ways even just imparting a curve to it.   Make your blank a little under size unless you want to file off a lot.   You should taper the edges (by forging) which will stretch the blank even more.  Just to be clear,  I forge hot.    For the plate,  I use a swage block to fold it lengthwise.   Then I hammer that curve down on the flat on the anvil to get the plate to curve around crosswise.   I don't completely hammer out the first curve.  I finish the top of the curve around the horn.   The heel is real simple in that it is just one fold/curve hammered into the swage block.   If it takes more that a few heats to completely forge your butt piece,  you are doing something wrong. 

[Hungry Horse]

I no longer make my buttplates out of two pieces. I got a set of Southern mountain hardware from an old rifle that burned up in a fire, that had a beautiful hand forged buttplate. I was shocked to find it wasn’t riveted, and brazed together. It simply had a waste filed, or forged at the juncture of the buttplate, and the heal, that was filed to fit when folded, and forge brazed. That would almost eliminate the parts creeping when the brass flows.

  Hungry Horse