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It appears that the proper thickness of the material for a shim would be about 18 gauge, ..
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The key here is not the thickness of the stock used, but the length of the finished repair, shim installed.
And, this is something that needs to be hand fitted for each individual gun. Careful measuring is needed, to accurately determine how much length it will take to restore each shaved cylinder to factory spec length, and no more.
THEN, the shim must be installed correctly.
The right thickness for gun A, could be too thick, or not thick enough for gun B, or gun K, despite being right for the guns in between.
The British stopped making, and officially "retired" the Mk VI (the last .45 cal Webley) in the early 1920s. They were retained as the substitute standard, and did serve though WWII. Replacement parts only come from junked guns stripped for parts, or in very rare cases, made from scratch.