Butt plate thickness

[dstock]

Curious to  what thickness metal you guys use when making Tennessee mountain rifle butt plates? I have been using 14 gauge (.074). I am thinking about going to 13 gauge (.090). I know some were pretty thin, but I like a little more metal showing on the sides. Will be a bit more difficult to form because I make mine rounded in the cross section as the originals were. Can I go even thicker and still cold form it by hand?
Thanks for any and all information and comments
 

[RAT]

I used .090 once. It seemed too thin. I've switched to 1/8" (.125). But I forge them in... well... a forge. So I'm using heat. A member of our guild here in town said he used store-bought black iron pipe. He splits it with a saw and forges the half-pipes to shape. I don't know how thick that is, but it's probably around 1/8".

[Bob Roller]

Tom Dawson told me about 50 years ago he made Hawken butt plates from "black iron"pipe.
Bob Roller

[ericxvi]

The last two I made were forged from authentic wrought iron about 1/8" thick.
I highly recommend it.

Eric

[Daniel Coats]

It's also possible to use different thicknesses. I've been using thinner material for the comb and 1/8 for the back strap and toe plate. Then I get them hot and beat them with two different size hammers on my anvil. Toe plate is made wider and thinner with straight sides. The comb is tapered front to back and also top to bottom. The back strap is left thicker along the center line tapering towards the edges and wider where it needs to be wider and using the Horn of the anvil it gets its curved shape.

[Daniel Coats]

No butt plates thin and flat everywhere that look like they were made out of a soup can please!   

[dstock]

I agree and don't make them that way ever. I am going to try the black pipe thing. I do have a propane forge.   

[heinz]

 "Can I go even thicker and still cold form it by hand?"

It depends how good you are with a hammer.  The problem is hammering will work harden and, more importantly, fatigue the steel and you will start to see stress cracks, especially at the edges.  If you have access to a propane torch (or whatever witch's brew is replacing propane) you can anneal the steel at red heat.  Red heat also greatly eases hammer shaping.  I like like working 12 gauge hot rolled steel cold.
I have never tried working wrought iron cold.   

[Daniel Coats]

Curt Lyles told me the secret to hand forging is in the file work you do at the end.

[David Rase]

Using too thick of metal when making a 2 piece buttplate leaves it a lifeless blob of metal.  I like using .090".  It leaves the buttplate light and feeling alive.  I used to use .090" for the plate and .125" for the return.  I have since switched to using .090" for both pieces and have never looked back.  I only use .125" for an early 1 piece steel plate.
David   

[Not English]

The last one I did was black iron pipe along with heat followed by a file. A butt plate needs shape.