Help me choose fastest smoothest cutting B/C for Stihl MS241CM

[Livtohunt]

Hello guys, first post here.... almost another year wrapped up and why I thought at year end I’d go after finding a saw I’ve been hearing great things about so I tracked down and bought a pair of MS241CM today.
I’ve been a huge fan of running NK chain on my 60cc and smaller saws the last 10yrs or so. (Mostly the Oregon VPX i think it’s called) Honestly the 9yrs years I spent standing at a bench mostly for Stihl dealers in the past you’d think I might just have a loyalty to Stihl, well gradually over time about the only thing I’ve been using on a daily basis for my small tree service in the Stihl line is my old 066 and my older 201 and now this new 201 top handle I picked up this fall ( that’s another story tho) everything else I run is pretty well Husqvarna, 543xp, 562, 272,372 etc.

I’m thinking id like to stay with a 16” bar for the 241, but had thought about trying the same NK .043” chain I’ve been running on my pole saws and top handle climbing saws but it might be a bit light for this 241 turning a 7 pin sprocket, maybe not

I see Stihl offers a .063” driver thickness but I’m in the mindset the lighter that rolling mass is and the less Kerf it has to pull the easier on everything it will be and in theory the faster it’ll cut but semi vs full chisel doesn’t Really matter to me all that much although I do prefer a full comp
I’d prefer a solid vs a laminate bar as I’ve been running the cannon superminis on my saws and can’t say enough good about them but wondered if Stihl maybe had something other than the cheaper laminate bars for this smaller saw.
Sorry for long winded post.
Appreciate any and all help. Thank you

 

[Definitive Dave]

Hello guys, first post here.... almost another year wrapped up and why I thought at year end I’d go after finding a saw I’ve been hearing great things about so I tracked down and bought a pair of MS241CM today.
I’ve been a huge fan of running NK chain on my 60cc and smaller saws the last 10yrs or so. (Mostly the Oregon VPX i think it’s called) Honestly the 9yrs years I spent standing at a bench mostly for Stihl dealers in the past you’d think I might just have a loyalty to Stihl, well gradually over time about the only thing I’ve been using on a daily basis for my small tree service in the Stihl line is my old 066 and my older 201 and now this new 201 top handle I picked up this fall ( that’s another story tho) everything else I run is pretty well Husqvarna, 543xp, 562, 272,372 etc.

I’m thinking id like to stay with a 16” bar for the 241, but had thought about trying the same NK .043” chain I’ve been running on my pole saws and top handle climbing saws but it might be a bit light for this 241 turning a 7 pin sprocket, maybe not

I see Stihl offers a .063” driver thickness but I’m in the mindset the lighter that rolling mass is and the less Kerf it has to pull the easier on everything it will be and in theory the faster it’ll cut but semi vs full chisel doesn’t Really matter to me all that much although I do prefer a full comp
I’d prefer a solid vs a laminate bar as I’ve been running the cannon superminis on my saws and can’t say enough good about them but wondered if Stihl maybe had something other than the cheaper laminate bars for this smaller saw.
Sorry for long winded post.
Appreciate any and all help. Thank you

Cannon supermini is the way to go
Of course I am a dealer, but I chose them after trying more than 100 different brands of bars

 

[huskihl]

3/8 picco is the fastest I’ve seen on a 241

 

[Funky sawman]

63 ps is the best chain hands down

 

[full chizel]

16” stihl light bar and PICCO 63PS on mine

 

[Livtohunt]

Cannon supermini is the way to go
Of course I am a dealer, but I chose them after trying more than 100 different brands of bars

i had a hard time bringing myself to spending the money they want for cannon bars but with proper chain tension that I’m a stickler on, they’ve exceeded my expectations. I only wish there were a dealer within 100 miles of me because I’d love to buy more. Against the advice of many I went ahead and ran Oregon 95VLX (I think it’s called) NK .325 on my husky 562xp in both 20” and 24” with cannon superminis and it’s incredible how much smoother it cuts vs pulling a wide Kerf 3/8”. I run the same NK chain on all my smaller ground saws. After running this chain daily for the past few years then a few weekends ago I decided to do a bit of cutting with my mint 257 with regular .325” chain and it pulled so much harder in the cut, night and day difference.

