So I ordered some 24-gage (.025") galvanized steel. Doesn't seem to be a common size, but found a person on etsy selling 8"x 8" sheets for $1 each ($6 shipping). It's really stiff, I don't even have to build up a prototype to know it won't flex like I want it to (which means the ball will have to hit it pretty hard to register, which isn't what I want). Well at least the good news is that 28-gage is readily available at home depot in 12x12 sheets, or I can acquire a 24" x 48" sheet for $18 and pop out 672 parts at 2 cents each. Hopefully I can still re-use this metal for other parts in the future (ramp flaps, ramp side rails, short guides).
