Where are you buying it? I bought my last hide from Tandy and need some more. My recent purchase from Tandy is going back, it might be fine if you do not mind holes, scars and nipples. I'm not sure I could get one decent pad covering out of it.
Not sure they still carry leather hides but when I dabbled in trying my hand in doing some leather covered pads, I found some in the local Joann Fabrics. They carried some smaller decent hides in various colors. I think I still have a black one laying around somewhere. Some of the pieces were large enough to get a couple of coverings.
I've used fine goat skin from Tandy. Similar, but not the same.
Weaver leather online.Herman Oaks brand best in the US.
E bay has all sorts of hides, I get my goat hide for covering pads from them.
Bill
Steve,
Are you ordering from Tandy or buying from the store. I believe Tandy still has a warehouse store here in Denver that you might be able to hand select a hide from in person.
Just a thought.
this thread has sent me down yet another rabbit hole...i did not know that goat skin is also used for covering recoil pads. it seems to be more readily available, and most of what i've seen is about 2-3 times as thick as pig skin.
can anyone tell me characteristics/advantages of the types?
best regards,
tom
Goat is usually tougher than pig (depending on how they are tanned, respectively) and does not stretch as well--so that means you would have lots of wrinkles on the sides of the pad. That looks horrible. Splits are easier to use (both sides are rough) but not very good for pads either. Pig is still the best as far as my experience would dictate.
Gil
I would offer another opinion than Gil. I have used goat and found it stretched extremely easily. It, or the goat I had, was a lot thicker than pig, the young pig anyway, and the goat skin seemed to scuff rather easily. Remember what footballs are made of, "the old pigskin".
A lot of this depends on the leather one has, I have gotten nice thin pig (young) from Oregon Leather, in Portland, as I remember. Just tell them what you need and the thickness you want. Sometimes Tandy has skins in the store so you can see what you're getting.
What ounce is best to try?
1.5 to 2 oz seems to work well for me.
someone posted a note here on using shooting or dress gloves for leather pads. It's on my bucket list to try one day, but I have no need for one yet.
I have purchased vintage leather purses from thrift stores that seemed to be the ideal "cut". Unfortunately, they were misplaced in my 2017 move. I notice that Tony is sending guns out with the best leather covered pads I have ever seen, but I don't expect him to tell you how his guys do it. My Inverness 20 gauge from Tony has the best leather covered pad I own. Is there any chance he does them for us common folk?