 

[Livtohunt]

3/8 picco is the fastest I’ve seen on a 241

this is the chain I asked my one dealer to set it up with even tho it’s mounted on Stihl 16” laminate bar. I was surprised to hear the one dealer say they wouldn’t credit me anything back if they kept the bar and chain so I could just purchase powerhead only but hey it’s alright, I’ll try it out.

 

[Livtohunt]

63 ps is the best chain hands down

Sorry I can’t keep up with all the chains but what’s the difference between the 63PS and the 63PM (Picco micro) the PM is it not 3/8”, .063” driver thickness, NK and maybe low/er profile. Do they not make this same chain in .050” ?? This will be the only .063” I have. Everything I own is .050” even the 36” 3/8” on my 066

 

[full chizel]

PS is full chisel and PM is semi-chisel. PM is .050 3/8lp not standard 3/8” like on bigger saws. Anything with 63/or P in front is .043 or .050 3/8lp

 

[Lightning Performance]

Here is my take on lp chain and setups.
043 only on pole saws. Shark fin runs nice and smooth but too slow. Skip is too rough on them so full comp it is.
050 on the rest full comp.
You can use Oregon or Stihl chain with little issues on stretching it but you can as we all know.
043 mini single rivet tips go bye bye real fast on my tuned up 200T for get the ported ones. Total lam bar is about equal to the Stihl offering. I just run those Stock Stihl bars in 14", 16" and 18" or the small Huskies get the same set up lp 050 if the bar can be had.
Fastest chain ever on my ported heavily modded 361 was square lp 8 pin. Didn't try on the 1128 saws. I run that chain on 101HT, 200Ts, 018-250's.
Huskies like the 435 have the next closest thing in lp325 050. It runs smoother than 3/8 lp but won't move chip like square filed full chisel full comp Oregon lp, I tried. Both were about equal in the tooth areas filed square. Softwood bucking full bar made the 325 clog up more. It is fast limbing and super sweet on the top down removals of dead hardwoods. Levi sent me a bar P/N 207SK2 18 63 325 74E Tsu L+T to try on my 260. Bigger mount but they sell RM and other cutter types for it to eat wood nice and smooth imo. Biggers saws will pull a nine pin so one is coming to try out on 1135 and such. All lp chain or micro cutters like lp. Speed is better than grunt running them imo.

325 was better or longer lasting in semi chisel bucking dirty firewood vs lp in Oregon chain. Stihl it is about the same imo.

 

[Lightning Performance]

Oh and sent me the next 241CM you find. Could use one here this spring for lift work and chunking up top.

 

[Livtohunt]

PS is full chisel and PM is semi-chisel. PM is .050 3/8lp not standard 3/8” like on bigger saws. Anything with 63/or P in front is .043 or .050 3/8lp

I remember years ago as I believe my last year wrenching for Stihl, my old buddy and mentor who was the head tech for Canada that worked directly between the dealers/mechanics and Germany told me that PM stood for Picco Micro. He’s since passed on but he was a great man and very very knowledgeable.

I just returned home from picking up the first MS241 and it is .050”. I just quickly fired it up and let it idle, sounds like it sound be a nice platform to build off of.

Am I best go start another thread in this forum to ask for direction as to what burrs and right angle hand piece I should be after for my old Foredom S ?? I’ve had a degree wheel since the mid 90’s as we reworked many 125/250 motocross back then and I’ve been wanting to learn or maybe dabble would be a better word with my saws to get myself going. Stock is only fun for so long haha

 

[Livtohunt]

Oh and sent me the next 241CM you find. Could use one here this spring for lift work and chunking up top.

