MacBroz 2025: A Year of Growth, Community, and Progress

Sitting down to reflect on 2025, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t a specific episode, build, or moment — it’s the feeling that this year finally showed us who MacBroz really is.

Not who we’re trying to be.

Not who we think we should be.

But who we actually are when we keep showing up.

This year wasn’t loud. It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t always feel dramatic in the moment. But looking back, it was full — full of reps, conversations, lessons, and small wins that only stack up if you stay consistent long enough to notice them.

Showing Up and Letting It Be Real

MacBroz has always been two friends talking the way we’d talk whether the mics were on or not. In 2025, that didn’t change — but the confidence behind it did.

Some episodes were technical. Some were just fun. Some turned into longer conversations than we expected because the topic mattered more than the outline. We talked about guns, gear, training, competition, family, frustration, and the things people don’t always want to admit they’re still figuring out.

What mattered most was that the conversations stayed honest.

If we were testing something, we talked about it.

If we were unsure, we said so.

If something didn’t live up to expectations, we didn’t sugarcoat it.

Over time, the show stopped feeling like something we were “putting out” and more like something we were building with the people listening. Familiar names started popping up. Call-ins became conversations instead of questions. Inside jokes formed without anyone trying to force them.

It became clear that MacBroz isn’t for everyone — and that’s not a flaw. It’s a filter.

Gear That Earned Its Place

A big part of 2025 was slowing down our approach to gear.

Instead of chasing every new release, we spent more time actually living with the equipment we talked about. Carrying it. Training with it. Shooting it under pressure. Finding out what worked and what quietly annoyed us after weeks instead of minutes.

That meant talking honestly about tradeoffs. About comfort versus capability. About why something looks great online but might not make sense for how someone actually carries or trains.

There were builds we were proud of, setups we refined, and choices we’d make again — and a few we wouldn’t. And that was the point. The goal was never to convince anyone to buy what we like, but to help people think through their own decisions with a little more clarity.

The longer we did this, the more it reinforced a simple truth: gear only matters if it fits your life, not your feed.

Training That Reflected Real Life

Training conversations took a deeper turn this year, especially around consistency and realism. We kept coming back to the gap between what people carry and how they train — not in a judgmental way, but in an honest one.

The more we trained from concealment, the more obvious it became how important repetition really is. Same holster. Same draw. Same setup. Over and over again.

Not glamorous. Just effective.

Those conversations resonated because they weren’t about being elite — they were about being intentional. About matching training to real life instead of ideal scenarios. About acknowledging that most people are balancing family, work, and limited time, and still want to be capable.

Competition as a Teacher

Competition continued to be one of the best learning tools we leaned on in 2025. Not because it makes anyone special, but because it’s honest.

Timers don’t care how confident you felt that day.

Stages don’t care what your setup cost.

Pressure has a way of stripping things down to fundamentals.

Matches showed us where our training held up and where it didn’t. They exposed habits we didn’t know we had and confirmed others we’d been working on. More importantly, they reminded us that competition isn’t about proving anything — it’s about collecting data.

Those lessons made their way back into how we train, what we talk about on the show, and how we think about improvement moving forward.

The People Made the Difference

If there’s one thing 2025 made clear, it’s that the MacBroz community is the reason this platform exists.

The messages from listeners who tried something new because of an episode. The conversations sparked by a topic we didn’t expect to hit home. The quiet support from people who may never comment publicly but keep tuning in.

Those moments mattered more than metrics.

It’s easy to get caught up in numbers. It’s harder — and more meaningful — to build something that people feel connected to.

Gratitude for the Brands That Supported the Work

We don’t take partnerships lightly. The brands we work with aren’t just names on a page — they’re companies that support real shooters, real use, and honest conversation.

We’re genuinely grateful for the support from:

• Monsoon Tactical, for craftsmanship that prioritizes performance and thoughtful design.

• NDZ Performance, for dependable upgrades and consistent support throughout the year.

• Brownells, a cornerstone of the firearms community and a trusted source we continue to rely on.

• Tier 1 Concealed, for supporting everyday carry done right and gear built for real life.

• Firearms Radio Network, for providing a platform and backing independent voices like ours.

Their support made it possible to keep doing this the right way.

Looking Ahead

As 2025 comes to a close, there’s a quiet confidence in where MacBroz is headed. Not because everything is figured out — but because the direction feels right.

We’ll keep showing up.

We’ll keep the conversations honest.

We’ll keep training, learning, and refining.

And we’ll keep building something that feels real — even if it isn’t for everyone.

To everyone who listened, shared, laughed with us, or simply stayed consistent alongside us this year — thank you. We appreciate it more than we can easily put into words.

Here’s to what comes next.

– MacBroz