Don't forget load time (Destiny)

by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Tuesday, February 03, 2015, 13:33 (3372 days ago) @ ZackDark

Some enemies take a lot less than a full hand cannon shot to die, so same DPS auto rifles would obviously be a lot more efficient. It would demand less reloads for the same group of enemies, thus less wasted time.

That's a very good point, although Explosive Crit Hits (with a weapon like Fatebringer) negate that somewhat. Against crowds of weaker enemies (like Thrawl) you can kill 4-5 enemies with each trigger pull.