I agree with Lordus in all
Better weapon for small gun is the sniper(don't have the 'scoped' perk
). It use 8 AP for hit in head/eyes (no good chance to cripple in other parts of body so head and eyes for critical) and you need to choice the part of the body you have to hit.
So we have to click a guy, click a part of his body if he is already here .. that take only some second but that system was instored for turn-based mode.
In real time we have the AP penality for aimed shot AND the time to choose a part of body. (double penalty for every small gun who make aimed shot, maybe majority of player actually)
A sniper don't really have time to shoot a guy at 50 hex if he is moving, and difficult to find a 50 hex way without wall/obstacle
The better hit I have make is a critical with a sniper (without finess) : 136 dammage (but most of times 20-40)
Minigun is not the best weapon for biggun, and every biggunner have fast shot. So it use 5(EDIT:6, thanks Attero) AP and only to click on a guy to hit him.
And can easily hit a guy at 30-35 hex (just click on him) to make 80-120 dammage without critic and sometimes more, sometimes more than more (that why we can hit alone in blue suit and 1 minigun 5 men of brocken hills caravans)
So i agree with two problem : action point and distance.
I agree on the fact that biggun can hit to long distance but some of them are machine gun, machine no human, which can destroy some building. Try to hit a rabbit far away with a minigun and you will destroy all around but the rabbit have great chance to be alive. These weapon are only accurate when fixed on something (on ground or on aircraft/helicopter) so maybe make a special perk wich have a great bonus for low range and a penality for long range? but it is not really a solution when we have 240% in the skill :p
And we take sniper rifle because :
Fast-shot smallgun need the bonus rate of fire (5-6 hits in your face! .. without shitty jet :p)
Burst with assault small gunner need some update of their weapon (little more range? have rounds per burst a multiple of ammo capacity?)
Burst with shotgun look to be update? don't tested it.
I think when bonus rate of fire will work again (after wipe?) and update assault weapon, the diversity of small gun will come back a little. And fix sneak will help too. And if someone are hit 3 times in the head with my sniper I want to see him dead, not running