Sitka Spruce?

[Bowspirit]

Playing around with softwoods right now. Dropped about 15-20 pounds in bow weight, so the hickories I once loved (still my absolute favorite arrow wood) are just too heavy. Kicked around the idea of doug fir, too, but I guess I'm just looking to try something in the weight range of cedar with a bit more durability.
 So, who's used spruce. Durability, straightening, finished arrow weights, how well it stains? Just curious...

[wv lungbuster]

Spruce is close in weight to ceder, but alot more durable straightens easy and stains well.

[centaur]

I have liked the spruce shafts I got from Raptor. Fly like cedar, but tougher. They don't smell as good, however.

[Afraid a snake]

I just finished up 2 doz sitka spruce for elk hunting in sept.I got them from Hilderbrands, they are tapered 65-70's cut 29"bop with 160gr broadheads they weigh in the 580's gr. I have shot sitkas for a couple years and love them.

[R. Combs]

Call the Hilderbrands, they can set you up with just about any weight shaft that you want. The last ones that I ordered were 320-330 grains and my finished arrow with 125grain tip was 520 gr. cut at 29" bop.

They are a lot tougher than cedar also.

Rick

[jonsimoneau]

I'm extremely impressed with them. Much better than any of the cedar shafts I have ordered.  Similar in weight, but tougher.  I footed mine with purple heartwood and they fly great.  Can't wait to run one through a whitetail.

[Stone Knife]

Poplar is good stuff too, I made Beck some arrows from it and they were nice. I do like Doug fir but it's heavier than cedar, I have never tried spruce. What spine are you shooting?

[wtpops]

Mid 500s to low 600s for arrow weight depending on tip weight.

Stronger and i think stay straiter longer but like centaur said dont smell as good as cedar.

[Bowspirit]

Thinking of trying a 55/60 spine shaft, Stone Knife. Just picked up a beautiful Howard Hill Halfbreed from Vermonster that's 45 pounds @ 28. Was thinking of returning to carbon shafts, but woods been too good. My hickories were damn near bullet proof, and despite what others say, rarely had to be straightened. But I just think the wodds a little heavy for a 45-50 pound bow...

[Orion]

I'm waiting on some Sitka spruce now from Hildebrand's, but I've also shot a fair amount of Doug fir.  A little heavier than cedar, but very tough.  I am very impressed with the Surewood Doug firs.  If you ask for the lighter doug firs in your particular draw weight, they could be as light as medium or heavy cedars in the same spine weight range.  Regardless, any softwood, cedar, spruce or fir, is going to be a lot lighter than hickory.

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

I bought a few hundred Sitka Spruce shafts from Kelly Peterson a few years ago, and I'm still holding onto them. His "seconds" were better than the premium POC shafts I was buying back then, and they shure make a nice arrow.

[Burnsie]

Sitka Spruce is/was the wood of choice for the wing spars and other structural components in airplanes. Its stregnth to weight ratio is the best, and aircraft grade Sitka is super expensive. Not surprising it makes a good arrow.

[Bowspirit]

Just picked up my first dozen spruce shafts. May have had them shootable by tommarrow, but I just found I'm out of polycryllic. Anyway, I like 'em so far. Not a single cull in the bunch, straighten easy, and a really easy-to-read grain. The latter wasn't something my previous hickories could claim...

[bentpole]

I shoot nothing but tapered Sitka Spruce out of my Widow PLV . It's 47#@ my 27"s and I shoot 60/65 #ers out of it. The best woodies I ever shot. I shot tapered cedars. For durablity... I like the SITKA'S Suzanne ST. Charles makes beautiful arrows out of Hildebrand shafts.

[newtotrad]

Just got a half dozen sitka spruce arrows from Suzanne St. Charles cannot wait to try them out.