Douglas fir or Sitka spruce?

My Morningstar that is 53 at 26" shoots 27" 55 surewoods with 160 grain Grizzlies. I know that is over spined, but that is the spine the bow likes and that is what it gets.  They fly dead straight and I wrecked two of them test shooting a tight group checking arrow flight.  I was being lazy, I should have shot them one at a time. The other arrows are 1918s 27" bop with 175 up front including head and glue-on insert.

[grizzlyxx]

I like Doug fir from surewood.  Great shafts!

[two4hooking]

Spruce for me.  Lighter and not sluggish in flight, tough, and I can taper it with a hand held taper tool without crumbling the grain.

Concerning the OP question about arrows speeds. I do not notice a great deal of difference in my point on distance from cedar to doug fir to 1918s. Some bows, perhaps, do not change speeds as much as others with varied arrow weights.  It works out that my point on yardage is longer than  some, even with my shorter draw and anchor with the arrow lined up to the corner of my mouth. Total arrow length perhaps makes the visual have a greater degree in that line of sight to angle of arrow equation. The difference is only a couple of yards, too small for me to give a definite number. How that translates in to arrow loft at 35 yards is even less discernable for me, I may be unconsciously lifting the heavier shaft, but I can put both cedar and firs in my quiver and not have one or the other consistently hit high or low.  I can sense that with the 50 grain difference that one is faster and I was told that if you can sense a difference, the difference is at least 5 fps. I do have bows that a 50 grain difference shows up more, but those bows are very fast recurves with lighter arrows, where as most of my Hill style bows do not seem so fast in comparison, even with lighter arrows.  These Morningstars, like other longbows, seem to be more efficient with heavier arrows and less efficient with lighter arrows.

[MnFn]

I'd order a set of trial arrows from Snag.  He can advise you on what spine arrows to try as well.

You will probly be different from me, but my 51#@28" Shrew shot 63-65 lb Sitka Spruce pretty well with 160grn Stos broad heads.  I drew that bow about 27.5", I think.

[killinstuff]

The truth behind the weight of fir and spruce is if you want a heavier spruce shaft all you have to do is ask Hildabrant and they will sort through what they have to make you happy.  I also believe spruce is much tougher then fir.

[fujimo]

x2- used both, had same results!!

[typical2]

I like Doug fir and sitka spruce.  I have been buying sitka spruce of late.  It let's me shoot a heavier head (Grizzly 225) and stay at around 650 grains.

[BRITTMAN]

I like and have both but for hunting the doug fir is the best

[Rob DiStefano]

for me, once past the straightness and durability concerns, it's all about the mass weight of a wood shaft.  it's just easier to find light mass weight, but stiff spined spruce than fir or most any other shafting wood.  light mass weight can be had with both, but again it's just easier to acquire with spruce.  light mass weight for me is only for really light holding weight hunting trad bows.  i'd still rather use surewood doug fir, and i do.  

[arrow flynn]

Wood takes a lot more work but I enjoy making arrows this time of year and Sitka sspruce and doug fir are both excellent arrow woods in my opinion

[R. Combs]

Both are good woods, I prefer Sitka spruce and so do the guys at my archery club that I make arrows for.

Just went through my stash of Rogue River and Surewood shafts and arrows, not a bent one in the bunch.  Then looked at my few remaining pheasant and rabbit shoot aways made from the bundle I bought off the web auction sight. They were snakes when they were fresh shafts and still fight with me.  The straight ones out of the bundle were made for friends deer hunting arrows. I wonder when I hear about people having trouble getting straight wood arrows, if they were bent when they got them and they tend to go back to their bent condition over time. Of the hundred plus arrows I have those are the only ones that need restraightening.

[Stone Knife]

I tried sitka spruce and didn't like it as well as Surewood Dougfir. I would rather have my hunting arrows a bit heavy than light.