</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The saw has about 20 hours total---it may be worth checking but it has been, in my mind, capable of much higher rpm even tho i'm only looking for a few hundred more. Heck, those dirt bikes rev up to the sky....
Im thinking along the lines of if theres a throttle stop set screw, or hogging out the muffler port, or something.
I realize the manufacturer sets them low for safety, durability, getting safely thru warranty ,etc. ...
(It feels too lean and possibly a throttle stop set too slow)
I wont tell the engineers if you don't.... )</font>
I don't know if there is a throttle stop limit on your chainsaw or not, but if the mixture is off, that will definitely affect the RPMs you are getting. Another thing you can do is change out the drive sprocket to gear your chain up faster. Some of the professional loggers around here do that with brand new saws... others wait until their drive sprocket has worn to the point where it needs replacement, then swap it out. I know this is done on the higher-end Jonsered and Husqvarna models (the drive sprocket is a different design on th elower end models, so I don't know what the options are there). I assume you can do something similar on the Stihl.
Barring significant changes like the sprocket, the best things you can do to imrpove cutting power: keep air filter clean, adjust mixture appropriately, and keep your chain sharp, and put on a good chain (some of the ones they ship with are poor performers, especially when trying to do a bore cut... designed more for low kickback than max performance).
If all else fails, buy a saw with a bigger engine (insert "Tim the Toolman" grunts here...)
John Mc