Hoyt Pro Force FX Review

Editors' review

Hoyt looked at its own brand-new target bow and decided some archers needed it shorter, faster, and able to draw shorter - so for 2019 it built the Pro Force FX alongside the standard Pro Force. The result is the quick, compact member of the ProForce Series: a 32 3/4-inch axle-to-axle, 6-inch brace-height target and field bow that Hoyt rated at a blistering 332 fps IBO (the industry-standard chronograph rating at a fixed 30-inch, 70-pound, 350-grain setup) - seven faster than the standard Pro Force despite being three inches shorter. What makes the FX its own bow rather than a trim of the standard Pro Force is the cam range: it runs only the #2 and #3 ZT Hyper cams, so it tops out at a 30.5-inch draw but reaches down to 25 inches - a window the long #4-cam standard bow could not cover. Everything else is the ProForce Series an archer already knows: the same zero-torque cam family, the same shoot-through riser, the same modular grip. This is the Pro Force for the archer who wanted it shorter and faster - and the shorter-draw shooter who could not fit the standard bow at all.

Finish

The Pro Force FX lived in Hoyt's 2019 target palette, which is where a spot or 3D shooter makes the bow their own. The colorway Hoyt led with on the FX was the anodized Gold Medal target finish - a bright riser set off against carbon-look black limbs, and the one a Hoyt rep singled out at launch as the bow's standout look. Beyond it, the broader 2019 target line offered the Shred Color Series, pairing a Black Out riser with bright limb colors and custom strings and cables dyed to match, alongside solid anodized target tones for shooters who prefer a single clean color. Because the FX shares the ProForce Series target framing, it was charted and marketed first as a target rig rather than a camo hunter, though the platform can be hunted. The anodized and dipped coatings are the same durable finishes Hoyt runs across its flagship lineup, so wear resistance tracks with the rest of the brand rather than being a budget afterthought. Between the bright Gold Medal and Shred limbs for the shooting line and the muted solids for a quieter look, the FX covered both kinds of target archer.

Riser

The Pro Force FX is built on the same super-stiff Hoyt shoot-through riser as the standard Pro Force - the central cage geometry that routes the stabilizer and cable system through a rigid, low-vibration bridge structure, and the feature that most defines how the bow holds. A Hoyt rep confirmed at launch that the FX carries "the shoot through riser, the roller guards, a lot of that's the same" as the standard bow, so the forgiveness work the riser does is not stripped out of the shorter model. That work matters on a target rig: with a long stabilizer and a long sight, any torque is magnified, and the shoot-through bridge pours strength into the system exactly where that torque would otherwise show up on the pin. A sealed ball-bearing roller guard manages the cables with low friction, and the same rear-stabilizer bushing carries over for shooters who run a back bar. The FX trims the chassis to 32 3/4 inches axle-to-axle - three inches shorter than the standard Pro Force - which is the headline change a shooter feels first: a more compact, easier-to-carry rig that still routes through the same stiff bridge. The shorter riser gives up a little of the standard bow's length-driven stability in exchange for maneuverability, but the cam and string-angle geometry keep it shooting more forgiving than a 32-inch number suggests.

Grip

The Pro Force FX carries Hoyt's 4-angle modular grip, the same bolt-on system as the standard Pro Force and one of the most practical features on the bow. The grip mounts with two screws, letting a shooter dial the wrist angle to their own hand rather than adapting to a fixed shape - owners of the platform single this out as the kind of thing that should be standard across the industry. Just as useful is the consistency: the grip is the same width all the way through, which pushes the hand to a single repeatable contact point instead of drifting up or down the throat between shots, and on a target bow that repeatability is worth real points. The profile is on the narrow side, so it sits cleanly in the web of the hand and keeps torque out of the shot. Because the angle is adjustable rather than carved, a shooter coming off a different brand can usually find a familiar wrist position quickly. On the shorter FX chassis that low-torque, line-tuned grip does the same job it does on the standard bow - it is part of why the platform holds as steady as it does.

Limbs

The Pro Force FX runs the ProForce Series limb system: 3/4 split QuadFlex limbs seated in Hoyt's Bi-Ax pocket, in a beyond-parallel configuration that cancels post-shot shock. The Bi-Ax pocket is a genuine improvement on the prior approach - the limbs squeeze inward as they are inserted, and their natural outward pressure self-seats them to zero tolerance, a fit owners of the platform describe as super tight and super consistent, which is exactly what a target archer wants from a bow that has to return to the same place shot after shot. The beyond-parallel geometry means the limb tips travel toward each other through the shot, so the forces largely cancel and the riser stays settled in the hand. The defining limb difference from the standard Pro Force is the brace height: the FX runs a 6-inch brace against the standard bow's 7 inches, a shorter brace that stores energy more aggressively and is a big part of how the FX hits 332 fps. Draw-weight coverage spans 30 to 70 pounds in four module ranges, broad enough to cover a youth or developing spot shooter at the bottom and a full-power field setup at the top. Hoyt's layered limb construction has a long durability record across the brand's lineup, and the same pocket-and-roller-guard hardware carries over here, so reliability tracks with the rest of the range.

