All:
If you couldn’t tell by all the disclaimers, hypotheticals, and wiggle words in both the title and original post...I know that I’m being a little foolish here. Thanks for bearing with me and thanks for all the feedback.
Although, there was a pretty strong consensus against both ideas....I was surprised to learn that the strongest consensus was against the sprocket change. Didn't know that moving up one size was such a a drastic change.
If I happen to come across the right deal on a 24” bar (like a used one for very little $)....I might still try one just to play with. The fellow who mentioned the oiler made a very good point. Bar oiling might actually be the biggest limiting factor here. The 362 oiler kinda sucks. That, and the mushy feel of the kill/start switch are really my only two complaints with the saw.