The pivoting pin at the bottom and the spring-loaded latch that Burgess added to the design allowed the gun to be carried in a folded state and snapped into a locked firing condition with a flip of the wrist. In fact, Burgess sold a belt holster for the shotgun to allow one to carry it under a coat in just that manner.
Burgess salesman Charlie Dammon – an impressive exhibition shooter – made an appointment with then New York City Police Board President Theodore Roosevelt in 1885, and arrived concealing a loaded Burgess in a holster under his coat. After exchanging a few greetings, Dammon thoroughly startled Roosevelt by whipping out the gun, snapping it shut, and blasting six blanks into the ceiling of the office. Roosevelt, always one to be enthusiastic about weapons technology, promptly order one hundred of the guns for use in the New York State Penal System
Ian’s Video: [7:20] https://youtu.be/HXvmGtLYwKA?si=
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a17376/folding-shotgun/
Shards of hot plastic beg to disagree
Shotguns use relatively low pressure compared to rifle rounds, but yes, you’ll likely need some pipe from a hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes to contain and direct the small explosion and the slugs/buckshot. In terms of the design I’m suggesting, there will of course be metal parts but like most modern firearms, polymers can make up a lot of the firearm and its ammunition feeding system. A shotgun designed to be used in shooting competitions or duty use isn’t wood stocked, wood is just too heavy by comparison to plastics.