VANGUARD Equalizer 1QS Bipod Product Review
dustyvarmints Mostly Archery 05.11.11
This week I review Vanguard’s Equalizer 1QS bipod.
Specifications (from Vanguard’s website):
- Equalizer QS has a picatinny rail system that allows shooters to attach and detach firearms faster than ever. Hunters appreciate its quick leg deployment. Its Pull and Position leg adjustment system enables you to quickly and safely reposition. A buffer spring reduces shock and vibration while providing a solid shooting base. It has a pivot tilt of 0 to 5 degrees and a -30 to +30-degree swing angle. Equalizer QS takes on an array of terrains with feet that convert from metal spikes to rubber. Equalizer 1QS is designed for prone position shooting.
- Has a picatinny rail quick shoe system for extremely fast attachment
- Buffer spring provides solid shooting
- Bonus 2nd picatinny rail quick shoe for quick attachment to other firearms
The flat base of the bipod rests on the bench.
A close up of the flat base.
The Equalizer 1QS in use on a CZ 527 American in .204 Ruger.
Easy on, easy off.
Another close up – note the convertible rubber feet/spikes.
The Equalizer 1QS on a Savage 93R17 in .17 HMR.
Manufacturer’s Customer Service: Not used, not rated.
General notes: Even though my true love is bowhunting I’m no stranger to varmint shooting. In the mid-90’s we used to make annual trips to Montana, Washington or Oregon in pursuit of “sage rats”, ground squirrels and prairie dogs. So there is one thing I want to point out about rifle mounted bipods. The shorter ones like the 1QS make a person think of getting down on the ground in the prone position to shoot. Even back then before I reached my 30’s it didn’t take many shots for that to get old. The neck is tired (and actually painful after a day), the back is tired and the front is filled with cactus spines, ants and dirt. The shorter bipods like the 1QS are best for 1-2 shots in a prone position at extra-large varmints or long-term shooting from a bench. Consider Vanguard’s 2QS or 3QS for a day’s worth of shooting from the sitting position without the pain.
There is something decidely different about that varmint. Oh yeah, about 15 years.
Jerry grew up in rural Kansas where his parents not so much mentored, but allowed, he and his brother to trap, hunt, fish and spend lots of time roaming the fields and woods. In 1987 he joined the U.S. Navy.
While on shore duty in 1993 a Wisconsin acquaintance introduced him to bowhunting. Later that year he harvested his first whitetail and was bitten (infected) by the bowhunting bug. Over the course of the next fourteen years Uncle Sam moved him frequently, but he fit in bowhunting adventures along the way.
In 2007 Jerry retired from active duty Navy service and took up his bowhunting pursuits with fervor. Today he resides in southeastern Wisconsin working as a civilian logistics manager for the Department of the Navy. Much of his outdoors time is spent on property available to the public and he considers himself a Public Land Warrior. He enjoys spending quality time with his two shelter dogs, Lexus and Maggie, traveling with his wife, staying fit and bowhunting.
With luck and determination he has taken whitetail deer, black bear, feral hogs, collared peccary (javelina), turkey, pronghorn, five species of African plains game as well as a variety of small game and fish species using archery equipment. Pursuing turkey in KS, elk and mule deer out west, hogs and javelina in TX and another trip to South Africa are on the horizon.
He writes dustyvarmint’s Mostly Archery, www.mostlyarchery.com, a weekly blog about bowhunting that focuses on things the everyday, ordinary bowhunter, who is constrained by time and budget, can do. There he shares Mostly Archery stories, equipment recommendations, supplier recommendations, recipes, tips, techniques, DIY projects, trip and outfitter reports and more. A little humor (mostly dry & sometimes bad) is usually sprinkled in here and there.
People sometimes ask who “dustyvarmint” is. Basically it was the formulation of a series of internet forum handles until one kind of stuck. It started out as “varmint” on a varmint hunting forum, went to “dust varmint” on a woodworking forum, to “dusty varmint” on a home improvement forum and finally “dusytvarmint” on bowhunting forums. It usually gives people a chuckle and he has found it to be unique on the forums.
You can reach Jerry at dustyvarmint@hotmail.com.
