I'd rather have a rifle that can one shot with a headshot. TR can be in near melee range and scope shot you right in the back of the skull and you'll have one bar of health left, VS won't even break your shield. Too bad NC sucks.
Anyway, I consider them all better in different ways. SOE did a decent job making the differences in factions/weapons more of a playstyle than power thing. Admittedly, some systems are much easier to use than others.