in my opinion its md, depending on map you might not be in an area that is protected by turrets, or covered by teammates while using it. If you die thats 350 creds down the drain, (2 dretch kills). The slow refire rate coupled with low ammo means it makes attacking multiple skilled enemies difficult, and if friendly fire is on 1 headshot coupled with bleeders means a lot of creds down the drain.
I prefer to use only rifle/shotgun/painsaw for s1 to conserve creds