Jonsered Chainsaws

[fossil]

Where there's a will there's a way.

 

[Real1shepherd]

LOL...chainsaws are just like guns...especially at a GTG.......you have start with the small ones and progress to the larger ones because running a 50cc saw is not very gratifying after running 80,90 or 100cc saws......like who wants to shoot a .22 no matter how nice it is after shooting a .357 Magnum.......

Never been to one...like the concept though. Have shot, reloaded & owned most calibers. Fell on hard times, sold my entire gun collection...but kept all my reloading stuff. But as in your comparison, who would want a single lever reloading press after you used a modern progressive reloader...lol! Still to this day, whether most collectors admit to it or not, the venerable .22 is still by far the most shot caliber.

And profession chainsaws were always a small segment of the total market share, as compared to all the homeowner and 'semi pro' saws sold. Husky, Stihl, J'red...everybody who had a pro line knew the real bread & butter was in the smaller stuff. Use working pics of the pro saws, get everybody juiced up and then sell them your smaller saw line.

Kevin

 

[Real1shepherd]

Where there's a will there's a way.

OMG!!! OK, well let's see it wheelie and go!!! Wow...don't know what to say there. Back in the day, Mac got serious about go karts. They tweaked some chainsaw motors and put them on carts as in dual motors. Think bad brakes coupled with crazy power on a light frame. It was a boy's suicidal dream. I've seen a few of these restored to their former glory, but I wasn't allowed to run any...shucks. I had a suicide kart...drove it airborne into a flowing creek. That was the end of that, because my dad saw the whole thing and didn't believe the 'accident/brake failure' part of the explanation.

Kevin

 

[Chris J.]

...
Still to this day, whether most collectors admit to it or not, the venerable .22 is still by far the most shot caliber.
...

Kevin

Back when I (young & single) was into firearms, mostly handguns, several companies offered "matched" sets of revolvers. One would be a large caliber, such as .357, and the other would be .22. They were made to have the same weight & balance. The purpose was you could practice with the much cheaper .22 ammo, saving the more expensive ammo to practice as a competition approached. But this goes back to the days when the cost of a 500 round brick of .22 would leave you with some change from $10.00.

 

[Cantdog]

Back when I (young & single) was into firearms, mostly handguns, several companies offered "matched" sets of revolvers. One would be a large caliber, such as .357, and the other would be .22. They were made to have the same weight & balance. The purpose was you could practice with the much cheaper .22 ammo, saving the more expensive ammo to practice as a competition approached. But this goes back to the days when the cost of a 500 round brick of .22 would leave you with some change from $10.00.

My BIL has just such a set S&W in .22 and .38 Special....exactly the same weight, trigger pull etc...

 

[Chris J.]

My BIL has just such a set S&W in .22 and .38 Special....exactly the same weight, trigger pull etc...

Yep, they made (still make??) them so that they were very nearly identical (well, except for the kick). At a local gunshow back around 1980, I was eyeing a "competition" matched set of Colt revolvers, .357 & .22. The vendor was disappointed that I didn't buy them, but I did score a limited production Ruger Mark II target .22.

The seller told me it was a limited edition model based on the .22 Ruger Mark II made for the US Olympic shooting team. Many, many years later I found out that was incorrect. The Olympic model had a "blued" slab-side barrel & slide to reduce reflection (this was years before the 2004 Commemorative model that Ruger offered). IIRC the Olympic was limited to 3,000 . Mine is actually a limited run of 2,000 (2,500?); a retailer asked Ruger to produce a Mark II with a blued barrel (standard, not slab sided) & slide. NOTE--I might not have the numbers exactly correct. Someone kindly scanned and sent to me the info from a Ruger book, but that info is on my computer now rendered useless by a nasty virus. I do know that mine had the lower production number.

EDIT--Opps, I should've mentioned that the frame of both models is stainless steel.

 

[Real1shepherd]

I had a bull-barrel, blued Ruger Mark I in the collection....really nice target shooter...nice balance with the bull-barrel. The guys at gun shows will tell ya anything to make a sale. Especially if some yahoo 'expert' told them something erroneous about a gun they had. I like 'convertible' guns....like a Ruger New Model Blackhawk that had two cylinders;.45ACP and .45 Colt. I never got into a full frame gun series that also shot .22, but I can see the attraction.

Kevin

 

[Cantdog]

I had a bull-barrel, blued Ruger Mark I in the collection....really nice target shooter...nice balance with the bull-barrel. The guys at gun shows will tell ya anything to make a sale. Especially if some yahoo 'expert' told them something erroneous about a gun they had. I like 'convertible' guns....like a Ruger New Model Blackhawk that had two cylinders;.45ACP and .45 Colt. I never got into a full frame gun series that also shot .22, but I can see the attraction.

