I think some people don't understand that a sniper with their low hp is meant to stay far far away at 50 hex dealing damage on enemies with lower perception/range that they can see but not get hit by and using large open spaces to their advantage.
I guess this is where all the overpowered bg talk comes from, snipers running next to big gunners and instantly dying to a one hex or a ranged double burst and then calling op and nerf, the avenger has already been nerfed to bits as it is.
And the rate of fire is only slightly lower for big gunners but with their limited range this is to be expected.
Making snipers this session is a very popular choice, doing burst like damage from a safe distance away.