I voted for balanced, mainly because a 'buff' or 'nerf' isn't what I think they need.High RoF's are in a great place, they support aggressive assault-style play action. The 88-8's are in an interesting place. I feel like they are generally more of a support weapon, meant to be used to back up or reinforce friendly fire, the exception being if they have a range perk. Add Send It or Rifled Barrel and they become more capable of standing alone; last IB, I only ran Monte Carlo, got high score on my third game, and averaged about a 1.6 -2.0 K/D. High impact auto's can be competitive, but it take good positioning and careful choice of engagements to succeed. I have done really well with a 93 stability Shadow Price before, and I have done terribly with it too: the difference is a minute change in how and when I chose to begin an engagement. All in all, I think they are competitive now, with the faster fire rate being in the best place. I also used to think they were no-skill guns, until I used one in IB. I came to realize the skill is in knowing the capabilities of your gun and being able to read the engagement. Aiming is a factor, but it's not insane. But if you don't know how to determine when it's a good idea to commit (and all auto rifle engagements are a commitment to a life or death fight), you will get pasted over and over again. I think the mid and low fire rate varieties probably need a tiny bump up, but I also think they could stay the same and be fine as well.