Kevin

I have a stainless Mark II that I've had 25 yrs or so.....bought it new. My 93 year old father liked it so much he bought a bull barreled one in blue.....I put 100 or so rounds through it but he never shot it......my brother got it when our father passed away in 1998.....but he is now 87 yrs old and in a home so this Ruger might/will come back to me someday unless one of my nephews runs off with it before my brother goes......damn kids.....LOL!!!

 

[Chris J.]

I had a bull-barrel, blued Ruger Mark I in the collection....really nice target shooter...nice balance with the bull-barrel. The guys at gun shows will tell ya anything to make a sale. Especially if some yahoo 'expert' told them something erroneous about a gun they had. I like 'convertible' guns....like a Ruger New Model Blackhawk that had two cylinders;.45ACP and .45 Colt. I never got into a full frame gun series that also shot .22, but I can see the attraction.

Kevin

The guy at the gun show was wrong, but I did end up with the lower production # model. Which doesn't mean squat except to a small handful of Ruger collectors; it would have much more value if it were a "limited" production run Colt or S&W.

A full frame .22 can save a competition shooter a lot of $$ in ammo. Practice with the .22 on a regular basis, then switch to the larger required caliber when needed for the competition. A guy I worked with--he actually got me started on Ruger firearms back when they were priced well below The Big Names--was into handgun hunting. Even though he hand-loaded to save money and more importantly to get his ammo just how he wanted it, he practiced with .22s.

 

[Real1shepherd]

The guy at the gun show was wrong, but I did end up with the lower production # model. Which doesn't mean squat except to a small handful of Ruger collectors; it would have much more value if it were a "limited" production run Colt or S&W.

A full frame .22 can save a competition shooter a lot of $$ in ammo. Practice with the .22 on a regular basis, then switch to the larger required caliber when needed for the competition. A guy I worked with--he actually got me started on Ruger firearms back when they were priced well below The Big Names--was into handgun hunting. Even though he hand-loaded to save money and more importantly to get his ammo just how he wanted it, he practiced with .22s.

I got a tip from a guy that used to shoot the 1911's in military matches. He showed me that if you stick a pencil down the barrel, eraser toward the firing pin....you get close to a target and squeeze away. The firing pin will drive the pencil into the target. That really improved my accuracy with the Gold Cup. I like a handgun that's more accurate than I am....gives you something to work toward.

I bought my first Ruger in 1976. I have a S&W Model 29 and had the Colt Peacemaker. But the designs are inherently weak;cylinder walls thin, leaf spring action etc. The original .44 mag ammo that came out was so hot it was shooting the 29's loose and same with the .45 Colts....you had to stay under 1,000fps with the Colts or they would shoot loose. So it was a natural transition for me to go to Ruger and cook up the loads. Plus they were WAY cheaper...lol. Of course the finish & fit on the Rugers is nothing like the Colt and Model 29. I can't say I've ever seen Ruger's investment casting fail, but it certainly does not make for a 'beautiful' gun. I had so many single action Rugers at one time, that I never had a chance to shoot them....new in the box...lol!

Kevin

 

[Chris J.]

I got a tip from a guy that used to shoot the 1911's in military matches. He showed me that if you stick a pencil down the barrel, eraser toward the firing pin....you get close to a target and squeeze away. The firing pin will drive the pencil into the target. That really improved my accuracy with the Gold Cup. I like a handgun that's more accurate than I am....gives you something to work toward.

I bought my first Ruger in 1976. I have a S&W Model 29 and had the Colt Peacemaker. But the designs are inherently weak;cylinder walls thin, leaf spring action etc. The original .44 mag ammo that came out was so hot it was shooting the 29's loose and same with the .45 Colts....you had to stay under 1,000fps with the Colts or they would shoot loose. So it was a natural transition for me to go to Ruger and cook up the loads. Plus they were WAY cheaper...lol. Of course the finish & fit on the Rugers is nothing like the Colt and Model 29. I can't say I've ever seen Ruger's investment casting fail, but it certainly does not make for a 'beautiful' gun. I had so many single action Rugers at one time, that I never had a chance to shoot them....new in the box...lol!

Kevin

Kevin, I remember when Ruger a lot cheaper than the Big Brands (not any more!). Your post reminds me of a situation I narrowly avoided. I went to see my best friend, and he had an old friend visiting from out-of-state. We were discussing various guns, and I calmly mentioned some of the pros & cons of the S&W Model 29 and the Ruger Redhawk, which pretty matched what you posted. I even admitted that the Redhawk was butt-ugly compared to the sleek Model 29. A few days later my friend told me that the guy wanted to follow me outside when I left and "kick my ass" for bad-mouthing the 29. My friend talked him out of it, and told me "I don't his problem was, I don't remember him being that much of an *******."

