With a magnesium-alloy crankcase, captive bar-nuts, a decompression valve, and a host of other premium features, the Stihl MS261 is its various forms represents a well-designed and well-constructed professional chainsaw. But it is the light weight and the outstanding power-to-weight-ratio of the saw that secures its place as one of the most popular chainsaws in the world.
With a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $709.99 at the time of this writing for the C-M version with a 16 inch bar, the saw represents a great value for high-volume wood cutting. If you only cut a few cord or less of firewood each year, a less expensive consumer or farm-and-ranch level saw will probably be sufficient. But if you regularly process ten or more cord of firewood a year, fatigue is reduced and time is saved by using a lighter and more powerful saw will likely be worth the extra investment.
I recently purchased a used but solid MS261C with a 16-inch bar. I am very pleased with the purchase, and highly recommend the saw for felling, limbing, and bucking trees that are less than 32 inches in diameter. Based upon my experiences using saws with a similar power output, I would even consider putting up to a 24-inch bar on the saw for occasional use on trees of up to 48 inches in diameter. But if you regularly cut anything that is larger than 40 inches in diameter, then I would recommend a more powerful saw.
Background
For the past decade or so, I have done the lion’s share of my firewood cutting with two chainsaws: a Stihl MS251 Wood Boss and a Jonsered CS2255. Each saw had its own particular advantages: the MS251 was lighter and the CS2255 was more powerful. Both saws would be considered farm and ranch level saws: they are more robust and powerful than consumer level saws, but not quite up to professional level saw standards.
I had known for quite some time that the Stihl MS261 was a highly regarded professional-level chainsaw. When I eventually got around to taking a closer look at its specifications, I began to understand why it is so highly regarded. The MS251 power head weighs 11.5 pounds and produces 3 bhp. The Jonsered CS2255 power head weighs 13 pounds and produces 3.5 bhp. The MS261 power head weighs only 10.8 pounds but it produces 4 bhp. So the MS261 was both lighter than my “lightweight” saw and more powerful than my “powerful” saw. That was quite impressive.
The only major drawback of the MS261 was its price. Back when I bought my MS251, it cost about $330 brand new. I bought my CS2255 used for $200. The thought of paying more than $700 for a chainsaw did not appeal to me at all.
By the way, chainsaw prices have evidently increased quite significantly in recent years. At the time of this writing, the manufacturer suggested retail price for an MS251 Wood Boss was $399.99. The manufacturer suggested retail price for a Husqvarna 455 Rancher (which is very similar to the CS2255 and even has many parts in common) was $719.99. The 455 is a great saw, but it is outclassed in every way by the MS261 for about the same price.
In any case, my thriftiness made me hesitant to put out more than $700 for a chainsaw. So I decided to instead look around for a good deal on a used MS261 in good condition.
After more than a year of looking, I finally found an interesting saw on Facebook Marketplace for $400. The price was reduced to $380 about the time I contacted the seller.
I asked the seller how long he had owned the saw and how heavily he had used it. He reported that he had owned the saw for two years, and had only used it to cut two 30-foot trees and a lot of small limbs. That sounded interesting, so I scheduled a time to meet with the seller to look at the saw.
Evaluating the Used Saw
When we met, I got the impression that the saw had been put to heavier use than the seller reported. The gas cap lanyard appeared to be too short, the chain catcher was bent, and the bar did not appear to be original. On the other hand, the saw started easily, seemed to develop full power well, and appeared to be mechanically sound. The seller offered to throw in a spare brand-new Stihl-brand chain for the saw. The asking price seemed reasonable for a saw that would likely last me for the rest of my life, so I went ahead and made the purchase.
The Manual
I downloaded and printed the manual for the saw from the Stihl website. That would enable me to familiarize myself with it.
The manual had an excellent exploded main parts diagram and parts list. As I expected from reading other Stihl chainsaw manuals, the MS261C manual contained an excellent section on bucking, limbing, pruning, and felling. Once upon a time, a technical writer for Stihl wrote an outstanding section on these tasks. Then a skilled artist did a great job of illustrating that section. That section has been included in every Stihl chainsaw manual since then. I recommend that they continue to include that section in perpetuity.
