My hand cannon can still outgun scouts at scout ranges, because it has scout-level range due to perks. Pushes that damage fall-off line way back.

It all comes down to perks, really. My HC acts like a 0.1x zoom scout rifle due to perks, and pulses do the same thing. That's just part of the game, and we all know that. The issue is that the perk combo that will allow an average player to do what you describe is on sale for 150 marks, and has been for months, so in theory every pulse user can and does have a gun that can push you. The counter is similar to how one can counter AR's, and kind of how one uses a HC in an out-gunned situation. Make effective use of the vertical and horizontal space to get out of the firing pattern as fast as possible and try to break line of sight. Once your recovery has started, peak out, get a tag, drop back into cover. they should miss with at least one round. Peak, shoot, repeat, dead. The weakness of the pulses is the same as the AR, they depend on sustained damage over time to kill, and making them miss a single round adds .3 seconds on to their TTK, putting them at worst-in-class levels. Just make that one bullet miss you, and you have the advantage.

Honestly, the range stat has never stood as much of a prohibition for me against scouts. With the vendor roll, I simply engage in hand cannon tactics of peak shooting when I need to, focusing on getting in at least 1-2 crits per burst if possible. It can generally kill effectively, sometimes trade, and sometimes cause a disengage. It's certainly not a perfect tactic, but it keeps them from getting a kill while putting shots on them. If I'm shooting from cover and they aren't, chances are a lot higher that one of my team members will be able to get them as a clean up than one of theirs getting me, so by probability, it's a net win for me. Granted, this isn't the standard tactic, but it is remarkably effective and not difficult to learn. One of the biggest mental blocks that limits people is assuming anything functions in any one set of parameters, like ARs being CQC only (obviously some hard limits exist, like shotguns). Pull out a Monte Carlo on someone like that, and they'll scream OP for the entire match. I know I get reported for cheating all the time with my hand cannon, simply due to the range I can kill at with it (63 plus rangefinder). Better is to assume that any gun can kill you at any range, if you disrespect it enough, and you'll live longer (not you specifically, 'you' as in general audience). TTK, range, and other numbers are just numbers, and they only function the way they are calculated to on paper. Go live with them and play dirty, and they all go out the window, except in basically ideal situations (yes, range still function numerically, but you can make it matter less by employing specific tactics). And keep in mind, I'm just as happy putting shots on someone and living as I am outright killing them. That usually ends up as a team kill and that means 50 more points for the game total than a one and done.

That is also untrue. There are two Low RoF Pulse rifles that can two burst: Spare Change .25 can two burst on all precision hits and Lyudmila-D can two burst with 7 Precision and 1 Body shot. The Lyudmila-D is particularly dangerous since it can execute that with two particular rolls that were both sold recently as part of armsday: Counterbalance with Hand-Laid Stock, and Rodeo with Hand-Laid Stock. The former is what everyone knows as the God roll, but the second is actually the real God Roll. Normally, Lyudmila-D's Horizontal Recoil is fully mitigated while you strafe right to combat the weapon's extreme left recoil. Adding rodeo to this gives you complete strafe control, allowing every single shot to land dead on with no recoil while strafing in either direction, which is the most common tactic used in PvP. That roll, combined with Lyudmila-D's wide accessibility and relative frequency at which the God Roll occurs makes it one of Destiny's hidden gems. It is a true stand out among the ranks of Pulse Rifles.