Eccentric System

The heart of the Pro Force FX is the same ZT (Zero-Torque) Hyper Cam & 1/2 family as the standard Pro Force - a hybrid cam tuned to perform at its best standing straight up and down, with a yoke wrapping both sides of the cam to hold that alignment through the entire draw, the design built around straight nock travel and near-zero bottom cam lean. What separates the FX is the cam range: where the standard Pro Force offers three cam sizes (#2, #3, and a long #4 reaching a 33-inch draw), the FX offers only two - CAM 2 covering 25 to 28.5 inches and CAM 3 covering 27.5 to 30.5 inches. Dropping the #4 cam is not an omission, it is the design intent: the FX exists to cover shorter draws and chase more speed, so it tops out at a 30.5-inch draw but reaches down to 25 inches, a window the standard Pro Force could not fit. A Hoyt rep put the rationale plainly at launch - "a lot of archers were looking for a little bit more speed, especially 3D shooters," plus "shorter draw archers that really wanted to shoot the Pro Force that weren't able to." Within each cam, a slide-mod draw stop sets the exact length without a bow press, the same tuning convenience as the standard bow. Speed sits at 332 fps IBO, seven faster than the standard Pro Force's 325 despite the FX being three inches shorter axle-to-axle - the shorter chassis and the 6-inch brace buy that extra speed. No FX-specific chronograph measurement has been published, so the 332 figure here is the catalog IBO, not a real-world reading; on the standard Pro Force the same ZT Hyper cam tunes easily and tracks nose to nose, behavior the shared cam family carries onto the FX. Let-off runs a deep 85 percent (the percentage of peak weight the holding weight drops to at full draw), so a long line session holds at a fraction of peak weight.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

Drawing the Pro Force FX, the first thing to expect is the loaded front end the whole ProForce Series shares - the pre-loaded beyond-parallel limbs already carry tension, so the bow builds early and reads as a fast bow rather than a soft one, and the shorter 6-inch brace makes that energy storage a touch more aggressive than the standard Pro Force's 7-inch brace. From there the ZT Hyper cam draws cleanly to peak and eases into a defined valley, the same cam character as the standard bow. The 85 percent let-off means you can sit at full draw long enough to settle the pin and execute, which is the point on a target rig. The shorter axle-to-axle is what a shooter feels most: at 32 3/4 inches the FX is noticeably more compact and quicker to point than the standard 35 3/4-inch Pro Force, an easier bow to carry between 3D stakes and to swing onto an off-angle target. That compactness is a trade - a 32-inch target bow gives up a little of the rock-steady, slow-floating hold a longer riser delivers, and the 6-inch brace asks for slightly cleaner release form than the standard bow's 7-inch brace. In return the FX flattens trajectory with its 332 fps IBO, which is exactly what a 3D shooter ranging an unknown distance wants. Because the FX shares the standard Pro Force's shoot-through riser, sealed roller guard, and beyond-parallel limbs, the dead-in-hand, low-vibration shot the platform is known for carries onto the shorter chassis. This is a quick, compact, accurate target platform - faster and more maneuverable than the standard Pro Force, asking a little more form in exchange for it.

Usage Scenarios

The Pro Force FX is built first for the target, field, and 3D archer who wants the ProForce platform in a shorter, faster, more maneuverable package than the standard Pro Force. On a 3D course it is the most natural fit: the 32 3/4-inch axle-to-axle is easy to carry through brush and quick to swing onto an off-angle twelve, and the 332 fps IBO flattens trajectory on an unknown-distance target - the exact archer Hoyt named at launch when it said 3D shooters wanted "a little bit more speed." On an indoor spot line the FX still rewards good form with tight groups, though a shooter who prizes maximum forgiveness on the line may lean toward the longer standard bow. The FX also fits one archer the standard Pro Force simply could not: the shorter-draw shooter. With a draw range starting at 25 inches, it opens the ProForce platform to short-draw adults and developing archers who fell below the standard bow's window. It suits the crossover shooter too - the same ZT Hyper cam, the same grip, and the same shot feel carry from the summer range into a fall hunting setup, so there is no relearning the bow when seasons change, and at the upper draw weights it would make a capable whitetail rig. What it is not is a long-draw target specialist: a shooter who needs to pull past 30.5 inches has to step up to the standard Pro Force or its longer Double XL sibling, because the FX simply does not carry the #4 cam.

