I am guessing that if
@rogue60 's timber is like it is how I expect it to be he'll find that a very sharp chain simply will not hold its edge for any length of time (I imagine that's why he also uses .404) and to negate the time wasted constantly sharpening chain I would imagine your practice would evolve to use the dogs a little more than normal to overcome what most of us would call a dull chain.
Yes I use 404 as it holds an edge longer 3/8 basically needs double the sharpening.
We had to sides the sawmill and the logging side the one thing that dulls chains fast is dirt/mud sand if you see it clean it off if it's in the bark chop it out with an axe at your cut.
Falling with some species like the Stringybarks rain has splashed dirt and sand up into the bark over many years 404 helps there at least you can get thorough the bark before the chain is dull.
My old man is the gun hardwood logger he only uses 404 RS he would be insulted if you put 3/8 on his saw's lol
For example I could buck a truck load of hardwood logs into billets with one tank of fuel with a 660 and 404 RS in clean timber it would need a rub after one tank. 3/8 would be going off halfway through what a pita having to stop and give the saw a rub.
Sometimes with our hardwoods it's that hard a sharp chain will not self feed you have to use the dogs to literally make it cut.
And yes I've had a chain go dull with only a few cuts or a cut to go and I'm like stuff it bugger stopping and use the dogs to make it cut to finish what I'm doing.
And of course I've also cut dirt or hit the ground and the chain is to dull to cut so I have to stop and give it a rub.
If cutting firewood for example and you come across a very contaminated log with dirt/sand and has a big hollow with rock hard termite chit up the guts just walk away 404 wont even save the day with dirty crap like that lol
Only downside to .404 is it takes power to pull it and this load increases the harder the timber gets.
That's all just my experiences in my part of the world and the type of timber we cut hope some of that makes sense.
I better add 3/8 chain has it's place to it all depends on the conditions or the end goal no one shoe fits all that's why they give us options. We are lucky in that sense there is endless ways to set a saw up from gearing bar length chain type the list goes on..
