My preferred pro shop, Droptine Archery in Advance, NC received their 2013 Prime One yesterday. First chance I got, Sticknstringswife and I headed up so I could try it out. I have been waiting since rumors started about Prime bringing out a 40" ATA target bow started spreading. I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. When shooting a bow for the first time, I like to shoot it without any accessories other than a rest. To me this allows me to feel the bow for what it really is. That being said, on to the review. For starters the specs on this bow are: ATA: 39.5" Brace Height: 7.5" IBO: 310 Weight: 4.6lb Draw Lengths: 27.5"-31.5" in half inch increments. Draw Weights: 50, 60 and 70. The fit and finish are pristine as Prime is known for producing some of the nicest finishes in the industry. The one I shot was all black with the cams in a goss black finish. It has the blue anodized axels like all the other Primes do. It's a target bow so the weight is an advantage so 4.6lb does feel a bit heavy if a person is use to a light weight hunting rig. The grip feels great in the hand an at full draw. Sits just right and gives that bow to bone feel I crave in a bow grip and completely effortless to find. So to me the grip felt perfect an may be the best grip I have felt to date on a straight riser grip. I hooked the release and started to draw. The draw on this bow is excellent. It draws great the ought the draw cycle. At the end of the cycle it does have a bit of a drop into the valley. Not harsh but, not what I was expecting from Prime. Now that being said what I was expecting was the Impact draw cycle so I had to remind myself this is a target rig. Not a hunting rig. I shot this particular bow with the limb stops instead of the string stop simply because that is what I prefer. The back wall was rock solid as limb stop are. When at full draw, you best not relax at all. This thing will take off on you without hesitation. It's pretty harsh of a take off too. I wouldn't say it's unmanageable but, it is pretty significant. I was able to stop it and bring it back to the wall before it made it to no return though. From what I know about these type of bows, that's pretty normal. When holding, string angle is pretty important to me and this one felt great. The hold was really steady. The long ATA was really nice feeling as you would expect from a target rig. All in all the hold felt amazing. The shot was about what I expected with it being a target bow but, not quite what I expected from Prime. It had a pretty descent amount of vibration. I have felt worse though. Once set up for competition, the vibration will be nonexistent. Overall I think it will make one fine target rig and with the parallel cam system, should be amazingly accurate. With the wider limbs than on previous Primes, a wider track this year on the cams, the 7000 series aluminum riser, the improved (from last years other models) I-glide system, 8190 BCY strings and their amazing Shield Service warranty program this bow should make for some happy competition archers.