Versions

The Pro Force FX is a single-year model - Hoyt introduced it "all new for 2019" and did not carry it forward, so 2019 is its only model year (it is absent from the 2018, 2020, and 2021 catalogs). There is one configuration of the bow: 32 3/4-inch axle-to-axle, 6-inch brace, 332 fps IBO, 4.6 pounds, the ZT Hyper Cam & 1/2, and an 85 percent let-off. Two things a buyer chooses within that one model: cam size and draw-weight module. The FX comes in two cam sizes only - CAM 2 (25 to 28.5 inches of draw) and CAM 3 (27.5 to 30.5 inches) - with no #4 cam, so the model tops out at a 30.5-inch draw. Draw weight is set by module across four ranges: 30-40, 40-50, 50-60, and 60-70 pounds, covering a developing shooter at the bottom to a full-power field or hunting setup at the top. Hoyt did not publish a hard MSRP for the FX in its catalog; at retail it sat at Hoyt target-bow pricing, alongside the standard Pro Force and well under the brand's carbon flagships. The model was discontinued after its single 2019 season.

Hoyt Pro Force FX vs Hoyt Pro Force, Mathews TX-5

Bow	Hoyt Pro Force FX	Hoyt Pro Force	Mathews TX-5
Version	2019	2020	2020
Picture
Brace Height	6 "	7 "	5 "
AtA Length	32.75 "	35.75 "	28 "
Draw Length	25 " - 30.5 "	26.5 " - 32 "	23.5 " - 29.5 "
Draw Weight	30 lbs - 70 lbs	30 lbs - 70 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	332 fps	325 fps	345 fps
Weight	4.6 lbs	4.7 lbs	4.58 lbs
Let-Off	85%	70%	75% or 85%
Where to buy Best prices online	Not available now. Please check later.	$80 to $2500 Compare prices	$649 to $1100 Compare prices
	compare more bows

For a Pro Force FX shopper the two real cross-shops are the in-series sibling and a cross-brand peer with the same compact-and-fast intent. The Hoyt Pro Force is the closest relative and the more important decision - the FX is literally the shorter, faster version of it, sharing the ZT Hyper cam family, the shoot-through riser, the roller guard, and the modular grip. The differences are deliberate: the standard Pro Force runs 35 3/4 inches axle-to-axle, a 7-inch brace, 325 fps IBO, and three cam sizes that reach a true 33-inch draw, while the FX trims to 32 3/4 inches, a 6-inch brace, 332 fps IBO, and two cam sizes that span 25 to 30.5 inches. So the choice within the ProForce Series comes down to length and draw: the standard Pro Force for the archer who wants the longest, most forgiving hold or who draws past 30.5 inches; the FX for the archer who wants a shorter, faster, more maneuverable rig, or who draws shorter than the standard bow allows. The Mathews TX-5 comes at the same compact-and-fast target-and-field need from a third brand, and it pushes the trade even further: a 28-inch axle-to-axle, a short 5-inch brace, and a 345 fps IBO, with a 23.5 to 29.5-inch draw range. It is the pick for a shooter who wants the most compact, fastest frame of the three and is willing to give up brace-height forgiveness and long-draw reach to get it, where the FX keeps a slightly longer chassis and the familiar ProForce hardware. The decision comes down to priorities: the Hoyt Pro Force for the long, dead-stable target hold and the longest draws; the Hoyt Pro Force FX for the shorter, faster ProForce that also opens up short draws; the Mathews TX-5 for the most compact, fastest frame.

Summary

The Hoyt Pro Force FX is the quick, compact answer to a question Hoyt's own target line raised in 2018: what if the new Pro Force were shorter, faster, and able to draw shorter? For 2019 the brand delivered exactly that - a 32 3/4-inch axle-to-axle, 6-inch brace-height target and field bow rated at 332 fps IBO, seven faster than the standard Pro Force despite being three inches shorter, on the same zero-torque ZT Hyper Cam family. What makes it its own bow rather than a trim of the standard model is the cam range: two sizes only, no #4 cam, so it tops at a 30.5-inch draw but reaches down to 25 inches - opening the ProForce platform to shorter-draw archers the standard bow could not fit, and especially to the 3D shooter who wanted more speed. No FX-specific chronograph number was published, so the 332 fps figure is the catalog IBO rather than a measured reading, but the shared cam, shoot-through riser, and modular grip mean the dead-in-hand, easy-to-tune behavior the standard Pro Force is known for carries onto the shorter chassis. At Hoyt target-bow pricing, well under the carbon line, the FX put a compact, fast crossover target rig within reach of a club shooter. It is a single-season 2019 model now found on the used market, so a buyer who wants a new Hoyt target bow should look at the brand's current target lineup. An excellent bow for the 3D and field archer who wants a shorter, faster, more maneuverable ProForce, and particularly strong for the shorter-draw shooter who could not fit the standard bow. Buyers who want the longest, most forgiving hold or a draw past 30.5 inches should look at the Hoyt Pro Force, and those who want the most compact, fastest frame of all should look at the Mathews TX-5.