When Prime Archery starting making compound bows, their stated goal was to "build the world's most accurate bow." I have not shot every bow in the world (just most), so I can't put a stamp on their mission. However, I will say that the Prime bows I've shot over the past 15 years have very reliably put arrows where my pin is.
For several years, Prime has annually launched a flagship trio—three bows of the same name but with different axle-to-axle lengths. For 2025, the company broke this mold, somewhat. For 2025, Prime has a pair of flagships, both offered in two axle-to-axle lengths. The new aluminum-riser RVX+ comes in lengths of 32 and 34 inches, and the new hybrid-riser Prime Form is offered in 30 and 34. All of that said, it's the new 34-inch Form that's getting the most buzz, so that is what I tested. Here's my full review.
Prime Form 34 Specs
Axle-to-Axle Length: 34"
Brace Height: 6-1/4"
Weight: 4 lb., 1 oz.
Price: $1,595
First Impressions of the Prime Form
Out of the box, the Form is unmistakably Prime, with a long, straight riser that flares slightly at each end, giving way to sturdy aluminum limb pockets with wide, thick, split limbs. Prime's Centergrip technology is here, which is designed to lowers the center of gravity of the bow to increase accuracy by reducing pin float. The grip is a removable two-piece with a gridded back for an improved feel. The grip fit my hand but felt a tad slick and a bit thicker than I would have liked.
The big story, though, is the AST Riser. What the company calls Advanced Structure Technology (AST) combines aluminum and carbon to create a sort of hybrid riser. Most of the riser is aluminum, but two sections, above and below the grip, employ a pair of carbon rods. It looks like no bow riser you've ever seen before.
According to Prime, the carbon rods increase riser stiffness by 47.5 percent. Meanwhile, carbon's high strength-to-weight ratio allowed the company to build a longer axle-to-axle hunting bow that weighs just 4.1 pounds. The bow feels light in the hand, too. The riser sports a front slit rail system that accepts sights with a pic mount, and the riser's back features a pair of dovetail slits to accept IMS rest models.
The string stop is directly aligned with the stabilizer mounting hole. The Core Cams' draw-length-specific modules are available in 1/2-inch increments between 26.5 and 30.5 inches. The strings and cables rest perfectly in the cam grooves and showed no signs of wear. The fit and finish of my test bow was excellent.
Prime Form Bow Build
The first think I did was check the max draw weight, which came in at a little over the 70-pound-max mark, like most of the bows I tested for 2025. The limb bolts turned smoothly, and there was no chatter or popping. I adjusted the draw weight to 70.01 pounds—the closest I could get a 2025 flagship to the exact manufacturer-listed peak weight.
I checked the other specs, which were all spot on. The bow pressed easily, and the setup process was easy. The multi-colored string with strand separator made peep-insertion quick, and all bow-mounted accessories attached without issue. I do like Prime's version of the pic-mount riser. Rather than adding a rail, Prime created deep slit grooves in the aluminum, and my Spot-Hogg Boonie PM Tripe Stack grabbed the rails and snugged down tightly. The IMS system accepted my QAD MX2 rest, and the threaded stabilizer hole created no hangups for my 8-inch BeeStinger MicroHex.
Cam timing was perfect. The top felt-padded arm on the cam module contacted the outer cable 1/16" before the bottom. I opted to leave it. I've set up a lot of Prime bows, and I like the top cable stop contacting just ahead of the bottom. For arrows, I set up Easton's new 5.0 arrows with four Flex-Flech Pro 2.5 vanes, 100-grain field points, HIT inserts, HIT collars, and 5mm Microlite nocks. The total arrow weight is 381.5 grains.
Prime Form Intitial Range Test Results
With my cam timing perfect, I stood 20 yards from Morrell's Big High Roller foam target and sent an arrow. The shot was four inches above the single 2-inch diameter dot, but the left/right was perfect. I adjusted, and my second and third arrows hit inside the 2-inch white circle. In less than 20 minutes, I had the Form dialed to 60 yards and shot ultra-tight groups. I detected a slight arrow kick—it looked nock high—but it wasn't enough to return to the bow room yet. I regularly stacked three arrows into the 2-inch circle from 40, 50, and 60 yards.
The Prime Form felt like one of the slower bows I'd shot thus far, but what it seemed to lack in speed it made up for in accuracy. This is the most accurate Prime I've ever tested. Prime emphasized creating a longer 34-inch axle-to-axle platform that doesn't feel like you're toting a water-soaked log, and the 6-1/4-inch brace height proved plenty forgiving.
The bow's draw cycle is generally smooth. The transition to the 80 percent let-off is abrupt, but the more I shot the bow, the more I got used to it. Although the valley is forgiving, there is some give, but it's not spongy, and to me, feels perfect. I could pull hard into the valley while driving my bow arm at the target. The bow also lets down easier and smoother than most bows in this year's test. Prime offers performance mods, but I opted to test the bow with the standard modules on it. Swapping mods is easy. Pull a pair of hex-head screws and make the switch.
At full draw, the bow's longer axle-to-axle length shines. It holds ultra-steady on target, pin-float is minimized, and arrows hit the mark. There is some post-shot noise and vibration. While the bow is highly accurate, it does tingle the hand and seemed louder than most of the compound bows in this year's test. The post-shot feel of the Prime Form reminded me of a target bow, a slight twang, and some hand tickle, but it was spot-on accurate. My final six-arrow group from 65 yards put all six arrows in the 10-ring of Delta McKenzie's Aim-Rite Bear. With more than 100 day-one arrows through the Form, I knew the strings and cables were settled in. So, it was time to eliminate the slight nock-high travel and confirm any other micro-tuning issues through paper.
Final Tune
My first six shots through paper confirmed the nock-high tear. I eliminated this by slightly lowering the arrow nocking point on the string. Then I tuned out a small nock-left tear by moving my rest two clicks toward the riser. Prime doesn't offer any on-the-bow tuning devices. However, basic tuning isn't an issue because the bow sets up so well, and cam synchronization is so easy to achieve.
Speed & Noise
My initial thoughts about speed were confirmed; the Form produced a three-shot average of 296 fps set at 70.01 pounds of draw weight at a draw length of 29 inches, making it the slowest bow in this year's flagship lineup. The total arrow weight was 381.5 grains. At least with the standard modules, it's evident that Prime puts a premium on a longer, more accurate platform, which I respect. Speed, as long as it's not turtle slow, isn't something I pay much attention to. I swapped the mods once to check speed, and you can count on a 5-6 fps increase when you go with the performance mods.
Concerning post-shot noise, Prime's Form produced a three-shot decibel reading of 72.1 dB, which is a tad on the louder side compared to the other test bows. Though there is some post-shot noise and vibration, neither distracted me, and I was able to deliver accurate arrow placement throughout testing.
Prime Form Final Range Test
With the tune perfect, I stepped to 40 yards, and the Prime Form delivered the tightest (sub-1-inch) three-arrow group in this year's F&S bow test. Is the bow a touch loud? Yes. Does it tickle the hand a touch? Yes. Is it slower than most 2025 flagship compounds? It is. However, accuracy is really, really important, and I shot Prime's Form more accurately—on average—than any other bow in this year's test. If accuracy matter most to you, like it does to me, then you need to take a close look at the Form. I would have zero reservations making it my 2025 field bow. I highly recommend shooting it at a local pro shop and seeing if it shoots as well for you as it did for me.
