But if you compare the stats of the Last Word to any other Hand Cannon, you'll find that the impact stands on the low end of the HC class. When Thorn's stats changed, the impact may have been equal but the damage was in 5-7 points more than TLW. The hip fire (increased dps) and high stability was added to compensate for the low impact and lack of range. The Chaperone, on the other hand, will be the perfect shotgun. It's know that shot package on any shotgun can kill any guardian at a few feet. Chaperone starts with the highest range of all shotgun classes, plus with the max stability and lack of spray, all shots will hit its target. All the perks just increase the range. But again when comparing the shotguns, the Chaperone doesn't have a high impact.

It does less damage because it has a high rate of fire which actually makes it the most damaging hand cannon. The stats bars are not accurate means of measurement.

...but you just said that you thought TexM guns were high impact weapons. And I said they were low impact/high dps weapons. It's hard to use the hip fire and be accurate for TLW. So you have to use a controlled fire (ie pump the trigger) to land your shots, effectively slowing the hip fire. And if the stats don't matter, then why are they there and why have Youtubers used them to help review weapon damage output, damage values in PvP, time to kill, best perks for stats, and so on and so on. You get where this is going right?

The stat bars don't matter The stats DO