If you need to pump the gas at all you have a problem. The B carburator is designed so that as long as the choke is on and fuel is in the bowl your engine will have a rich enough mixture to start. If you have an auto choke you have to give the pedal one pump to set the choke, but with a manual choke a yank on the cable and a crank on the starter should be all it takes to fire. If you haven't run it in a while and your float bowl is empty you will have to crank until it pumps up.
Pumping on the pedal before cranking only floods the manifold with raw, liquid gas, and washes down the cylinder walls, which causes severe wear to the rings when you start it. It also drops the fuel level in the float bowl and makes the mixture too lean for a bit once the engine is cranked.
My somewhat worn out 261 starts easily, even when cold and let set up for a week. My old 216 did, too. As long as the ignition is in good condition and the battery has enough cranking power, it should fire right up.
