THE MACBROZ BLOG

The Glock 19 is one of those pistols that almost every handgun gets compared to eventually. It doesn’t matter if the new gun is polymer-framed, metal-framed, hammer-fired, striker-fired, optics-ready, compensated, compact, or somewhere in between. At some point, somebody is going to ask: How does it compare to a Glock 19? That says a lot. You don’t have to believe the Glock 19 is the best handgun ever made. You don’t even have to particularly like Glocks. But it’s difficult t

I’ve been shooting ported pistols for almost 10 years now. That still feels strange to say, mostly because for a long time, porting was not normal. It was something you saw on competition guns, custom builds, or pistols that had been sent off to a specialty shop for machining. If you had ports cut into your slide and barrel years ago, people noticed. It was different. It was usually something you had intentionally gone out of your way to have done. Fast forward to today and m

There was a time when putting a red dot on a handgun still felt like something reserved for competition shooters, heavily modified pistols, or people who simply wanted the newest piece of gear. That time is gone. Today, walk into almost any gun store and it feels like every new pistol is either optics-ready or available in an optics-ready version. Even guns designed specifically for concealed carry now routinely come cut from the factory for a red dot. Somewhere along the way

Full-size pistols just don’t excite me the way they used to. That doesn’t mean they’re bad. They still have advantages, and there are situations where a bigger gun absolutely makes sense. But when I’m spending my own money? Give me a really good compact. Because the handgun market has changed, and modern compact pistols have gotten so capable that I keep coming back to the same question: What am I really gaining by going full-size? Compact Used to Mean Compromise There was a

There’s a problem with 2011s. And no, I’m not talking about the price. I’m talking about what happens after you spend enough time shooting one. Because eventually, you pick up another pistol—and suddenly you start noticing everything. The trigger feels heavier. The grip feels different. The recoil impulse feels harsher. The controls don't feel quite as natural. The gun might still be great. But now you're comparing it to something you weren't comparing it to before. That's th

I love a good-looking gun. I’m probably the last person who should ever tell somebody that aesthetics don’t matter. I’ve had guns Cerakoted. I’ve changed triggers. I’ve swapped grips. I’ve added magwells, optics, extended controls, porting, and plenty of other things that absolutely make a gun look cooler. So this isn’t me telling you to leave every gun stock. It’s me saying something a little different: Stop building your gun for Instagram and start building it for what you

I've owned a lot of Glock 19s over the years. Gen 3s. Later generations. Different configurations. Different builds. At one point, the Glock 19 was one of those guns that seemed to constantly rotate through my collection. Today? I own one. And interestingly enough, it's a Gen 3 Glock 19 that's been completely customized. That probably tells you everything you need to know about my relationship with Glock. I never stopped respecting the Glock 19. It's one of the most proven, s

One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed in the 2A space over the last several years is that gun ownership has become a lot more intentional. For a lot of us, it’s no longer just about buying a firearm, putting a red dot on it, and calling it done. We’re building a system. That system might include the gun, optic, holster, magazines, belt, weapon light, range gear, replacement parts, training equipment, tools, and eventually the upgrades that make the firearm work better for t

For a long time, buying firearm optics followed a pretty simple rule: spend more money and you’ll probably get a better optic. There was some truth to that. Premium brands earned their reputations by producing optics that survived hard use, maintained zero, offered dependable electronics, and were backed by companies with proven track records. If you wanted something you could trust, especially for duty or defensive use, paying premium prices made sense. But the optics market