I'll double up on hearing protection for a rifle, I'd rather not for a chainsaw.
Stihl MS 400 CM w/ West Coast saw bark box - sound check???
- Thread starter Stihl dude
- Start date
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Even doubled up both the bark box and straight shot will damage your hearing.
I don’t know got a straight shot on my 462 she’s loud no doubt , I wouldn’t say it’s much louder than my xs461 or my o44 with a modded muffler , that 462 has a note of its own though ….. screamer my boy can hear me bucking wood on the other side of town
The xs461…did you have me port it or buy it from someone? Not familiar with your screen name
It was a new 461r you just did it for me in July
Hi Kevin , had her out this weekend quartering up huge maple rounds , thing just puts a smile on my face 
Sierra_rider
Piss revver
I build my own exhaust for my saws, but all my Stihls run muffler covers similar to a bark box. I make the hole a bit smaller than a bark box, so they seem a bit quieter. The saw I run at work(462R) has an actual bark box and does seem louder than mine...even then, I just wear good ear plugs and don't really get bothered by it.
My exhaust, I call it the "fart box."
My exhaust, I call it the "fart box."
Making the outlet hole smaller and off setting it from the exhaust port would make it quiteter.I build my own exhaust for my saws, but all my Stihls run muffler covers similar to a bark box. I make the hole a bit smaller than a bark box, so they seem a bit quieter. The saw I run at work(462R) has an actual bark box and does seem louder than mine...even then, I just wear good ear plugs and don't really get bothered by it.
My exhaust, I call it the "fart box."
I would bet $10 that even with the best ear plugs in your exposure is damaging your hearing.
In some frequencies I have 90% loss in my left ear and my right isn't a whole lot better. You don't want hearing loss.
And nice work BTW.I build my own exhaust for my saws, but all my Stihls run muffler covers similar to a bark box. I make the hole a bit smaller than a bark box, so they seem a bit quieter. The saw I run at work(462R) has an actual bark box and does seem louder than mine...even then, I just wear good ear plugs and don't really get bothered by it.
My exhaust, I call it the "fart box."
Sierra_rider
Piss revver
I get semi-annual hearing checks at work, while I have some hearing loss, most of it is normal age-related loss. The left side does have more of a deficit, but the doctor said that's likely from driving around with my window rolled down for too long...Most of the vehicles I drive, now have AC and I use it.
The one that I'm worried about is the buffeting from riding my streetbike. Even with ear plugs, it feels like I just walked out of a rock concert, after extended rides at high speed.
Sierra_rider
Piss revver
Thanks, considering I have a plasma cutter and a decent welder, I'd expect myself to do better. My helmet is mid-level, but after doing some pretty intricate welding yesterday, I realized that I just can't see what I'm doing that well.
I right handed shooter always toasts his left ear the most as well.
FWIW, I found that I can see better with a conventional shield (I use a gold glass #11 shade) than with any autodark I've ever tried, including some fairly expensive ones (Miller Digital Elite)...now the only thing I use autodarks for is tacking or working under a vehicle where it's too hard to nod down the shield. It's like a night-and-day difference.
Why? Isn't the blast closer to the right ear than the left ear?
Nope, the left ear is more exposed to the muzzle blast than the right.
https://www.asha.org/public/hearing...(in right,partially protected by head shadow.
Ah. Maybe the muzzle creates a kind of "shadow" that shields the right ear more than the left from the blast on right-handed shooters...
The article I linked explains it well.
wilfrie
New Member
I have a 400 and want a little more power, preferably more torque, since I use it most often to break down trunk pieces in trees and for bucking. So I wanted to modify the muffler, but what is the maximum percentage of the cilinder exhaust port I can enlarge the muffler outlet? I read that 80-85% is generally recommended, but what are your experiences with the Stihl ms 400? And for comparison, what outlet size do eq the Westcoast bark box or the Egain straight shots have compared to the cilinder exhaust port or to the stock muffler outlet size? Looking for help, thanks!
