chain/bar combo for stihl 310

[backwoodz]

I've been reading posts about chains semi chisel and chisel. Wondering if anyone uses chain/bar combo from Oregon. I saw one at Menards and bought it for the MS310. Have not tried it. Also wondering if chain could be used on stihl stock bar. Fully capable wood cutter but learning the tech part.
Thanks.

 

[deck2]

I have been using a stihl 16inch bar with a stihl semi chisel chain(s) and have very good luck, but most of the logs I have been cutting are less than 16" across. I do have a 20" bar and chain and every once in a while I will need to put them on. But the 310 is a great saw for the price and our Stihl dealer around here is great, but so is the Husky dealer.

 

[smokinj]

I've been reading posts about chains semi chisel and chisel. Wondering if anyone uses chain/bar combo from Oregon. I saw one at Menards and bought it for the MS310. Have not tried it. Also wondering if chain could be used on stihl stock bar. Fully capable wood cutter but learning the tech part.
Thanks.

drive length and pitch is the same then you sure can

 

[Gooserider]

I've been reading posts about chains semi chisel and chisel. Wondering if anyone uses chain/bar combo from Oregon. I saw one at Menards and bought it for the MS310. Have not tried it. Also wondering if chain could be used on stihl stock bar. Fully capable wood cutter but learning the tech part.
Thanks.

As long as the bar, chain, and drive sprocket on the saw are all designed for the same chain guage and pitch, bars and chains are interchangeable as long as the chain is the right length (number of drive links). For a given bar length and saw combination, the number of links should be the same regardless of who made the bar or chain.

Thus the combos are mostly a big-box packaging style just because it reduces the hassles for the store if they have a limited selection of combos to fit a list of common saws. Doing so reduces customer returns of things that "don't fit" because the customer (or the minimally trained clerk) picked the wrong items. They tend to be targetted towards consumers that don't know a lot about picking chains, and are thus going to be happy with whatever the chain company feels like pushing - probably a safety chain.

That said, the combo packages are not a bad deal, if one needs both a bar and chain and likes what's in the combo - note that both are "wear items" with a typical wear-out ratio of one bar and drive sprocket for two chains, thus a reasonable approach is to purchase a combo and an extra chain.

The only downside of purchasing at Menards is that it's a "big box" chain, so you probably have purchased a "safety chain" setup - if you've been reading the other chain threads, you have probably seen plenty on that subject.

If you go to a saw shop, or one of the online places like Bailey's or Amick's, you may find fewer combo packages and more individual item choices since pro-users are more likely to be fussy about what they want, and prefer to pick their own setups rather than rely on the limited choices offered by the OEM combos. At the same time, the clerk is going to be more specialized and able to advise on what parts will work together.

Gooserider

 

[Backroads]

I've been reading posts about chains semi chisel and chisel. Wondering if anyone uses chain/bar combo from Oregon. I saw one at Menards and bought it for the MS310. Have not tried it. Also wondering if chain could be used on stihl stock bar. Fully capable wood cutter but learning the tech part.
Thanks.

I am currently running an Oregon chain on my MS310 and have NO complaints about it and it has stayed consistantly sharp cutting through 4 cords of green wood.