If, for some reason, you are afraid that the plate can't be bent without cracking or breaking, there is another option. A little more work, but an option just the same. Put the plate on the gun with the screws, but leave the screws slack enough so that you can slip a long strip of coarse emery cloth between the plate and the wood, grit side down towards the wood. Holding the end of the emery strip with one hand, apply gentle pressure down on the middle of the buttplate with the other hand, and slowly pull the emery cloth strip out, allowing it to cut the wood as it comes out. You pull slightly up ("up", meaning that the buttstock is in a vise with the head down and the buttplate up) as the emery is pulled out. This slight upward pull prevents the cutting side from rounding off the edge of the butt.
This is repeated many times, until the places that need "relieving" have been cut away by the emery. The emery strip, having no cutting action on the top side does no damage to the back of the buttplate whatsoever. Done with patience, this method will result in as near a perfect fit as is humanly possible, with a very large percentage of contact between the two surfaces. This is the method I used to use when fitting brass or iron crescent buttplates to rifle stocks. I've used it on shotguns many times as well.
Don't take my mention of this as an effort to try to prevent you from bending the horn buttplate. Only you are able to look at it and decide it you are willing to go the route Kutter described. I only mention it as a possible alternative, that will require no refinishing of the wood or the buttplate, if done properly.
Best wishes with it!
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