Eh, for any kind of sneaky Light Assault gameplay Vanu and NC take the cake by far. The extra ammo in the clip is nice on the TR side, but I've gotten to the point with my Gauss Compast S and Solstice that I know exactly how many bullets it takes to kill and waste none. The result is 2-3 kills per reload, even with the 30-round mag.
In my style of gameplay it's better to kill by suprise than it is to win in a fair fight, so the higher damage output of the Gauss and the higher accuracy of the Solstice both mean I'm more likely to kill them before they react. Plus both the Vanu and NC Lights can be made nearly perfectly black with the right cammo, making them nearly impossible to spot or identify at night. I've actually ran into enemy bases without getting shot before, right up until they see the point being capped.
I can agree with Trashman though, I fear the Vanu and NC way more than the TR. Vanu can kill me from range while moving easily, a tactic I use to my own advantage from time to time. As for the NC... if they are in proper range, you are dead before you can react to the first bullet. But the TR? Unless you're in a building (ScatMAX FTW), you can usually get away with at least some of your shield left and come back at them later.
And oh man, Lockdown prowlers, talk about C4 bait. Free XP to any experianced LA, and a lot of it. I love picking on the TR, regardless of which faction I'm playing as.