My personal preference is a longer toe plate. Given that the butt plate has a deep crescent, and a longer run on top, I think a longer toe plate just gives the gun better symmetry in that area. That toe can be pretty fragile, so I like to keep the rear most screw a little forward. The material for this toe plate is just under 1/16". It's about .050. If you do a simple squared off toe plate, a rasp, a sharp chisel, and some patience will do the job just fine.