Yeah, the perks totally ****** up what was actually a very balanced formula. In the United Offensive days, riflemen were the ones who set the tone. In Modern Warfare, riflemen are pretty sparse on account of the reduced damage of the rifles and the increased accuracy and range of the SMG.
I've been using a Dragunov, lately. With Stopping Power and Deep Impact perks, I still have to hit a target up to three times in the torso to kill. Lame.