The rest of the manual was equally helpful and well written. Stihl technical writers are to be commended for a job well done.
M-Tronic
The MS261C and the MS261C-M have computer-controlled fuel systems. This is in contrast to the original MS261, which has a traditional carburetor.
The M-Tronic system has proven to be quite reliable in field use since its introduction. It allows saws with which it is equipped to start more easily and to run with greater fuel efficiency.
One potential drawback of the M-Tronic system is that it may be more susceptible to damage from an EMP or Carrington-type event than a traditional carburetor.
Initial Adjustments to the Saw
The saw came with a 16-inch bar. I really would have preferred an 18-inch bar, instead. I thought that I had a solution to this problem. I already owned an MSE250C that I had previously reviewed for SurvivalBlog. The MSE250C came with an 18-inch bar, but I really would have preferred a 16 inch bar for it. There is some compatibility between the bars and chains for the two saws, so I thought that I might be able to just make a switch.
I removed the chain sprocket cover of the MS261C. I was delighted to discover that the bar nuts are captive to the sprocket cover. This is a great feature. It means that I can’t drop the bar nuts into a pile of leaves, mud, or sawdust in the field and lose them. Kudos to the engineers at Stihl for a job well done!
Closer examination revealed that the bar and chain on my “new” MS261C were .325 inch pitch and .063 inch gauge. The bar and chain on the MSE250C were 3/8″ pitch and .050 inch gauge. I considered switching the sprockets on the two saws so that I could also switch the bars and chains. But a voice in the back of my mind gave me pause. I wondered if there was a reason why the engineers at Stihl had decided upon the pitch and gauge that they had selected for each of the two saws. I decided not to mess with the sprockets, for now.
The problem with the gas cap lanyard was due to the fact that someone had wound it up like the rubber band motor on a toy balsa airplane. After I untwisted the lanyard, it was an appropriate length.
I also straightened the chain catcher, and then went into the woods near the pole barn for an initial cutting test.
The Initial Cutting Test
I tested the saw on a wind-felled wild cherry tree. The tree had grown tall and straight as it had competed with surrounding trees for sunlight. The tree eventually got too tall for its 14 inch diameter trunk. A wind storm snapped it off near the base.
I quickly discovered that the chain on the saw was the dullest that it had ever been my misfortune to attempt to use. My opinion of the seller, who had allowed the chain to become so dull, sank considerably.
I took the saw back into the barn and sharpened it. In this context, I would like to mention the Pferd CS-X Chainsaw Sharpener. It sharpens the teeth and files down the rakers of the chain simultaneously. Pferd also makes the Stihl 2-in-1 Easy File, which is the same tool made in Stihl colors. I highly recommend this handy tool. Both the teeth and the rakers were overdue for attention, but the Peferd Sharpener had them ready to cut again in short order. The saw with the sharpened chain tore through the wild cherry trunk like a hot knife through butter.
Next, I returned to the pole barn to install the extra chain that came with the saw. I quickly discovered that particular chain to be 3/8″ PICO pitch with .043″ gauge. My opinion of the seller’s competence, which had already been lowered by the dull chain, shrank even more with the mismatched chain.
Further Testing
I always keep an extra chain on hand for each of my saws. So I ordered an Oregon 22LPX067G chain online. When the new chain arrived, I installed it and returned to the fallen wild cherry.
The new chain did an outstanding job of limbing and bucking the tree. The lighter, more powerful saw was a joy to work with. The job was completed almost as quickly as it was begun.
Selling the MS251
I did not desire to own more than two gas-powered chainsaws at once, so I listed the MS251 for sale on Facebook Marketplace for $250.
I am the trusting type, so I left the saw on our side porch for someone to look at while my wife, “Kari”, and I were out running errands. I am happy to report that the interested party was worthy of my trust. He was pleased with the saw, and left me $260 under the door mat instead of $250 because he did not have the exact change.
Conclusions
I am extremely satisfied with the performance of my “new” MS261C. I am so happy, in fact, that if the CS2255 ever dies, I plan to replace it with a second MS261.
Disclaimer
I did not receive any financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.
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