Need a chain recommendation

[rgt10]

Afternoon all,

I run a Stihl MS460 saw with a 24" bar, and have been running the Stihl 3/8" Safety Chain. I have been thinking that there has got to be a better chain than the one I am using. I am a turner, and when I get some logs to cut, they are generally in the 20" plus diameter. Usually a lot bigger than this up to about 36" diameter. I do very little limbing, but will buck the log into useable sections, then split them lengthwise for ease of handling and mounting on the lathe.

Is there a chain that will give me better performance, and lessen my time in the wood? I currently sharpen by hand with a file, so would like to have a tooth configuration that will allow me to continue to do this. Last time I cut, I was thankful to stop and refuel and oil up. If i can lessen the time I have with the saw in my hand, that would be a good thing.

So what say you knowledgeable people on here? I'd like to pick up a couple loops and see what gives, and hope it goes quicker.

Thanks much to everyone.

Roger

 

[Hedgerow]

Stihl RSC...

 

[MacLaren]

Yeah, Stihl RSC or Oregon LGX. I recently bought a roll of some old 1993 Stihl RS chain. Looks really good....

 

[gsg]

Stihl rsc or Oregon lgx full comp, chisel......running safety chain on a 460 is like putting re-cap snow tires on a Lamborghini!

 

[Raganr]

Who sold you a 460 with a safety chain? I would not use that dealer again.

 

[H 2 H]

......running safety chain on a 460 is like putting re-cap snow tires on a Lamborghini!

Couldn't have said it any better

I also like the semi skip just a tad better

 

[mdavlee]

RSC, RSK in stihl and LGX in oregon for round ground. RSLK, RSLFK is full skip, and RSLHK is half skip or semi skip in square ground from stihl. CL, CK is semi skip, and CJ is full skip square in oregon.

 

[aosborne88]

I like the Stihl full skip tooth chisel round file I haven't had much experience with Oregon chain my buddy has an Oregon chain on his saw and man that thing is sharp cause I do the sharpening on it

 

[aosborne88]

While we are on the chain topic I have a question. All of the experienced guys are going to cuss me for this but I would like to know. What is the benifets of running the wider gauges of saw chain for instance 3/8 .58 or 3/8 .63 over the 3/8 .50 I'm from the Midwest most common. Bain pitch is 3/8 .50 or smaller. I can understand the .404 it is just a big tooth with big chips and would I be better off running something bigger on my 660 other than the 3/8 .50

 

[jeffbayne]

I run RSC on my 064 with 25" bar, just a tad more powerful than yours. It cuts very smoothly.

 

[jeffbayne]

While we are on the chain topic I have a question. All of the experienced guys are going to cuss me for this but I would like to know. What is the benifets of running the wider gauges of saw chain for instance 3/8 .58 or 3/8 .63 over the 3/8 .50 I'm from the Midwest most common. Bain pitch is 3/8 .50 or smaller. I can understand the .404 it is just a big tooth with big chips and would I be better off running something bigger on my 660 other than the 3/8 .50

the bigger the gauge, the wider the gullet, the more oil will travel, the cooler the chain. Combine that with more physical metal making up the drive links, and you'll have a hard time ever breaking a chain. I run 3/8 RSC .63. I think its perfect.

 

[smilin possum]

I'm goin to stick my nickles worth in here. We have been running Stihl semi skip and .404 on all of our work saws the last few years. 3/8's on most of um and .404 on all the big saws and it has proved to be the best for big hard woods that we cut the most. I like the OP like to get in there and get out as fast as possible and this chain has done the job for us.

The semi or half skip is more agressive than full skip and if you got the power it'll get er done. We run the .404 full comp on LP's 3120 on a 6' bar and it'll eat wood up. Try some and see that's what we did ran all kinds until we found this and now that's all we buy. Oh yeay it's the square ground also.

 

[Stihlman441]

While we are on the chain topic I have a question. All of the experienced guys are going to cuss me for this but I would like to know. What is the benifets of running the wider gauges of saw chain for instance 3/8 .58 or 3/8 .63 over the 3/8 .50 I'm from the Midwest most common. Bain pitch is 3/8 .50 or smaller. I can understand the .404 it is just a big tooth with big chips and would I be better off running something bigger on my 660 other than the 3/8 .50

In Ozz the standard Stihl chain is 3/8 .063 probably for the hard woods,stronger chain,more oil flow.
But the problem with that is you can get skip round file chain.

 

[SawTroll]

What I would have wanted to try is Oregon LPX, Stihl RSC and Stihl RSK.

 

[mdavlee]

Lpx is called safety chain over here since it has a ramped raker on it. I don't know any place that carries it since no one wants it.

 

[SawTroll]

Lpx is called safety chain over here since it has a ramped raker on it. I don't know any place that carries it since no one wants it.

That is simply a mistake/misunderstanding - it is just as "yellow"as LGX or RSC, only done in another way (a seperate small ramp and small raker instead of a large ramped raker).

 

[mdavlee]

Yeah its not as bad as safety chain but the dealer doesn't carry it. The stihl dealer carries RSK instead of RSC since its more like the old chain. He said he had complaints on rsc when it first came out.

 

[Adam_MA]

Who sold you a 460 with a safety chain? I would not use that dealer again.

One of the reasons I drive 25 miles instead of using the dealer down the road from me... They WILL NOT sell anything but safety chain, and WILL NOT sell anything larger than 25" bars. Watched a guy buy an MS660 and they told him they wouldn't get him a longer bar because "no one has a need for that" and that they only sell safety chain, because that's what Stihl recomends... That, along with incompitent people at the parts counter with words like "They don't make parts for the 066 Stihl any longer, it's obsolete" when I needed clutch springs!!

 

[rgt10]

Yeah, Stihl RSC or Oregon LGX. I recently bought a roll of some old 1993 Stihl RS chain. Looks really good....

First chance I've had to get back to this thread. I wanted to say thanks for all the rec's that I got. I went on the Stihl website and was looking at their chain selections. Maybe its just me not being familiar with their chain selections, but, I could not locate the RSC chain on the site.

Chain Saw Chains - Oilomatic Saw Chains | STIHL

I was able to find the LGX on one of the chainsaw sites, but that would require ordering. If I can use the Stihl chain, I can hopefully pick it up locally. When you guys say, RSC chain, are you referring to the RS chain in the chain table that I linked to?

Again, Thanks much for all your help.

Roger

 

[gcdible1]

Yep, i believe they recently dropped the C in RSC, RMC, etc.:msp_smile: