I do not think this is true... Hand cannons typically have a horrible range and fire rate. And very, very few have a decent clip size. My Fatebringer holds 12, and that is the best I can think of, personally. The benefit is, of course, their stopping power, as they tend to have the highest impact of guns in the game. Scout rifles are also excellent on impact, not as good as hand cannons, but still typically good. But their true benefit comes from their range, as even a moderate scout can far exceed almost every other gun except the sniper rifle. They also tend to be better on the fire rate side, as well as reload speed. Stability is better than hand cannons typically as well. And they usually have more in the clip. Pulse rifles seem to get the shaft in this game. Period. They can go from having "meh" impact to "Is this a damn AR?!?!?" impact. They typically have a decent enough fire rate, and can have a range greater than hand cannons, but are outshined by scouts. In the end, Scouts tend to outshine hand cannons, not the other way around. The exception being a few exotics, and maybe the Fatebringer, due to nice added perks, but to be honest I would take my Dead Orbit Scout, my MIDA, or my VoC over many hand cannons any day of the week.