One thing that I’ll have to be mindful of is getting this little saw pinched and not reefing in it like we do with our saws, knowing how this 241 only has one bar bolt.
I’ve had nothing but fueling issues with the first 550XP after 3 trips back to the dealer I sold it and bought another and I had the same issues with it, sold it also and am now on my 4th 543xp and they’ve been fantastic saws so fingers crossed the 241 will be as nice of saw.
My only hope now is to hopefully find someone who might be able to share some ideas of what and what not to do with these engines in regards to porting. I won’t allow myself to go too extreme on numbers when removing material until I see the results of maybe just going 1 degree at a time but it would be nice to know maybe the right direction to start with.
In regards to getting you a 242, the local dealers I called up here in SW Ontario, there’s still 2 left. I think most guys were going to the 261 instead but I will sacrifice a bit of weight for the reduced power bug hopefully doing a bit of work to the engine will possibly make up the difference

 

[Livtohunt]

Here is my take on lp chain and setups.
043 only on pole saws. Shark fin runs nice and smooth but too slow. Skip is too rough on them so full comp it is.
050 on the rest full comp.
You can use Oregon or Stihl chain with little issues on stretching it but you can as we all know.
043 mini single rivet tips go bye bye real fast on my tuned up 200T for get the ported ones. Total lam bar is about equal to the Stihl offering. I just run those Stock Stihl bars in 14", 16" and 18" or the small Huskies get the same set up lp 050 if the bar can be had.
Fastest chain ever on my ported heavily modded 361 was square lp 8 pin. Didn't try on the 1128 saws. I run that chain on 101HT, 200Ts, 018-250's.
Huskies like the 435 have the next closest thing in lp325 050. It runs smoother than 3/8 lp but won't move chip like square filed full chisel full comp Oregon lp, I tried. Both were about equal in the tooth areas filed square. Softwood bucking full bar made the 325 clog up more. It is fast limbing and super sweet on the top down removals of dead hardwoods. Levi sent me a bar P/N 207SK2 18 63 325 74E Tsu L+T to try on my 260. Bigger mount but they sell RM and other cutter types for it to eat wood nice and smooth imo. Biggers saws will pull a nine pin so one is coming to try out on 1135 and such. All lp chain or micro cutters like lp. Speed is better than grunt running them imo.

325 was better or longer lasting in semi chisel bucking dirty firewood vs lp in Oregon chain. Stihl it is about the same imo.

I agree, 043” is to light to run safely on too much power although you’ll never convince me to run anything else on my top handles. Once I got turned onto using it, so many climbers I run into mention their using the same chain, it’s absolutely smooth as butter in the cut with no jumping and stalling the chain like we see up here cutting and for some reason, Norway Maple which seems to be the worse. And if you’ve cut them especially with a pole saw then you know exactly what I mean. That 043 is a God send on top handle saws. I have always seem to run. The standard Stihl bars on my top handles, cannons on grounds and bucking/felling saws.

shark fin ?? Safety links maybe ??

If a guy wanted to try this square filing deal, does it necessarily have to be square chain or will normal 3/8” chain suffice??

 

[QuickDrawSaw]

I've run the 63ps on my 250 and I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way. Just picked up a 14" light bar for it too.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Husky X-Cut chain friggin rocks on 40-50 cc saws! I have it on my little Husky 440 and love it, just finished cutting a tankful of 10-14" fresh hardwood.

 

[RI Chevy]

Go back to your dealer. Pick up a few loops of the new .325 Stihl RS Pro nk .050 chain. Maybe even an 8 pin rim. It is by far the fastest box chain setup there is for 50cc or smaller saws.
Your 241 will scream!

 

[BangBang77]

Go back to your dealer. Pick up a few loops of the new .325 Stihl RS Pro nk .050 chain. Maybe even an 8 pin rim. It is by far the fastest box chain setup there is for 50cc or smaller saws.
Your 241 will scream!

Jeff,

Will the new .325 ES NK .050 run on a standard .325 bar? Do they make it in .063?

I run Sugiharas in .325 x .063 in 16" on my 026s and 18" on my 261s.

 

[RI Chevy]

I know the RS Pro fits my regular Tsumura 16" .325 .050 bar. The chain is not made in .063, only .050.
Not sure about Sugihara or regular Stihl bars. Stihl makes a NK bar to fit this new chain.
I run it on my 261cm.

 

[FergusonTO35]

As an aside, why does Stihl use .063 gauge on small saws? I don't see what the advantage would be, unless I am just missing something.