Trigger Guard material

[BillC]

I have just made my first two piece butt plate from .060 steel and am in the process of installing it. Next I'll need to make a trigger guard of course. What thickness of steel do those of you who make your own guards use? Is the .060 enough or should I get someting thicker? Thanks in advance.
Bill

[rsells]

I have used .080, .100, and .120 inch material and tend to not want to use anything thinner than .100 inch thickness.  The .080 material felt springy when handled, and I have stayed with the two thicker options since then.  A concaved cross section running across the inside trigger bow will make it more rigid, but still leaves it too springy across the rail and back final.  The .120 feels better but requires a bit more work to make and clean up to the final profile/finish.
                                                        Roger Sells

[Acer Saccharum]

.120 should do it, or 1/8" cold rolled stock. You need to have some extra thickness to file out all the marks from bending and hammering.

[KentSmith]

I use 1/8" X 1/2" for a basic southern triggerguard.  I use 3/16" X 1/2" if I want a nice bolster at the front of the bow.  The way I was shown to make those - I need some extra thickness to get the bow width right.  Also for this last,  wrought iron seems to work better.

[Ken G]

1/8" seems to work good for me and you can pick it up at Northern Tool, Ace Hardware, Home Depot, and Tractor Supply.  Comes in several widths.
Ken

[Lord Calvin]

When I took the forging gun mounts class last fall at Conner Prairie. We
used 1/4 x 1/2 inch mild steel. That may seem a little heavy, but it let's you
draw out a wider trigger bow. That was a good class. I would recomend it to everyone.

[BillC]

Thanks. I have some 1/8" that I originally got for the trigger guard. I'll give it a try this weekend if I get a chance.
Bill