I fought with my muffler pretty much all of last year--on a 46cc farmhand (2775--I think.) It kept rattling apart on me. I broke the weld that held it all together. I tried bolts with lock nuts and thread lock and that lasted about 2 cuts. Each time it fell apart another piece fell off of it. Finally I put the shell back together with no guts at all and found some oversized tek screws and drove them into the threaded holes. It is kind of a permanent "fix." It has held together for about 4 tanks worth now. It is still loud as all get out--but much quieter than with nothing at all. She runs great like this. If I am doing damage (running lean, rich, etc) it hasn't shown up and even it if does this little saw has more than paid for itself many, many times over. I paid $199 for it at Home Depot. I have had it for about 8 years now and I have cut probably 40 cords with it over the years. If she dies, she dies, but I just cut with it again yesterday--fired right up and cut like a champ. She is showing her age--as the muffler issue can attest, but also, every bolt that is threaded into plastic (90% of them) on the housing and handles are stripped out and it is still the most finicky powertool I have ever used when it comes to having a perfectly spotless air filter. I clean it or replace it (I have bought probably a dozen in the last few years) every tank. If it is clean, and I mean perfect, she runs great--really well: starts right up 3-4 pulls, idles perfect and revs up nice and strong, but get 5 little specs of dust on the filter and she only revs up about 2/3's the way which isn't very fast. Overall, I can't complain at all about my green little monster. Hopefully she keeps kicking for several more years.
Interesting on the filter problems you say you experiance. I have never run into that at all with my 2500 or my buddies 295 which are from that familey.
In fact I don't think the buddy ever cleans it till I get to it.