you forgot one thing. Demo expert (using plasma nades) fires 300 caps with each hit. Big gunner with rocket launcher fires like 350-500 with each hit. Big gunner with minigun is a thing only rich people can afford ( im not talking about only using it in pvp, about lvling up etc). Energy expert fires bullets that are hard to craft, and about double as valuable as sg bullets (and in same times their ammo are resisted by armors very will, while sg bullets are not). And so SG fires like 9-16 caps with each shot, and something like 50-100 caps with each burst. So common, dont be so selfish and dont expect others to overpower sg more then it is now.
I dont want to be offensive, but it looks that you dont get the point. Your equation is right, but because you were not continuously PvP, you have forget to put it into bigger equation.
You put a question:
How expensive is to fire one shot or burst in each combat class?
BG (avenger) burst cost = 40 * 15 =
600 caps SG (As.rifle) burst cost = 8 * 15 =
120 caps Better question is:
How expensive is to fire one shot or burst in each combat class, if you want to make same damage? BG vs SG (as. rifle) full ap bursts costs
BG needs 3*40 ammo * price = 120 * 15 = 1500 caps,
SG needs = 3 x 8 * price = 360 caps.
BUT:
One Avenger burst =cca 105 DMG (agaisnt classic power build with metal MK2)
One AS.R. burst = cca 29 DMG (-II-).
So if SG burster wants to do same damage like Avenger guy, he needs to fire 3,5 x more than avenger.
So price for 105 damage is
600 caps / BG avenger and
420/SG as.r.. So prices are very similar. So your argument is wrong. (EDITED, i mate math mistake)
BUT: You dont have only ammo for one burst, you have more ammo, that you can lost. You have also gun, armor, drugs. You invest your real time to find and craft it.
So the right question is:
How much effort have i to make, if i want to be succesful in PvP (or PvE)?
Every PvP player needs equipment. Armor, weapon, ammo, stimps and drugs. Everybody knows, that if you want to play BG avenger in PvP, your costs are greater than SG AS burst. But each class needs armor, so this price is same for everyone. Other equipment is more expensive for BG. Ok, how much? 3x? 4x? 5x? Lets say 5x /price not only in caps, but in time you need to spend = real costs.
So if BG stuff is 5x expensive in PvP than SGs A.R. stuff ( 5:1), do bigguners have 5x bigger chance to win the combat against SG AS.Rifles? NO, they dont. Chance of SG assault riffle win against biggunner is equal to ZERO. (1:50). Just look at their bursts damage and their weapons range. Only very experienced SG burster can kill average BG burster. But if their players skills are equal, BG has bigger chances.