2 Answers

Back in the 1930s and 40s, before electric starting technology came into its own, shotgun starters were popular on anything from an aircraft radial engine to a farm tractor.

The way a shotgun starter works is quite simple. A blank shell filled with cordite is loaded into a breech and fired. When fired, the blast from the shell either drives a piston forward that turns the engine over or pushes directly upon one of the engine's pistons, depending on the type of starter.

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