OK, I miss read. If your buddy wants to beat a 361 he needs to have his 346 ported. Stock for stock the 361 with 10 more cc's and Husky style quad ports 'should' win every time. But I do have one 346 with the squish reduced and a muff mod that will smoke a stock 361 in wood 12" or less...
advance the ignition timing. practice running the saw with teh 8 pin. video it and find where it cuts the fastest. does it like a light touch or heavy hand. get that chain perfectly maintained.
I've run a few 361s' and was never impressed. Good saw, but no wow factor like most of the XP saws...
I ran Wigg's 361 a couple of weeks ago and my 562 and I didn't notice much difference. The 361 had a muffler mod and the 562 is stock. The 361 feels lighter.
Yes, it was the second saw I ported, no machining, no degree wheel, seat of the pants backyard porting. It is strong and faster than my 562xp.
Interesting? I guess I need to run some other 60 cc saws at the next central PA GTG. I just love my stock MS361, but have to be honest that all I have to compare it with is a stock 260, 261cm and ported 461. Seems to have just the right power to weight ratio for me, more power/torque than the 50 cc's and not as heavy as the 461. Kind of a Goldilocks combo.
The 361 is a good saw & as you've found, a 60cc is just about a perfect size saw. But when we start running ported saws it kind of upsets the natural order an stuff... PS. I know your avatar, Tom is a good maker!
1) Ported saws: Yeah, definitely "upsets the natural order stuff." I got to run a bunch of different sizes and makers of ported saws last year at the PA GTG. I just got my MS461 back from Mastermind last month, so I get to pay it forward this spring at the GTG. I'm also on the long list to get either my 261cm and/or 361 ported next year. 2) Finally got my first Krein this year.! I have a bunch of Doziers and a couple each from Wayne Hendrix and Gene Ingram and a handful of singles from various makers. I've been coveting a Krein for a long time, but just never got around to it. Now I just need to fill my buck tag to see how she works. All my knives and chainsaws are users.