I'm seriously considering getting a CHP, and have been looking at a Ruger 9mm SA.

 

[Real1shepherd]

Kevin, I remember when Ruger a lot cheaper than the Big Brands (not any more!). Your post reminds me of a situation I narrowly avoided. I went to see my best friend, and he had an old friend visiting from out-of-state. We were discussing various guns, and I calmly mentioned some of the pros & cons of the S&W Model 29 and the Ruger Redhawk, which pretty matched what you posted. I even admitted that the Redhawk was butt-ugly compared to the sleek Model 29. A few days later my friend told me that the guy wanted to follow me outside when I left and "kick my ass" for bad-mouthing the 29. My friend talked him out of it, and told me "I don't his problem was, I don't remember him being that much of an *******."

I'm seriously considering getting a CHP, and have been looking at a Ruger 9mm SA.

Chris, there are forums that are so insanely loyal to the Model 29, you can't even post in there until you bow & scrape to its 'greatness' first. I don't consider shooting one loose and sending it back to S&W for a 'tune up' as any kind of viable handgun. And their refusal to modernize the gun, while keeping the same lines, is ridiculous. There's been about three major iterations I guess, with mine falling in the middle. The later runs have less & less hand fitting and a few minor features left out that the bean counters dictated. I swore I'd never buy one, but a smoking deal came around that just couldn't be passed up. All I can say about the Model 29 is, meh. At least when I was shooting that New Model Super Blackhawk, I knew the gun could take anything I threw at it. And the New Model Blackhawk in .45 Colt was almost as strong.

Kevin

 

[Real1shepherd]

Wow....guess the Model 29 shot this thread...lol

Kevin

 

[fossil]

Robin's been fixing up a Poulan 3800 for a friend (I think a friend). He's been over in the Poulan thread.

He said the design was foreign to him as that 801 was to me. It's good to have help across the different saw lines. He got it running well.

 

[Cantdog]

I've been scrounging around and found that Northwood Saw now is carrying 44MM VEC pistons for the 510/520 and a 45MM VEC piston for the 535....just though I'd put that out there for everyone who insists on reviving those dead horses.....They also sell the only AM VEC piston for the 49SP.....I did a build thread on that when they first came out.....excellent fit and finish...nice looking piston.....there were issues with way to much space between the wristpin bosses and the upper con rod allowing the lower con rod bearing to drift over and rub on either counter weight. I solved this by using an upper con rod bearing and thrust washer set from a 52/52E....had to remove a little from either side of the piston bosses.......I brought this to Northwoods attention but they didn't seem to be bothered by it. Other than that it was a damn nice piston....perfect clone....maybe they fixed it by now....

 

[Cantdog]

Not much to report this weekend........though yesterday a friend called.....he was at the town dump in his town and he said there was about 100 saws on the dump....!!!

I quizzed him and it seemed they were mostly Homelites and Macs and others...said they were mostly picked clean.....I asked about Huskys and of course any Jreds..... he ssaid he would look. I went by the shop last night and there were two reds saws outside the door......both what I would call poor examples....a locked up 520 and a 2050......both missing a lot of parts. But......still have a number of very useful parts still on them so in the pile they go....parts is parts....worse case....they eventually go back to the dump......minus a few bits....

 

[Real1shepherd]

I probably mentioned this before, but a guy up in Canada told me that a dealer took about a half ton of older NOS J'red parts to the dump. He was trying to make me understand that eBay doesn't work up there like it does in the states on stuff like this. There are individuals roaming around Canada looking to buy out stock like this....but they can't be everywhere at once. When I think how hard most of us have to look to support these old saws...it's heartbreaking to hear stories like that.

Kevin

 

[Heffalump]

So, I may or may not have acquired a 2051 from my friendly neighborhood chainsaw pusher. I'm trying to tune the carb, but this thing screams so loud that I my ears can't hear it go lean. Does anyone know what the max RPM should be? I found some references for the 2054 and 2055. The 2055 was spec'd at 13.4K The 2054 was a little less, but it did not specify whether it was referring to the decomp model.

 

[Cantdog]

So, I may or may not have acquired a 2051 from my friendly neighborhood chainsaw pusher. I'm trying to tune the carb, but this thing screams so loud that I my ears can't hear it go lean. Does anyone know what the max RPM should be? I found some references for the 2054 and 2055. The 2055 was spec'd at 13.4K The 2054 was a little less, but it did not specify whether it was referring to the decomp model.

I'll look when I get back to the shop and check here in later....if someone doesn't get back to you first....

 

[Heffalump]

Thanks Robin!