Things That Make You Go “Why, Oh Lord, Must Thy Servant Put Up With This…Stuff?”
My brother has been searching for a decent defensive piece, concealability not an issue. Doesn’t know all that much, hasn’t shot a lot of handguns. I told him to get a revolver for his first piece just to learn to shoot, preferably a decent used Ruger or S&W four inch 357. Reliable, good to learn with, don’t have to mess with mags and safeties and slide releases, not at all bad to shoot using 38 Special +P, can get them for 450-550 in good shape – what’s not to like, right? For strictly defensive purposes, if you can’t get it done with six rounds of 357 it probably can’t be done; throw the piece at the bad guy and take off. Plus which if you learn to shoot a double action revolver in double action accurately, what with the long trigger pull, you can shoot about anything. He can keep it and get a semiauto later, or sell it and get something else later – can always get your money out of a piece like that.
He decided to “help out a friend” and bought a used Grendel P10 “because the price was right and the guy needed the bucks” at a hundred bucks….sold new for 125, which tells you something right there. Within reasonable limits, firearms are one area where you very definitely get what you pay for ($2500 1911 variations being a whole ‘nother topic.) I TOLD him it was a piece of junk – I mean, a semiauto that doesn’t have a removable mag? You gotta feed 380 rounds into the receiver one by one to reload it? Really? (It’s all true.) Plus which it seems to get off about three rounds before it jams, on a good day. At least a wheelgun has great big holes to drop the rounds into, and it always goes bang when you pull the trigger – if it don’t, pull the trigger again.
Facepalm, as in slapping your forehead with the palm of your hand. I TOLD him to save the money and put it into a decent RELIABLE defensive piece with some oomph to it (cough*S&W 686 four inch*cough) which he’s still going to do supposedly – even spent time looking for him on gunbroker and gunsamerica, but noooooo, he had to find out for himself. I told him if he was feeling charitable he should have just given the guy the money, and if he was feeling all that charitable he could give it to ME. I know - whaddya gonna do? - but sometimes people do stuff that just drives you up the wall.
My brother has been searching for a decent defensive piece, concealability not an issue. Doesn’t know all that much, hasn’t shot a lot of handguns. I told him to get a revolver for his first piece just to learn to shoot, preferably a decent used Ruger or S&W four inch 357. Reliable, good to learn with, don’t have to mess with mags and safeties and slide releases, not at all bad to shoot using 38 Special +P, can get them for 450-550 in good shape – what’s not to like, right? For strictly defensive purposes, if you can’t get it done with six rounds of 357 it probably can’t be done; throw the piece at the bad guy and take off. Plus which if you learn to shoot a double action revolver in double action accurately, what with the long trigger pull, you can shoot about anything. He can keep it and get a semiauto later, or sell it and get something else later – can always get your money out of a piece like that.
He decided to “help out a friend” and bought a used Grendel P10 “because the price was right and the guy needed the bucks” at a hundred bucks….sold new for 125, which tells you something right there. Within reasonable limits, firearms are one area where you very definitely get what you pay for ($2500 1911 variations being a whole ‘nother topic.) I TOLD him it was a piece of junk – I mean, a semiauto that doesn’t have a removable mag? You gotta feed 380 rounds into the receiver one by one to reload it? Really? (It’s all true.) Plus which it seems to get off about three rounds before it jams, on a good day. At least a wheelgun has great big holes to drop the rounds into, and it always goes bang when you pull the trigger – if it don’t, pull the trigger again.
Facepalm, as in slapping your forehead with the palm of your hand. I TOLD him to save the money and put it into a decent RELIABLE defensive piece with some oomph to it (cough*S&W 686 four inch*cough) which he’s still going to do supposedly – even spent time looking for him on gunbroker and gunsamerica, but noooooo, he had to find out for himself. I told him if he was feeling charitable he should have just given the guy the money, and if he was feeling all that charitable he could give it to ME. I know - whaddya gonna do? - but sometimes people do stuff that just drives you up the wall.
Sorry your friend got a bad deal. Hopefully he will learn from it and listen to you next time. You did all you could do though, so good for you for trying. 
just has to learn his lesson. Now he will be ready to listen to people who know what they are doing. You, the OP, now qualify as 
Congratulations.
