Actually, I disagree with how a Riflemen is used/fighting against one.
As noted, most Rifleman variants(except the C and Cr) have a tight
heat curve. This means that if you are Rifleman jockey, you are going
to be master of manipulating and juggling a tight heat-curve like that.
To fight well with a Rifleman, you want to push that heat curve to the
limit. Know your fire brackets, know how hot you will get, and DO NOT
FLINCH FROM GETTING THAT HOT. The ultimate secret to using a Rifleman
is knowing when to just go and unleash an alpha strike, even if that means
you are going to be a sitting duck for a round or two. You can dish out a
LOT of damage for that tonnage, and sometimes, that burst damage followed
by a couple rounds of plinking is what will get you walking home. Because,
frankly, a Rifleman, like a Hellbringer, is about burning the enemy down before
he hits you.
Fighting a Rifleman, you want to disrupt the heat-curve. So, Infernoss and plasma
weapons are the best weapons against a Rifleman. Either pilot will tactically ignore
the extra heat, and cook himself off, or he will change up his firing pattern to deal
with that extra heat, and thus reduce his burst damage. The other choice is to
just bring something that will burn the Rifleman down quicker. 'mechs like the Yeoman,
the Salamander, or the Hollander against the classic variant, or just about any
modern 'mech with big hit weapons. I like Heavy Gauss for Rifleman hunting, BTW.
