Vanguard Dropdown monopod & Equaliser

A few months ago we looked at the Vanguard Porta-Aim, which is a compact tripod/ rifle rest that can be set up on the bench or in the field and it proved to be a practical design. Here we have two more of their products – the Equalizer 1 bipod and DropDown M62 Monopod.

Versatile…
The Equalizer is not dissimilar to the old Versa-Pod bipod in terms of looks and mounting, however it offers greater flexibility! The build consists of a polymer mounting plate that attaches to the forend using a standard QD sling stud, it bolts on so is not as fast as a Harris-type to fit/remove. The yoke fits to this by a vertical bolt and coil spring. This design offers all the movement you need with cant (R-L roll), traverse (swivel) 30° either way and a degree of forward and back tilt. With the spring keeping them all under tension, so making for a secure base to launch the shot.

The aluminium legs are retained by pull-down collars, which need to be operated to both deploy and stow. Typically they are hollow with telescopic sections to increase the height with an overall adjustment of 9 ½ to 13”. This is controlled by rotary collars, which require two hands to set up. A nice touch is the rubber ball feet, which are threaded to steel spikes so you can set up for soft or hard ground by screwing them up/down accordingly. Overall this is one of the more versatile bipods designs we have seen with a generous level of adjustment.

Single-Minded

The DropDown M62 monopod takes a very technical approach to the single stick. It consists of two sections, the upper shows a moulded pistol grip-type handle with wrist strap, belt clip, trigger lever and safety, which attaches to the first alloy tube. This slips into a second (lower) tube with the same rubber foot/ spike arrangement on the base as the Equalizer bipod.

Operation is simple as you just squeeze the trigger and the lower sections drops down to adjust the height, which goes from 32 ¼ to 62” quickly. This is tall enough for most shooters. Further versatility is provided by the Picatinny Rail, ‘quick shoe’ base on top of the handle, which means you could fit the pod to a forend-mounted rail. Included are a wide, rubber-lined V-yoke for the forend, along with a shotgun barrel adaptor, which is a polymer clip that clamps around the barrel; not sure about that one for the UK! Also there’s a camera tripod adaptor, which will also accept a spotting scope too. Weighing 1 1/5 lbs the DropDown M62 makes an excellent walking pole too.

Again a technical yet practical piece of kit.

Technical Specifications

Vanguard
Prices:
Equalizer 1 bipod £99.90
DropDown M62 monopod £54.90

FOR - Two practical and effective designs
AGAINST - Not a lot
VERDICT - Vanguard has some good products, well worth a look