The 500 sounds like a good time. My thought was if i spent that much , I am in 661 territory and will have torque to spare
I don’t think you will be disappointed with any of the three saws with the bar lengths you’re talking about. For longer firewood sessions I personally appreciate a lighter saw. It’s not that I can’t handle the weight. I just tend to cut for a while. Typically I’ll pull out 2-3 saws. Start with the most applicable saw, run it till it’s out of fuel. Set it down to cool off, and grab the next saw. Rinse, repeat. I started off with just a 462RCM, then added a 261 CM, and recently a 500i R. The 462 isn’t heavy per se, but I appreciate having a lighter saw in the mix. I hear you on the cost between the 462/500/661. But I’d be cautious of power/cost ratio being the key metric. Again it really depends on how much/long you typically are cutting for.